Who killed 41 year old Jeffery William Smith? In the early morning hours of August 21, 2005, a fatal encounter unfolded at the intersection of Southwest Park Avenue and Southwest Stark Street in Portland, Oregon. Jeffery William Smith, a 41-year-old Caucasian male, had stopped to talk with some people at the corner. It was then that another man crossed the street and approached Smith.
Without apparent provocation, the stranger punched Jeffery Smith in the face. The force of the single blow knocked him to the ground.
After the assault, the suspect simply walked away from the scene. Initially, Smith was conscious and sitting on the curb, bleeding from his face when officers arrived at 3:56 a.m. He was taken to a local hospital for what seemed to be non-life-threatening injuries.
Tragically, Jeffery Smith later died at the hospital from the injuries he sustained in the unexpected attack. The case remains an unsolved homicide. Witnesses described the suspect as a white male, between 24 and 30 years of age, standing approximately 5'9" tall with a muscular build. Despite the passage of time, no arrests have been made in connection with Smith's death, and the case is now considered a cold case. Authorities continue to seek information from the public that might lead to the identification and arrest of the individual responsible for this senseless act of violence.
