Woman Shot By Parolee Sues: A woman who was allegedly shot by a juvenile on parole has sued the state’s juvenile detention system. Amaretta A. Rice, 22, claims that Gerardo Trujillo-Torres, 18, was granted parole by the Oregon Youth Authority and three of its employees in July 2020, despite Trujillo-Torres’ history of aggressive and disruptive behaviour both in and out of detention.
Woman Reportedly Shot By Parolee Sues Oregon Youth Authority For Carelessness
In 2021, while riding as a passenger, Rice was seriously injured in an automobile accident in Marion County. Joshua Steward, 24, who was sitting in the driver’s seat, was shot and died.
Trujillo-Torres, who was 16 at the time, was the first juvenile prosecuted after major changes in how Oregon prosecutes minors suspected of serious crimes. Cases involving minors aged 15 to 17 are still heard in Juvenile Court until a judge decides to transfer them to the adult system.
Rice filed a lawsuit against three people this week in Marion County Circuit Court: Renée Hernandez, a juvenile probation and parole officer; Michael Runyon, an Oregon Youth Authority supervisor; and Daniel Berger, the superintendent of MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility, a secure facility for male juvenile offenders. As of Tuesday, an Oregon Youth Authority representative had declined to comment on the case.
Trujillo Torres is facing criminal charges in Marion County Circuit Court. He is charged with not only second-degree murder with a firearm, but also attempted murder and assault in connection with Rice’s death. Rice claims that the state and the three workers were negligent in granting Trujillo-Torres parole despite knowing he had previously violated his release terms. She is seeking up to $17.5 million in compensatory damages.
The lawsuit claims that Hernandez did nothing after learning a month later that Trujillo-Torres had opened fire on pedestrians while driving through Keizer. It also claims that Hernandez, the teen’s parole officer, was aware that he was not attending school or working in the fall of 2020.
Woman allegedly shot by teen on parole sues Oregon Youth Authority in negligence claim https://t.co/AsG8DGGdFW
— Oregonian Politics (@OregonianPol) January 11, 2023
According to the complaint, Trujillo-Torres was recruited by a rival gang to carry out Steward’s murder in retaliation for Steward’s perceived treachery in the narcotics trade. On January 16, 2021, Trujillo-Torres shot and killed Steward and injured Rice, according to evidence presented in court. Rice is said to have been shot in the head in this case.
According to the lawsuit, Rice sustained a skull fracture and ongoing ailments include discomfort, migraines, and ringing in her ears. Her back, ribs, and ankles were all severely injured as well.
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