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The attorneys for Jeremy Joseph Christian, the man accused of murdering two men who interrupted his hate-filled rant on a MAX train in 2017, have asked that his trial to be moved out of Portland.
Christian's public defenders filed a motion for a change of venue in Multnomah County Circuit Court this morning. The motion was first reported by KGW-TV.
Neither of his attorneys could immediately be reached for comment. But their motion suggests they believe Christian could not receive a fair trial in the city where he allegedly fatally stabbed two men on a crowded rush-hour train.
The killings were one of the most shocking crimes in Portland's history—and Christian's attorneys argue that the court would be hard pressed to find jurors unfamiliar with the crimes.
Christian, who sometimes turned up at Portland's right-wing protests, was ranting at two black teenage girls on the MAX in May 2017 when he was confronted by three men. As dozens of people watched, he allegedly stabbed three of them, killing Ricky Best and Taliesin Namkai-Meche. A third victim, Michah Fletcher, survived.
In the minutes after the attack, Christian was recorded in a squad car describing his standoff with one of the men who confronted him.
"I told him, 'You ain't gonna heal, punk,'" Christian allegedly said, according to an affidavit of probable cause. "And he still wants to put his hands on me. Stupid motherfucker. That's what liberalism gets you."
"I hope they all die," Christian continued. "I'm gonna say that on the stand. I'm a patriot, and I hope everyone I stabbed died."
His attorneys have indicated they'll pursue an insanity defense.