Inset: The suspect accused of killing a Plaid Pantry cashier in Oregon, identified by police as Michale J. Paine (Portland Police). Background: The Portland Plaid Pantry location where Paine allegedly killed the cashier (Google Maps).
A 21-year-old man in Oregon is accused of gunning down a convenience store clerk during a late-night robbery, later telling police he "f—ed up" and that the killing "was not worth $25."
Michale J. Paine was taken into custody and charged with first-degree murder, first-degree robbery, and unlawful use of a weapon in the slaying of 57-year-old Ernesto Castellanos, authorities announced.
According to a series of news releases from the Portland Police Bureau, the investigation began just before midnight on March 27, when officers responded to a report of an "unconscious person" at a Plaid Pantry store in Portland's Cully neighborhood. When they arrived, they found Castellanos dead at the scene from an apparent gunshot wound.
The medical examiner later ruled the death a homicide.
Police released surveillance images of a suspect in the hours after the shooting, describing him as armed and dangerous and asking the public for help identifying him. By Monday night, the suspect turned himself in.
Paine called 911 "saying he wanted to turn himself in" and was taken into custody by officers. During the ride, he began speaking "unprompted" about the killing, local NBC affiliate KGW reported, citing a probable cause affidavit.
"Have you ever f—ed up in your life so bad, you don't know what to do after?" Paine reportedly told police. "He only had $25 in the till."
Investigators say surveillance footage captured the moments leading up to the shooting, showing the suspect walking around the store, getting a drink, and waiting at the counter before opening fire on Castellanos. The suspect was wearing a distinctive black hoodie featuring the face of Michael Myers from the "Halloween" movie series and the words "Here to crash the party!"
From the affidavit:
We viewed additional video surveillance of the incident which included the suspect … entering the store, walking toward the east wall, touching the screen to the lid dispenser, touching and leaving behind extra lids on the counter and floor, getting a beverage at the self-service beverage area, waiting at the checkout counter, drinking from the Plaid Pantry cup, leaving the Plaid Pantry cup on the counter, shooting the victim two times, walking behind the checkout counter, touching the cash register screen and drawer, touching the coin machine lever, kicking the victim, touching the victim near the right shoulder, and then leaving the store.
The victim was shot once in the chest and once in the neck, either of which would have been fatal, according to the medical examiner.
Paine allegedly told detectives he went to the store intending to rob it. When Castellanos "did not appear to believe that he was actually going to rob him," Paine responded by shooting him and getting the money from the register himself.
The defendant allegedly admitted that "what he did was not worth $25," later adding that his actions "should not be worth anything."
Investigators were able to identify Paine in part through evidence left behind in the store, including fingerprints on a cup, and later recovered a firearm and clothing linked to the shooting, local Fox affiliate KPTV reported.
Multnomah County District Attorney Nathan Vasquez described the killing as "a sickening, brutal act," emphasizing that the victim did nothing to prompt the attack.
"Ernesto was an innocent, hardworking guy. He was gunned down and killed in his place of business, just doing what we want in our community; people doing their job every day," Vasquez said in a Monday afternoon statement to local ABC affiliate KATU. "I can tell you this is a sickening, brutal act and we are determined to get justice for Ernesto."
Paine made his first court appearance Tuesday, and a judge ordered him held without bond. He is currently scheduled to return to court on April 8.
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