Former Cascadia Health resident says mental illness caused him to kill staff member

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – A man pleaded guilty to the fatal stabbing of a staff member at a Cascadia Health residential facility in Gresham but said he was not responsible due to his mental health.

James Calvin Smith, 58, was a client of Cascadia Health’s residential facility McCarthy Place when Haley Alexis Rogers had been working the graveyard shift on July 15, 2023. The facility had 10 beds and round-the-clock staffing for adults with mental illness.

Smith says he had been receiving care in the facility to treat schizophrenia.

That night, prosecutors say Smith stabbed and killed Rogers sometime before 7 a.m. when the morning crew arrived at work and found her body. 

Investigators said there appeared to be signs of a struggle in the common area of the facility. Another resident told police he saw Smith standing over Rogers’ body with a knife.

Smith was charged with second-degree murder and later indicted for unlawful use of a weapon and tampering with physical evidence.

He pleaded not guilty during his arraignment in 2023, but pleaded guilty except for insanity on Tuesday, April 8, 2025.

Haley’s mother Meshell Rogers spoke in court the same day Smith changed his plea.

“Haley was the most loving person I’ve ever met, and if she would have survived the brutal attack, she’d be advocating for Mr. Smith. I know she would be,” Rogers said. “She would want whatever is best for him and done anything he needed. There’s absolutely no reason to kill her and do it so viciously.”

After Rogers’ death, the union representing the workers at McCarthy Place negotiated with Cascadia Health to ensure that at least two people would be staffed for night shifts.  

Oregon’s Occupational Safety and Health (OSHA) department told KOIN 6 News they charged Cascadia Health a fine over $7,000 for violations they found after Rogers’ death, saying the facility had made steps to correct the violations.

Smith is considered a danger to others and will be committed to the state hospital for life unless he is cured, which the District Attorney said is highly unlikely.