Bush Park Murderer Sentenced - 09/05/25

State of Oregon v. Nathaniel McCrae, Jr.

Marion County: 24JU01361 and Marion County Circuit Court Case 25CR49762

Salem, OR – September 5, 2025 – Today Nathaniel McCrae Jr., admitted in Marion County juvenile court case number 24JU01361 to Murder in the Second Degree for the March 7, 2024, Bush Park shooting death of Josue Vasquez-Valenzuela, 16.  In addition to his admission to Murder, McCrae also pled guilty in Marion County Circuit Court 25CR49762 (“adult court”) to Unlawful Use of a Weapon with Firearm.

McCrae was 16 years old at the time the shooting occurred.   

On March 7, 2024, at 1:44pm, two large, but separate groups of young adults approached each other at Bush Park in Salem, Oregon.  A confrontation ensued, which led to Defendant drawing a gun and intentionally shooting at the victims’ crowd.   Vasquez-Valenzuela received one gunshot wound to the left chest and died on scene.  Two additional minors suffered non-fatal gunshot wounds.

Pursuant to a stipulated agreement between the parties, Defendant was sentenced to the legal custody of the Oregon Youth Authority for the maximum period allowed by law, which is up to his 25th birthday.   In addition, he will serve a minimum of 60 months in the Department of Corrections (to be served at OYA) for the adult conviction. Those sentences will be served concurrently.

Senate Bill 1008 was passed by the Oregon Legislature in 2019 and drastically changed how youth that commit violent felonies are charged under Oregon law.  Now, the state must prove that at the time of the conduct, that youth have an “adult-like” understanding of the nature and quality of their conduct and that the juvenile justice system has no reformative value, among multiple other factors.  See e.g., ORS 419C.349.  This exceedingly high legal standard makes adult convictions for youth rare and incredibly difficult to obtain.

Even if they are waived into adult court, waived defendants are eligible for release after 15 years and halfway through their sentences, regardless of the crime of conviction or number of victims.

Conversely, if an adult conviction cannot be obtained, the maximum sentence any youth can serve under Oregon law for any juvenile conviction (“adjudication”) is until their 25^th birthday, regardless of the nature of the offense and the number of incidents or victims they offend against.

Rather than risk the case being resolved solely in juvenile court, here, the state agreed to a bifurcated resolution in which Defendant admitted to murder as a juvenile and received an adult felony firearm conviction. This structure prohibits Defendant from possessing firearms in the future. [1]

“Oregonians deserve a fix regarding how we deal with juveniles who commit murder and other violent offenses,” said Marion County District Attorney Paige Clarkson.  “The loss to the victim’s family is immeasurable and the impact on our community in this case was severe.  The current law only serves to traumatize these victims further and is contrary to common sense and public safety.”

Understanding that the Defendant could be released after only eight short years, the victim’s family expressed dismay at Oregon’s law, telling the judge they did not feel the system was fair and they did not receive a just result.

The case was prosecuted by Chief DDA Brendan Murphy, DDA Rachel Klein and DDA Tim O’Donnell.   The case was investigated by Salem Police Detective Anothony Vandekoppel.

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About Marion County District Attorney’s Office

The District Attorney’s Office is responsible for seeking justice through promoting accountability for criminal offenders; interpreting, enforcing, and executing law; responding to the concerns of victims and the public; and working cooperatively with members of the justice system.

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Marion County Man Sentenced To 25 Years In Prison On Multiple Counts Including Rape In The First Degree - 09/04/25

Marion County Man Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison on Multiple Counts Including Rape in the First Degree

State of Oregon v. Pablo Salazar-Ramirez

Marion County Circuit Court Case 24CR32015

September 4, 2025 - On September 3, 2025, Marion County Circuit Court Judge Thomas Hart sentenced Pablo Salazar-Ramirez, age 73, to 25 years in prison.  He was charged on three counts of Rape in the First Degree, two counts of Sexual Abuse in the First Degree, two counts of Extortion, and one count each of Coercion, Unlawful Use of a Weapon, and Assault in the Fourth Degree constituting Domestic Violence. Mr. Salazar-Ramirez will also be required to register as a sex offender.

These convictions stem from approximately 14 years of the defendant sexually abusing a minor and committing domestic violence against his intimate partner. These acts came to light in June of 2024 when the defendant punched his domestic partner in the face and her daughter - the victim of the sexual violence – called 911.

Marion County Sherriff’s deputies arrived and separated the victims from the defendant. When contacted by a female deputy, the younger disclosed the sexual violence. She explained that she had remained silent for years out of fear of the defendant’s threats. 

Deputy District Attorney Katharine Semple, who prosecuted the case, argued that a sentence of 30 years was appropriate for the defendant’s repeated violent acts against both women despite the defendant’s age.

The defense requested a 10-year sentence, citing the defendant’s age and health issues.

During the sentencing when Judge Hart imposed the 25-year prison sentence, he told Salazar-Ramirez that what he had done was horrendous and the consequences for his bad actions had finally caught up to him.

The Marion County District Attorney acknowledges the hard work of the Marion County Sheriff’s Office and their arrest of Salazar-Ramirez. 

About Marion County District Attorney’s Office

The District Attorney’s Office is responsible for seeking justice through promoting accountability for criminal offenders; interpreting, enforcing, and executing law; responding to the concerns of victims and the public; and working cooperatively with members of the justice system. 

Former Oregon Youth Authority Employee Arraigned On Charges Of Supplying Contraband, Sexual Misconduct And Providing Firearms. - 09/03/25

Today, former Oregon Youth Authority employee Cherie MacDougall (3/31/1983) was arraigned in Marion County Circuit Court on a Grand Jury Indictment charging her with:

• three counts of supplying contraband;
• three counts of conspiracy to supply contraband;
• two counts of custodial sexual misconduct in the first degree, and;
• two counts of felon in possession of a firearm. 

The charges stem from a co-investigation between the Oregon State Police and Oregon Department of Justice for conduct that occurred in 2022.   According to a court exhibit, MacDougall was paid by incarcerated individuals to provide them with vaping devices.  She later provided that same person with two firearms after that individual was released from custody on conditional release in the community. The grand jury also indicted MacDougall for engaging in a sexual relationship with that same person.

The case is Marion County Circuit Court case 25CR47112. Based on the seriousness of the conduct, the state requested $500,000 bail. Marion County Judge Pro Tem Matthew Tracey imposed bail at $100,000.  The next scheduled date is September 11, 2025 at 8:30AM at the Marion County Annex at 4000 Aumsville Highway SE, Salem, Oregon.

MacDougall’s employment with the Oregon Youth Authority ended on May 10, 2023.

This indictment is only one of several criminal indictments issued by the Marion County Grand Jury during the inquiry regarding the conditions and managements of MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility, a closed custody facility run by the Oregon Youth Authority.  See June 16, 2025, release: “Marion County District Attorney Opens Grand Jury Inquiry Regarding MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility.”

The case is being prosecuted by Marion County Deputy District Attorney Kylie Kuhns and Special Deputy District Attorney Kurt Miller.  Miller is a Senior Assistant Attorney General with the Oregon Department of Justice assisting with the MacLaren inquiry.  The Marion County District Attorney’s Office would like to thank the Oregon State Police and Department of Justice for their collaboration on this investigation.

Due to the pending criminal prosecution of MacDougall, no further information will be released at this time.

Inquiries can be sent to Chief Deputy District Attorney Brendan Murphy BPMurphy@co.marion.or.us

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About Marion County District Attorney’s Office

The Districty Attorney’s Office is responsible for seeking justice through promoting accountability for criminal offenders; interpreting, enforcing, and executing law; responding to the concerns of victims and the public; and working cooperatively with members of the justice system. 

Salem Man Receives 25 Years For July 1, 2023, Shooting Death - 08/25/25

State of Oregon v. Michael Ray Solis

Marion County Circuit Court Case 23CR34138

Salem, OR – August 25, 2025 –  Marion County Circuit Court Judge Jodie A. Bureta has sentenced Michael Ray Solis, 21, to 25 years in the Oregon Department of Corrections without the possibility of parole for Manslaughter in the First Degree and Unlawful Use of a Firearm.

On July 1, 2023, Salem Police officers responded to reports of a shooting on Silverton Road NE. Medics arrived and found Steven Michael Hill, 34, deceased from a gunshot wound. Witnesses described three males running from the area, and surveillance video from nearby later confirmed those accounts. Through an extensive investigation, Salem Police Detectives were able to identify Solis as one of the individuals present at the shooting. Two witnesses present with Solis at the time identified him as the shooter, which Solis eventually admitted.

Investigators determined there was no prior known relationship between Solis and Hill, however Solis was associated with the 18^th street gang, while Hill had tattoos affiliated with a Native American, but often rival, gang.  The other two witnesses did not contribute to the criminal act and were not charged.

Solis was arrested on July 4, 2023, at the St. Paul Rodeo for being involved in a fight. Marion County Sheriff’s Deputy Jorge Ramirez detained Solis, and as the two walked toward the patrol vehicle, a handgun fell from Solis’s pant leg.  That handgun was later tested and found to be the firearm used to shoot Hill three days earlier.  Solis was released at that time, but arrested on July 17, 2023, when law enforcement had sufficient information to charge him with the death of Mr. Hill.  

The case was prosecuted by Chief DDA Brendan Murphy and DDA Justin Barbot-Wheaton.

Chief Deputy District Attorney Brendan Murphy said: “This resolution was reached at the request of the victim’s family.  Although Solis was initially charged with murder, the family’s priority was a guaranteed conviction that would not be overturned on appeal.  I know they did not reach their decision lightly.  This sentence ensures the same minimum incarceration length as murder and acknowledges Mr. Solis taking accountability for his actions.   Most importantly, it provides Mr. Hill’s loved ones with a measure of justice and peace. The defendant will serve 25 years in prison with no chance of parole, bringing certainty to the family and a safer community.”

In Oregon, felony trial convictions may be appealed to higher courts, including the Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court of Oregon.  Sentences and convictions are often overturned or reduced, even when the state follows the law as it exists at the time of trial.  By reaching a resolution that avoids a lengthy appeal process and costly trial, the DA’s office ensures a certain and final outcome for the victim’s family.   

The Marion County District Attorney’s Office acknowledges the hard work and dedication of the Salem Police Department and the Marion County Sheriff’s Office in the investigation and arrest of Solis.

Murphy added: “But for the relentless work of Salem Detective Stuart Gamble and the other detectives at Salem Police, I am convinced this case would have remained unresolved.  Salem is lucky to have one of the best police departments I know of.”

District attorney Paige Clarkson echoed that statement: “Marion County is fortunate to have such diligent law enforcement investigators and partners.  Through their work, we were able to provide the family with some sense of justice.”

About Marion County District Attorney’s Office

The District Attorney’s Office is responsible for seeking justice through promoting accountability for criminal offenders; interpreting, enforcing, and executing law; responding to the concerns of victims and the public; and working cooperatively with members of the justice system.

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Marion County 17-year-old Convicted In Adult Court For Armed Robbery - 08/21/25

On August 21, 2025, Jordan Hall Fernandez (17) pled guilty to Unlawful Use of a Weapon with a Firearm as an adult and admitted to an allegation of Robbery in the First Degree with a Firearm in juvenile court for an armed robbery committed when he was 16-years-old.  At the time of the robbery, Hall-Fernandez was on parole from the Oregon Youth Authority.  Therefore, he also admitted to a probation violation in that separate case. The resolution of these cases were part of a stipulated negotiation by the State and Hall Fernandez to resolve the matter jointly in both Criminal Court and Juvenile Court.

For the adult conviction, Marion County Circuit Court Judge Lindsay R. Partridge sentenced Hall Fernandez to 60 months Department of Corrections. On the juvenile matter, Judge Partridge committed Hall Fernandez to the custody of the Oregon Youth Authority for placement at a closed custody youth correctional facility.

For juvenile adjudications, offenders may be held in custody or be paroled by the Oregon Youth Authority until they’re 25. If waived into adult court, however, individuals who commit crimes while under 18 receive adult-length sentences but are also automatically eligible for a “second look” (release hearing) halfway through their criminal sentence due to the 2019 legislative changes to Oregon law under Senate Bill 1008 (“SB 1008 (2019)”).

Sente Bill 1008(2019), changed the way Oregon charges youth that commit violent felonies, requiring that their cases begin in Juvenile Court.  Here, through stipulated resolution, the State and the defense agreed to the waiver into adult court and the sentence described above, avoiding a lengthy and expensive hearing in which the State has to prove by a preponderance of the evidence that the youth had an “adult-like understanding” of the nature of his actions at the time of the offense, and that it is in his and the public’s “best interests” that he be waived into adult court.

Youth’s co-defendant, Barry Johnson, plead guilty to Robbery in the First Degree and Felon in Possession of a Firearm for the same incident on June 30, 2025, in Marion County Circuit Court case 24CR32532 and awaits sentencing before Marion County Circuit Court Judge Courtland Geyer on September 5, 2025.

 The other involved, co-defendant juvenile remained in juvenile court and has been adjudicated for Robbery in the First Degree with a firearm. He was also committed to the Oregon Youth Authority.

This case was investigated by Salem Police Department, with special thanks to Salem Police Detectives Pence Hodges and Griffin McDowell, as well as Officer Alicia Gomnes, who located the stolen vehicle used in the robbery. The criminal and juvenile matters were prosecuted by Marion County Chief Deputy District Attorney Brendan P. Murphy and Deputy District Attorney Tim O’Donnell.

Since the passage of SB 1008 (2019), Hall Fernandez remains part of a very small number of youth in Oregon who have committed significant, violent criminal acts who have been waived by either agreement or hearing into adult criminal court. “This is an appropriate outcome” said Chief Deputy District Attorney Brendan Murphy.  “It accounts for the seriousness of the offense with an adult conviction, which will prohibit him from possessing firearms in the future, but it also provides the defendant with the rehabilitative services of the Oregon Youth Authority.  Furthermore, it avoids an incredibly costly, lengthy and complicated waiver proceeding for Marion County taxpayers.”