On a summer evening in Portland, Oregon, the life of 23-year-old Eyion Willis, a Black male, was tragically cut short. On June 6, 2021, police responded to a call at approximately 10:25 p.m. in the Creston-Kenilworth neighborhood of Southeast Portland. Upon arrival at the residence, officers discovered a grim scene with four men deceased from gunshot wounds.
The investigation that followed determined that the incident was a quadruple homicide.
The other victims were identified as 31-year-old Mitchell Nacoste, 27-year-old Kendall Gragg, and 24-year-old Donavon Lenford. Reports indicate that Willis and Lenford had traveled to Portland from Texas. The shooting reportedly erupted during an attempted robbery related to a marijuana transaction. Nacoste and Gragg were half-brothers, and the shooting occurred at the home where Nacoste resided.
For months, the case remained under active investigation, a painful period of uncertainty for the families of the four men whose lives were violently taken. The Portland Police Bureau, in collaboration with other law enforcement agencies, worked to identify those responsible for the killings. The breakthrough in the case came nearly nine months after the incident.
In March 2022, a suspect was located and apprehended in Frisco, Texas. The Denton County Sheriff's Office, working with Portland Police detectives and the U.S. Marshals, arrested 27-year-old Jeremy Michael Lenoire. Following his arrest, Lenoire was indicted on multiple charges, including two counts of second-degree murder, first-degree robbery, and first-degree burglary for his alleged role in the deaths. He was held in the Denton County Jail awaiting extradition to Oregon to face the charges.
