PORTLAND, Ore. — The man who fatally shot two people in Northeast Portland last year in what turned out to be a case of mistaken identity was sentenced Friday to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 32 years under the terms of an earlier plea deal.
Bennett Miller, 25, was charged with two counts of murder for the deaths of Fortressen Oriakhi, 29, and Isidahomen Ikhuoria, 25. The two were found with gunshot wounds in a crashed vehicle in the Hollywood District after police in the area heard gunfire in the early morning hours of June 23, 2023. Fortressen died at the scene, and Isidahomen died a week later in the hospital.
Friends and family of both victims spoke at a sentencing hearing for Miller on Friday, while a slideshow with photos of the two victims played out on a screen. Fortressen's sister, Evangeline Oriakhi, said his death was the worst thing the family had experienced and that he was a "brilliant light" whose life had been "maliciously cut short."
"He was an incredibly loyal brother, son and friend," she said.
Fortressen's father, Christopher Oriakhi, described his son as "full of joy, always happy" and said it was "difficult to quantify" how much his death had hurt the family. He said the family's goal now is to try to move on from the tragedy.
Fortressen was known by the nickname Fortress. He lived in Gresham and worked as a caretaker for people with disabilities, including 11-year-old Reed, who has cerebral palsy. Reed attended the hearing and shared how he and Fortressen played video games and power chair soccer.
"You made me sad," he said, addressing Miller. "Now I feel nervous about someone who I care about going out anytime and getting killed. I loved Fortress like he was my own brother."
Isidahomen was a friend from Nigeria who had been visiting to celebrate Fortressen's birthday. Addressing the court by video call, Osi Ikhouria said his younger brother, who went by Isi, had dreamed of becoming a filmmaker, and he ran a studio and photography business back home.
"He developed into a wonderful young man," he said. "Always vibrant, great energy, always fun to be with, always kind and helpful to everyone. He was full of life."
Some of the family members had been studying or working abroad and hadn't seen Isidahomen for some time, Osi said, but were excited when they heard he'd gotten a visa to visit friends in Oregon. After being told about the shooting, several of them booked flights to be with Isidahomen in the hospital, hoping he might pull through against the odds.
Osi also spoke about the random nature of the crime, saying it was "diabolical" and "makes absolutely no sense."
"These people had zero interaction," he said. "Junior and Isi — we call him Junior, Fortress — don't even know did this to them, because they had zero interaction. Two exceptionally gifted boys, cut short in their prime."
Miller gave a brief statement at the hearing, describing himself as "a product of my environment" and declaring that he needed to "work on myself, so something like this never happens again."
Miller was arrested about two months after the incident and pleaded guilty to the murder charges on Aug. 28 of this year, according to The Oregonian.
According to a memorandum filed in court by the Multnomah County District Attorney's office, Fortressen and Isidahomen had been out late on the night of the shooting, singing karaoke at a bar. Miller had been out dealing cocaine nearby and happened to spot the two as they left the bar.
Detectives later interviewed a friend of Miller's who had spoken to him after the shooting. During the conversation, Miller admitted to the shooting and said he had mistaken the victims for two other people "with whom he had a problem," the friend told police.
The memorandum states that Miller followed Oriakhi and Ikhouria in his car for several minutes, then pulled up alongside and fired 10 shots into their car. He sped away from the scene, nearly crashing into the arriving police car. The officers tried to chase him, but lost him in a residential neighborhood.
Miller was transferred to the Oregon Department of Corrections after the hearing, where he will serve the remainder of his sentence.