Man found guilty on all counts after retrial of 1994 Portland rape case

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — After a jury failed to reach a unanimous verdict 30 years ago, a man was found guilty on all counts Friday afternoon when a Portland rape case was retried by the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office.

A jury convicted 60-year-old James Donald Jackson on charges of first-degree rape and first-degree sex abuse which stemmed from an incident which took place in June 1994.

According to a release from Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office, the victim, an 18-year-old woman, who had just moved to Portland from Indiana, met Jackson at Pioneer Courthouse Square.

Since he “seemed nice,” both walked to a playground, where Jackson threatened her with a gun and raped her.

The case was originally brought to trial in 1995. However, the jury did not return unanimous convictions on all counts.

According to the DA’s Office, a 2020 ruling by the US Supreme Court required a unanimous verdict on every count in state criminal trials. This gave the need for “new trials when public safety and victim protection is impacted by the reversals,” the DA’s Office said.

The DA’s Office added that after he was originally convicted, Jackson could have faced up to more than 50 years in prison. If not found guilty, he would have been released by the end of 2025.

With the jury’s unanimous guilty verdicts, the DA’s Office says Jackson will now have “Dangerous Offender” hearing at a later date.