On December 8th, Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt announced that a Multnomah County jury delivered a guilty verdict for Barbara Marie Michelle, 44, for the 2022 shooting death of her boyfriend, Justin Lee Williams, 41.
Incident
On November 24, 2022, at 1:46 a.m., Portland Police officers were dispatched to the 8700 block of North Lombard Street on the report of a shooting. Officers arrived to find a man suffering from a gunshot wound to his torso. The victim, identified as Justin Williams, was transported to a local hospital in critical condition; Mr. Williams died two days later. Officers then responded to a nearby crash scene, where they found and arrested the suspect, Barbara Michelle.
Trial & Verdict
The trial took place in front of Judge Angela Lucero from November 27 to December 7, 2023, with Senior Deputy District Attorney Melissa Marrero as prosecutor. The 12-person jury delivered the verdict on December 7th, finding Michelle guilty of:
- One count of Manslaughter in the First Degree (Constituting Domestic Violence)
- One count of Assault in the First Degree (Constituting Domestic Violence)
- One count of Unlawful Use of a Weapon (Constituting Domestic Violence)
- One count of Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants (DUII)
On December 12th, Multnomah County Circuit Court Judge Angela Lucero sentenced Barbara Marie Michelle, 44, to 10 years in prison.
