Black Grandson Gets 10 Years for Smashing White Great-Grandmother to Death with a Sledgehammer

KGW
October 14, 2015

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Ah, doesn’t he look sweet.

A 19-year-old Oregon man has been sentenced to a decade in prison his role in the sledgehammer death of his great-grandmother.

Washington County Judge Rick Knapp said Tuesday he would have sentenced Joda Cain to more than 10 years if not restricted by sentencing guidelines. A jury rejected murder charges at Cain’s recent trial, and instead found him guilty of manslaughter.

Cain did not make a statement Tuesday.

Jaqueline Bell, a retired utility company executive, was killed two years ago at her suburban Portland home. Prosecutors said Cain planned the murder and helped his cousin carry it out. The defense claimed his cousin killed Bell and Cain tried to stop him.

The cousin’s case is pending after a finding in March that he was unfit to stand trial.