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Multnomah County Circuit Court Judge Cheryl Albrecht refused to set bail Monday morning for Jeremy Christian, the man charged with 15 felony crimes after killing two men and stabbing a third on a MAX train in May.
The decision had been delayed after a Nov. 15 bail hearing, where prosecutors revealed evidence from the attack, which had been caught on camera. Albrecht delayed her ruling so that she could privately review the footage that a Portland police detective detailed in court to spare the victims and family members present in the courtroom from the gruesome recording.
The detective described the footage during the bail hearing, as did the Multnomah County District Attorney in a memo arguing against setting bail last week. They say the footage shows Christian shouting on the train, getting into an altercation with two of the victims, and stabbing the victims 11 times in as many seconds.
The Portland Tribune today reported how the defense's arguments in that hearing give clues to its strategy: undermining the conventional wisdom about how the slayings occurred.
Christian has been charged with multiple counts of aggravated murder, attempted murder, intimidation, menacing, unlawful use of a weapon and assault.
After viewing the footage, Albrecht decided to deny bail and ordered Multnomah County Sheriffs to keep Christian in custody during the trial. Christian is being held at the downtown county jail.
