Police have identified 31-year-old Judyann L. Edmond as the woman they arrested in Tuesday’s fatal stabbing in the Old Town neighborhood.
The victim was 38-year-old Stephanie Rene Hack, according to a probable cause affidavit from Multnomah County Deputy District Attorney Madeline Loeb.
Edmond entered a not guilty plea Wednesday to charges of second-degree murder and unlawful use of a weapon.
At around 9 a.m. Tuesday, the Portland Police Bureau bike squad responded to calls about a stabbing on Northwest 5th Avenue between Couch and Davis streets. When they arrived, they found Hack with severe stab wounds. She later died at a nearby hospital.
TriMet video footage shows the two women standing with a man, identified as Pete Lara, when Edmond suddenly stabs Hack in the back of the neck, according to court documents. Hack fell to the ground and was stabbed two more times.
Lara witnessed the stabbing but “barely reacts,” the affidavit said. Another man at the scene unsuccessfully attempted to kick the knife out of Edmond’s hand. Edmond walked away, headed south.
Hack, grievously wounded, managed to get up and walk down the block before collapsing, Loeb wrote. A security guard, Michael Block, saw Hack and attempted to help her until emergency responders arrived, the affidavit stated. Hack was taken to Legacy Emanuel Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead.
Police used video surveillance in the area to track Edmond to a tent on Southwest 5th Avenue between Burnside and Ankeny streets, the affidavit said. When officers told the occupants to come out of the tent, they recognized the tattoos on Edmond’s arms and arrested her.
The tent’s owner, identified as Samuel Colley, told police that he woke up to find Edmond in his tent, the affidavit said. Colley said he did not know Edmond, but Loeb wrote that the two smoked meth together, and Edmond attempted to sell Colley a knife.
Edmond admitted to police that she stabbed Hack, according to the affidavit. She said she did it to protect Lara, who she claimed was her grandfather. Lara, however, reported meeting Edmond for the first time only the day before. He did not know her name, the affidavit said.
Edmond has faced a total of 12 charges in the past month, including theft, felon in possession of a restricted weapon and identity theft, according to court records. She has five open cases in Multnomah County.
There have been 56 homicides so far this year. This compares to 60 at this time last year, when Portland finished with an all-time high 92 homicides.
Edmond’s next court appearance on the murder and weapon charges is Aug. 11.
– Austin De Dios; adedios@oregonian.com; @austindedios; (503) 319-9744
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