Sebastian Alexander Shaw
Background and Early Life
Sebastian Alexander Shaw was a convicted American serial killer, rapist and burglar who murdered at least three people in Portland, Oregon, during the early 1990s. He was born Chau Quong Ho on November 28, 1967, in PhÆ°á»›c Tuy Province, South Vietnam. He later immigrated to the United States with his father and eventually settled in Oregon. After serving in the United States Marine Corps, he returned to Oregon, legally changed his name to Sebastian Alexander Shaw and worked for a cable television company.
Shaw appeared capable of maintaining employment and functioning within the community, but investigators later uncovered a pattern of stalking, burglary, sexual violence and attacks with knives. His confirmed murders occurred in victims' homes, where they were especially vulnerable. Prosecutors argued that he sometimes selected strangers after experiencing anger or rejection in his personal or professional life. His crimes remained unsolved for years until advances in DNA testing connected him to multiple crime scenes.
The Murder of Jay Andrew Rickbeil
On July 1, 1991, 40-year-old Jay Andrew Rickbeil was found murdered inside his Portland apartment. Rickbeil had cerebral palsy and significant physical disabilities that required him to use a wheelchair. He was known as a trusting and sociable man who sometimes invited unfamiliar people into his home to discuss his spiritual beliefs.
Rickbeil suffered a fatal wound to his neck and died from severe blood loss. Investigators believed Shaw had encountered him by chance and exploited Rickbeil's trusting nature and physical vulnerability. The killing appeared to have been committed without any meaningful provocation. Although evidence was collected from the apartment, forensic technology available in 1991 did not immediately identify the killer, and the case remained unresolved for approximately a decade.
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