Tonight on KGW news, a 40 year old cold case suddenly solved
when a Portland man confesses
to murder. But
this situation did not dim the bright light
that radiates from Damian
stabbing.
Survivor as friends of a teenager allegedly attacked because of his race.
Look ahead toward his recovery
and she's the Oregon woman who turned her
own experience with sexual assault into advocacy.
Why Brenda Tracy reportedly says
she's been victimized
again.
Thanks for joining us.
I'm David Molko and we begin tonight with
an organ connection to what prosecutors are calling
a brutal ice cold murder one that was
committed decades ago and thousands of miles away.
Alma mccarthy is in the newsroom. Alma.
We're talking about a cold case out of Boston from the seventies.
What do we know?
Well,
David John Michael Ermer went to the field office in Portland
where agents say he confessed to quote several crimes of those,
the rape and murder of a 24 year old woman.
Back in 1979 he told special agents,
he met the woman with red hair at a skating rink
around Halloween and the two walked to a building under renovation
on Monday morning in Boston, Massachusetts,
68 year old John Michael Ermer stood out
of view of news cameras during his arraignment.
He's charged with the murder and rape of 24 year old Susan Marsha Rose on October
30 th 1979 the assistant district attorney for
Suffolk County detailed the allegations in court.
Mr
Imer and MS Rose walked around Back Bay
and they went into an abandoned building at
2 85 Beacon Street which was under construction.
They were walking up the stairs of the building
when the defendant Mr Ermer picked up a hammer
and beat her in the head with it,
knocking her to the ground.
Fast forward nearly 44 years on August 7th,
Ermer walked in to the fbi's Portland field office to confess this and other crimes.
Special agents then contacted local jurisdictions to
investigate the validity of his claims.
DNA evidence from the rape connected Ermer to Rose's
homicide for him to get away with it.
In 44 years. Come
back.
Nearly two decades ago,
detectives were able to get a DNA profile from the crime
scene evidence but did not have a match until now.
According to Irma's arrest report obtained by KGW S affiliate in Boston,
he was
surprised police weren't waiting for him after he was released from prison in 2012.
After three decades behind bars for a homicide in California.
Ermer said he knew officials got a sample of his DNA
while he was incarcerated.
The suspect Irma was transported from here in Portland to Boston over the weekend,
prosecutors told reporters there that he confessed to another murder
in a Southern state but did not provide specific details.
He's being held without bail and his next hearing will be in mid October David.
Yes,
with at least one family getting some semblance of closure some four decades on.
Thank you Alma.
We are hearing tonight from friends of one of the teenagers stabbed at
a max station in what police are calling a racially motivated attack.
17 year old Damien, his family asked us to use his first name only
was one of the two teens stabbed September 2nd as they were getting off the train
in Southeast Portland.
Police say Adrian Cummins,
a 25 year old homeless man struggling with addiction and
who his lawyer says was high at the time.
Yelled racial slurs at the teens before attacking them. Friends.
Tell us Damien is out of the hospital but
cannot leave home and has a long recovery ahead.
The focus is for him
to heal from the surgery since he bled into his heart and chest cavities.
He has been upbeat and full of jokes and joy throughout the whole process
and
that touches me
because when I left his hospital room,
I felt uplifted.
We all do hearing that Damien was supposed to be
starting his senior here at Park Rose High right now.
There is a go fund me for his family.
They say they're hoping to raise enough money for a car
so he doesn't have to ride the max ever again
to get you caught up on tonight's other headlines.
Now,
several teenagers are under arrest after trying to steal
cars at an apartment complex in Salmon Creek.
The Clark County Sheriff's office shared these photos from Sunday night,
the intersection of Northeast 10th Avenue and 139th.
That was after an 18 year old. And what deputies say was a stolen getaway car crashed
while trying to drive off another teenager in that vehicle was arrested along
with one more who they say had run away from the apartments.
No one was hurt.
Students in the Evergreen school district wrapped
up their first day of school today.
After a nearly two week teacher strike,
the union approved a new contract with the district this morning after
the parties worked through the weekend to come to an agreement.
It includes 10 new special education support teachers with more to come
next year plus cost of living increases over the next three years,
the seven days of school students missed because of the strike will of course
be made up
and demolition is underway at the May apartments.
The Southwest Portland apartment building gutted by a fire back in May.
We saw crews out there today in Hazmat suits and
warning signs saying asbestos may be in the area.
Streets at Southwest 14th and Taylor have been closed now for nearly four months.
The building's owner says demolition is set to take about six weeks
developing tonight.
A local rape survivor known for her work with
student athletes is once again in the national spotlight.
According to a report in USA today,
Brenda Tracy is part of a sexual
misconduct investigation filed against Michigan State University football
coach, head football coach,
Mel Tucker.
Now Tracy worked alongside Tucker while trying to prevent sexual violence.
Katherine Cook is here with more on those allegations.
Katherine David first off some of the details in this
report may be triggering for those who hear them.
Brenda. Tracy calls what Tucker is accused of doing to her a betrayal,
the accusations alleged non consensual phone sex.
Now a formal title nine hearing is scheduled for
next month to determine if he violated school policy.
I don't remember everything that happened to me that night.
Thousands of college athletes around the country know the name Brenda Tracy.
She's a rape survivor who lives outside of Portland
and has dedicated much of the last decade to sharing her story publicly.
One school she's worked with is Michigan State
University and head football coach Mel Tucker.
Now, as first reported by USA today, Tracy is accusing Tucker of sexual harassment.
Newly released documents show why she filed a title IX complaint in December.
Tracy claims Tucker conducted non consensual phone
sex with her in April of last year
officials with Michigan State say they didn't know
the nature of the investigation until last weekend
when the university suspended coach Tucker without pay
MSU athletic director, Alan
Haller, the university's objective has been and remains
focus on conducting a fair, thorough and unbiased investigation
and
allowing the processes
to play out.
This includes
protecting confidentiality
of the climate
and put in place interim measures.
USA today detailed the complaint in it.
Tracy described a working relationship with
Tucker that developed into a friendship.
She also suggests attempts on Tucker's part to take
that relationship to a romantic level were one sided.
In the complaint.
Tucker admits to investigators that he masturbated while on the phone
with Tracy but said it was part of consensual phone sex.
He also said he did not engage in misconduct by any definition
for her part.
Tracy told investigators that what happened reopened 25
year old wounds from her rape by four men
including two Oregon State University football players
of Tucker. She told usa today
it's like he sought me out just to betray me. In a statement released Monday
Tucker doubled down on his claims of innocence saying,
quote,
I have been ripped from the team that I love without
any meaningful opportunity to tell my side of the story.
Other than this press release,
he asked everyone to reserve judgment until the full truth comes out.
Tracey responded to Tucker's statement on social media.
She wrote in part,
this is more of the same deflection victim
blaming and lies that I've been dealing with.
Now for months,
October 5 and six,
I will be present for the hearing and make myself available for cross examination.
I invite him
to do the same
Catherine Cook kgw News
and we'll continue to follow up on that story.
Well, we've got a remarkable image today over New York City, over Manhattan,
a double rainbow on a day when many were remembering the thousands
of lives lost in a nation forever changed 22 years ago.
Today, we all remember where we were at that moment.
And Portland fire crew stood at attention
at 6 58 and 7 28. Local time.
The exact moments when the South and
North Towers of the World Trade Center collapsed
was followed by a ceremony that speakers that included first responders and
elected leaders and that tribute ended with a fire boat water display
in the Willamette.
Then others gathered on the historic arch bridge
that connects Oregon City and West Lyn.
They rang this bell
to remember the victims and survivors and threw roses into the river.
It's not just one day, it changed the world, it changed our world,
it changed certainly safety and security,
but it changed how we look at just day to day
life and what we expect in terms of safety and security.
So the impact of that is tremendous.
The Oregon City event was also a celebration for the people who continue
to serve our cities and country and a reminder to all of us
to never
forget
you're watching KGW News. Straight ahead at 11. It is.
The committee meant to oversee how millions of taxpayer
dollars are spent on solving our homeless crisis.
Why they say Multnomah County is making it impossible for them to do their job.
Plus, roll up your sleeve. The FDA has approved the latest COVID vaccine.
Why it might not be free?
I'm Matt Safina.
We are not done with 90 degree weather.
We're talking about how unusual that may or may not be in Portland,
in September and even in October plus the latest on
the come that is visible in the sky this weekend.
And since we're talking about bright lights, how about this?
The latest imagery live, nearly live anyway from kill away as it continues to erupt.
I'll have your forecast after the break.