PORTLAND, Ore. — A former Portland State University (PSU) football player was sentenced to 23 years in prison Monday for shooting and killing his girlfriend, another PSU student, in 2022.
Keenan Reece Harpole, 22, pled guilty to first-degree manslaughter constituting domestic violence and unlawful use of a weapon, according to Multnomah County court documents. Judge Christopher Marshall sentenced Harpole to 276 months with the possibility of a reduced sentence after the first 10 years.
On April 4, 2022, at 1 a.m., 19-year-old Amara Marluke was shot by Harpole, then 20, outside of her dorm near the intersection of Southwest College Street and Southwest 6th Avenue. Officers arrived and found Marluke dead.
On the same day, Harpole had surrendered himself to authorities in Deschutes County at a property on Homestead Way between Bend and La Pine, police said.
The university confirmed that Harpole was a first-year student and member of the PSU football team but was no longer on the team. Harpole had attended Mountain View High School in Bend.
An autopsy later confirmed Marluke died from gunshot wounds, and her death was ruled a homicide.
Harpole had been Marluke's first boyfriend, and family members saw multiple warning signs of domestic violence and stated that Marluke gave him several chances to reform. She never contacted authorities.
Marluke was known to the PSU community, friends and family as a passionate artist and activist.
"To say that Amara was the light of our life would not begin to do her justice. She was an activist who worked to support those who couldn't speak for themselves," her family said at Harpole's arraignment in 2022. "She had a rough start to her own life, lived through the years of the foster system, and somehow still had endless capacity to love and to help others. She touched our lives and those of so many others. Her dedication to her family and friends was unwavering. That she would fall victim to a senseless and violent death is unimaginable."
Domestic Violence Resources
- National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or text START to 88788
- Love is Respect Hotline (for youth): 866-331-9474 or text LOVEIS to 22522
- Call to Safety (local 24/7 crisis line): 503-235-5333
- UNICA (local 24/7 Spanish language crisis line): 503-232-4448
- The Gateway Center (range of domestic violence services in Multnomah County): 503-988-6400