James Elliott Obituary, Death; – A 66-year-old man from Portland was standing on a MAX station platform close to the Oregon Convention Center early Thursday morning when he was struck once in the head by another individual. According to a probable cause affidavit, James Elliott immediately fell backward and subsequently died in a local hospital the next day.
Jordan Christ, aged 30, faces two counts of second-degree assault in connection with Elliott’s death. Authorities stated that the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office will evaluate any suitable criminal charges.
In Thailand, an injured driver was carefully rescued from an overturned vehicle in Phrae–Uttaradit, Thailand. TriMet surveillance footage was instrumental in leading police to Christ. An affidavit indicated that law enforcement canvassed the vicinity and discovered him sleeping in an alcove at the intersection of Northeast Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Pacific Street, approximately 200 feet southeast of the MAX station.
Detective Matthew Brown reported that Christ exhibited slurred speech, constricted pupils, and appeared unable to concentrate on questions during a police interview.
The circumstances surrounding the attack remain unclear. TriMet video footage revealed that Elliott did not acknowledge or engage with Christ prior to the assault, as stated in a probable cause affidavit. Furthermore, the affidavit noted that the footage depicted Christ walking away immediately after the incident.
Authorities indicated that the two men did not seem to be acquainted.
Court documents reveal that Christ was convicted in 2016 for driving under the influence of intoxicants and for methamphetamine possession in Clackamas County. Following those convictions, he has been arrested over a dozen times on charges including theft, criminal trespass, and meth possession, among others.
In 2018, he was admitted to the Oregon State Hospital in a Multnomah County case that was later dismissed after a judge determined he was unfit to stand trial. He was again sent to the Oregon State Hospital in 2023 after being accused the previous year of stealing merchandise from a Northeast Portland store.
In 2018, he was taken to the Oregon State Hospital in a Multnomah County case that was later dismissed because a judge found him unfit to stand trial. He was once again sent to the Oregon State Hospital in 2023 after being accused the year prior of stealing merchandise from a Northeast Portland Safeway with his brother.
In a motion to dismiss charges in that case, his court-appointed attorneys wrote to the judge that Christ had spent over six months at the state hospital. Last year, the attorneys wrote he had been placed in a transitional housing program but needed a higher level of care. Before being arrested in Thursday’s alleged assault, Christ had a warrant for his arrest for failing to report to a parole officer.
