Who murdered 48 year old Leroy Flisram in 1970? In the early morning hours of July 3, 1970, the life of Leroy David Flisram, a 48-year-old Caucasian male, came to a brutal and tragic end in Portland, Oregon. At approximately 6 a.m., a Broadway Cab driver witnessed a gruesome scene unfold. He saw Flisram, his face covered in blood, stagger towards a parked blue 1960 2-door Mercury on Southwest Salmon Street, between 2nd and 3rd Avenues. Flisram managed to get into the vehicle before collapsing onto the front seat.
Recognizing the severity of his injuries, the cab driver immediately called the police for help.
Paramedics arrived and transported Flisram to Multnomah County Hospital, now known as Oregon Health & Science University. Despite the efforts of medical staff, he succumbed to his injuries five days later on July 8, 1970. The subsequent police investigation revealed that the Mercury he was found in belonged to him. It is believed that Flisram was the victim of a violent attack and robbery. Investigators theorize that after the assault, he wandered through the downtown area in a disoriented state before eventually making his way back to his car.
Leroy Flisram was a tall man, standing between 6'2" and 6'3" and weighing 220-240 pounds. His life had seen its share of hardships; he was blind in one eye due to an industrial accident and had been discharged from the Army because of complications from a previous injury sustained while working as a logger. His son also reported that he had once served as a police officer in Tillamook. In the months leading up to his death, Flisram, who had struggled with alcoholism for many years, had dedicated himself to helping other alcoholics find sobriety through Alcoholics Anonymous.
To this day, the murder of Leroy Flisram remains unsolved. No arrests have ever been made, and no suspects have been publicly identified in connection with his beating and robbery. His case is now considered a cold case, a lingering mystery in the city of Portland. The Portland Police Bureau's Cold Case Homicide Unit continues to seek information from the public that might lead to a breakthrough in this decades-old investigation, hoping to finally bring justice to Leroy Flisram and closure to his family.
