PORTLAND, Ore. — The person responsible for setting a fire that destroyed multiple businesses and killed a man in downtown Hillsboro in 2022 will face 30 years in prison after pleading guilty on Tuesday.
Judge Janelle Wipper sentenced Rose Sunrise to 30 years in prison for first-degree manslaughter, first-degree arson, two counts of first-degree criminal mischief, second-degree arson and second-degree burglary, the Washington County Sheriff's Office announced on Tuesday.
Rose Sunrise pled guilty to the charges on Tuesday.
In the early morning of Jan. 2, 2022, fire crews were called to a four-alarm fire at 231 East Main Street. Security footage showed that Sunrise had broken into the businesses and then set a fire before leaving. The fire quickly spread throughout the complex destroying several businesses, including Weil Arcade.
Once the fire was contained, Hillsboro police, Hillsboro Fire & Rescue and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives began their investigation and found human remains in one of the buildings. The remains were later identified as 40-year-old Ronald Knapp. Police said Knapp died of smoke inhalation.
Police believe Knapp had sought shelter on the second floor of the Weil Arcade that night to escape the cold.
"Just devastating," Hillsboro Mayor Steve Callaway said on Jan. 2. "Our main street is the heart and soul ... To have this be the way your new year starts is just crushing."
The next evening, Sunrise intentionally set two more fires in vehicles parking outside a nearby auto shop. Surveillance footage showed Sunrise stoking the flames and then leaving before police arrived, said the Washington County's District Attorney's (DA) Office.
On Jan. 5, the Hillsboro Police Department searched Sunrise's home and found stolen items from the burglaries. After the arrest, Sunrise admitted to burglarizing the Weil Arcade and setting the fires, the DA's office said.
