PORTLAND, Ore. — Christopher Pray, the man who escaped from the Oregon State Hospital last fall only to be recaptured two days later after getting stuck in a muddy pond, has been sentenced to 22 years in prison after pleading guilty to multiple charges related to his prior crimes.
The Multnomah County District Attorney's Office announced Monday that Pray, 39, had reached a plea agreement with prosecutors for several open cases against him and had been sentenced as follows:
- 130 months for one count each of first-degree assault with a firearm and attempted murder with a firearm
- 90 months for one count of first-degree robbery with a firearm
- 70 months for one count of second-degree assault constituting domestic violence
- 30 months for one count each of first-degree criminal mischief and second-degree attempted escape
- 130 months for one count of first-degree manslaughter
The first two sentences and 44 months of the third sentence are to be served consecutively, for a total of 264 months or 22 years. The remainder of the third sentence, along with the fourth and fifth sentences, will be served concurrently. All of the sentences pertain to incidents that took place between 2022 and 2024.
Pray was initially arrested on murder, robbery and assault charges in May 2023, and was separately accused of robbing and shooting out windows at a North Portland auto parts store the month before.
He was moved to the Oregon State Hospital in late August, where he got into a fight with another patient and had to be taken to a local hospital for medical attention. On the way back, he was able to take control of the hospital transport van and drive it away, despite being handcuffed and shackled at the legs.
A federal investigation later found that staff left the keys in the ignition of the van when they got out after pulling in at the Oregon State Hospital, and there was no physical barrier between the front and back seats, so Pray was able to jump into the front seat and escape.
He eluded law enforcement after a chase down Interstate 5 southbound, and was on the run for about 36 hours until Portland firefighters were called in to rescue a person who was trapped in mud up to his armpits in a North Portland pond. He was taken to a hospital where he tried to give a fake name, but a hospital employee recognized him as Pray and he was taken back into custody.
Pray is currently being held in Multnomah County, according to the DA's office, but will be transported to the Oregon Department of Corrections to serve his sentence.
