Oregon man sentenced for beating girlfriend’s father with hammer and strangling him with leash

PORTLAND, Ore. (TCD) — A 24-year-old man will spend 19 years in prison after entering a plea deal for killing his girlfriend’s father in 2022 and leaving his body in a sleeping bag.

Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt announced May 14 that a judge sentenced Zachary Hackman to 204 months in prison for the first-degree manslaughter of James Harris, as well as 24 months for one count of second-degree abuse of a corpse. He’ll also have to serve three years of supervision following his release.

On Oct. 9, 2022, shortly after 6:30 p.m., officers with the Portland Police Department responded to Northeast Marine Drive, where they found the victim deceased.

According to the Oregonian/Oregon Live, Harris’ remains were found in a sleeping bag within some heavy brush. The Medical Examiner’s Office determined Harris was a victim of homicidal violence. Harris reportedly died on Oct. 4, 2022, and had been hit in the head with a hammer and strangled with a dog leash.

Hackman was dating Harris’ daughter at the time, and they lived together, the Oregonian/Oregon Live reports.

Investigators obtained surveillance footage from nearby businesses that reportedly revealed Hackman covering a kitchen window with a towel in Harris’ home on the day of his death. According to the Oregonian/Oregon Live, the footage also showed Hackman and his girlfriend hauling a large plastic container into a vehicle.

Hackman’s girlfriend reportedly told police that her boyfriend asked for her assistance cleaning up trash, but he told her afterward that she helped him dump Harris’ remains.

Investigators also found blood evidence in the house even though the couple had tried to clean the area.

Officials arrested Hackman on Oct. 23, 2022, on initial charges of murder, unlawful use of a weapon, and abuse of a corpse.

Harris’ daughter has not been charged in the case, and she reportedly told police her boyfriend made her help hide his crimes.

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