PORTLAND, Ore. — A man who attacked a group of cyclists during a naked bike ride in June was sentenced to three years in prison on Tuesday, according to the Multnomah County District Attorney's office.
Nine cyclists were riding near Northwest 19th Avenue and Flanders Street on June 3 when Robert Houchins, 40, approached them with a 3-foot length of metal pipe. According to prosecutors, Houchins yelled "get out of here" at the cyclists, hurling a homophobic slur, before attacking them.
A witness told police that Houchins swung the pipe "baseball-like," hitting the victims across the back. Court documents also noted that one of the injured cyclists identifies as gay.
The two victims escaped serious injury, according to the DA's office. Police arrested Houchins nearby, noting that he was still carrying the metal pipe used in the assault.
A grand jury indicted Houchins on June 12 for multiple charges, including assault, unlawful use of a weapon and bias crime. He later pleaded guilty on one count of second-degree attempted assault and one count of first-degree bias crime as part of a plea deal, and Judge Steffan Alexander sentenced him to 36 months in prison on Oct. 24.
Houchins has since been transferred to the custody of the Oregon Department of Corrections, where he's currently serving his sentence.
A difference in outcomes
In Marion County, the defendant in a similar bias crime case pleaded guilty on Monday — but instead of going directly to prison, he'll have a chance at recovery during a three-year supervised probationary period.
According to prosecutors, 26-year-old Douglas Quintanilla was stealing from a Safeway in Salem back on Oct. 7 when a loss prevention officer, James Murphy, tried to stop him. The Marion County District Attorney's office said that Murphy is transgender and prefers the term male to female transitional.
"When Murphy stopped Quintanilla by the exit doors and grabbed the bag where Quintanilla had placed the stolen items, Quintanilla then pulled on the bag to get it away from Murphy," the DA's office said. "Quintanilla then threatened to stab Murphy and reached into his pocket as if he had a knife."
Thinking he was about to be stabbed, the DA's office said that Murphy let go of the bag. Quintanilla then called Murphy a slur, described as highly offensive to LGBTQ+ communities, "multiple times, directly to Murphy’s face." Police later picked up Quintanilla nearby.
Quintanilla pleaded guilty to second-degree attempted robbery and first-degree bias crime, as well as two misdemeanor thefts and a probation violation. As part of the plea deal, Quintanilla must successfully complete an inpatient drug treatment program in Portland to meet the terms of his probation, which will last for three years. Violation of any of the terms will result in a prison sentence ranging from 21 to 24 months.
In the Marion County case, Quintanilla also penned an apology letter to Murphy, addressing both the victim and the judge during sentencing.
"For Murphy, this was about more than being the victim of an attempted robbery," the DA's office said. "Due to the hateful names Murphy was called, Murphy not only lost interest in his job, but he lost interest in living for a couple of weeks. Despite going through this dark period, Murphy stated he wished that this was truly a turning point for Quintanilla and that Quintanilla make the most of this last chance he was given."
Oregon maintains a hotline for tracking hate and bias incidents, and reports can be made to a confidential advocate at StandAgainstHate.Oregon.gov or 1-844-924-BIAS (2427).
