In a tragic turn of events on March 20, 2021, Connor James Gaines, a 25-year-old Caucasian male from Happy Valley, Oregon, was killed in a double homicide. The incident took place at the Reflections at Happy Valley apartment complex in an unincorporated area of Clackamas County. Gaines was one of two victims in the fatal shooting; the other was identified as 56-year-old Jerry Dale Burns of Milwaukie.
Law enforcement officials were dispatched to the apartment complex, where they
discovered both men had died at the scene. Neighbors in the apartment complex reported that the area had a history of disturbances, with frequent calls to the sheriff's office. The investigation into the double homicide led authorities to a suspect, Amanda Kate Gregson.
A few hours after the shooting, in the early morning of March 21, deputies located and arrested Gregson at the Monarch Hotel during a welfare check. Following her arrest, authorities conducted a detailed search of the areas between the apartment complex and the hotel in an effort to locate the firearm used in the murders. After a week-long bench trial, Amanda Kate Gregson was found guilty of Murder in the First Degree on March 22, 2022. A Clackamas County judge subsequently sentenced her to life in prison, with a minimum of 45 years to be served at the Oregon State Penitentiary.
