Who murdered 64 year old Jasper Belle in 1979? African-American/Black male Jasper Belle, age 64, was found dead inside his apartment at 2041 NW Everett Street, Apt. 905, in Portland on July 9, 1979. Officers had gone to the residence around 3:00 p.m. for a welfare check and discovered that the 64-year-old had been killed by a gunshot wound. The scene, quiet and sealed away behind the door of a high-rise unit, offered few immediate answers beyond the finality of the injury that took his life.
In the days and decades that followed, no witnesses came forward to fill in the missing hours or the motive for the killing, and the investigation settled into the long patience of a cold case. Detectives continued to seek leads, emphasizing that the case remained open and that Crime Stoppers could offer a cash reward—up to $2,500—for information leading to an arrest. The appeal for help underscored how little had surfaced publicly about what happened in that apartment on a summer afternoon.
Authorities have not publicly identified any suspects, and there are no recorded arrests in connection with the homicide of the 64-year-old man. The case persists in official cold case listings, with investigators continuing to encourage anyone with knowledge about the shooting to come forward so that the unanswered questions from July 9, 1979 can finally be resolved.
