In the early morning hours of July 21, 2022, Marcie Ann Harris, a 42-year-old Black/African American woman, was found deceased in her vehicle in Salem, Oregon. The discovery was made around 6:45 a.m. near the intersection of Portland Road Northeast and Rose Garden Street Northeast after police received a call for a welfare check. Responding officers found Harris slumped over inside her car.
It was quickly determined by detectives from the Salem Police Violent Crimes Unit that she had died as a result of gun violence.
The investigation into her death continued for months. While police initially stated there was no ongoing threat to the public, details about potential suspects were not immediately released. In February 2023, a secret indictment was filed charging Jose Ruben Moreno-Hernandez with Harris's murder. At the time the charges were filed, Moreno-Hernandez was incarcerated in California for a carjacking conviction. He was later transported to the Marion County Jail in October 2023 to face the charges related to Harris's death.
Ultimately, on August 26, 2025, Jose Moreno-Hernandez pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter and unlawful use of a weapon. Court records indicated that he was sentenced to a total of 25 years in prison, receiving a 20-year sentence for manslaughter and a consecutive five-year sentence for the weapon charge. The specific details of what led to the shooting or the nature of any relationship between Moreno-Hernandez and Harris were not made public in the court proceedings.
A second individual, Misael Ortiz-Martinez, was also charged in connection with Marcie Harris's death. He faces a charge of conspiracy to commit murder, and his case is still ongoing. The resolution of the case against Moreno-Hernandez brought a significant development in the investigation, more than three years after Harris was found dead in her car.
