On August 3, 1994, a tragic event unfolded outside a Safeway store in the Portland suburb of Cedar Hill, Oregon, resulting in the death of 55-year-old Catalina Correa. Correa was an unfortunate witness to a robbery committed by Roger Hoan Brady, a man with a history of criminal activity.
The incident began when Brady, who had previously been involved in several bank robberies and was on parole, robbed the Safeway store.
During his escape, he encountered Correa, who had witnessed the robbery. In a desperate attempt to eliminate any potential witnesses, Brady shot Correa three times. This brutal act was witnessed by another individual at the scene, who saw Brady speed away in a Daihatsu Charade. The witness managed to obtain the license plate number of the vehicle, which was registered under the name of Brady's father.
The investigation into Correa's murder led authorities to Roger Hoan Brady, who was already under surveillance due to a tip received earlier in the year. This tip had implicated Brady in the murder of Manhattan Beach Police Officer Martin Ganz, which occurred on December 27, 1993. The tipster had described Brady as resembling the composite sketch of Ganz's killer, and further investigation revealed that Brady had a history of bank robberies and was living near the Oregon-Washington border at the time of Correa's murder.
Brady's arrest was facilitated by the surveillance team that had been monitoring him since the tip was received. When Brady's parole officer informed authorities that he had been involved in another robbery and had killed a witness, police tracked down the home of Brady's parents and apprehended him. The gun used to kill Correa was found to be a. 380-caliber pistol, which matched the firearm used in Officer Ganz's murder.
Following his arrest, Brady was charged with the aggravated murder of Catalina Correa. A Hillsboro jury found him guilty of this crime in November 1995, and he was sentenced to life in prison in Oregon. Subsequently, he was transported back to California to face charges for the murder of Officer Martin Ganz. In November 1998, Brady was found guilty of first-degree murder for Ganz's death and was sentenced to death, a sentence he remains under to this day.
The detailed description of Brady, provided by various witnesses and investigators, painted a picture of a man of Asian descent, in his mid-20s, with a medium build. This description was crucial in identifying him as the suspect in both the murder of Officer Ganz and the murder of Catalina Correa. The meticulous investigation, involving surveillance footage, witness statements, and forensic evidence, ultimately led to Brady's conviction and sentencing for these heinous crimes.
