Astoria killer seeks early release

Apr. 14—A man who murdered a girl as a juvenile in Astoria over two decades ago underwent review by the Oregon Board of Parole and Post-Prison Supervision on Wednesday to determine if he should be granted early release.

Jessie Payne-Rana, who legally changed his name from Patrick Harned, kidnapped, sexually abused and strangled 7-year-old Ashley Ann Carlson in 1999 when he was 16 years old.

Payne-Rana, who was neighbors with Carlson and babysat her, joined law enforcement and her family in the search for Carlson before her body was found in the basement of the house he was living in.

He was convicted of aggravated murder in 2000 and sentenced to life without parole.

Payne-Rana's sentencing is one of many that is being reassessed after former Gov. Kate Brown pushed for commutations and clemency near the end of her term.

A law passed in 2019 gives juveniles who commit Measure 11 offenses — severe crimes with mandatory minimum sentences like murder and rape — the opportunity to have their age and the circumstances of their crimes considered by judges during sentencing.

For some who were incarcerated for serious crimes as youths prior to the law being passed, Brown provided the opportunity to have their sentences reevaluated. Efforts from Brown looked to highlight cases of rehabilitation, but she received sharp criticism from some prosecutors and families of victims.

The remote hearing on Wednesday saw the parole board ask questions, hear testimony and gather feedback from Payne-Rana and a number of witnesses to determine whether he has demonstrated maturity and rehabilitation based on his age and immaturity at the time of the murder.

The decision on his parole, expected by early next week, will depend on a number of factors.

"I have hurt a lot of people and caused a lot of serious pain to my victim's family and others, people that did no harm to me," Payne-Rana said from the Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution in Pendleton at the start of the hearing. " ... I have learned through therapy ... to take responsibility for the consequences of my actions as well as the actions themselves. I was found guilty long before I started feeling responsible. I owed it to my victim's family and to those I have harmed in the community. I took advantage of how to change for the better with what I have available to me."

Among those giving testimony was Clatsop County District Attorney Ron Brown, former District Attorney Josh Marquis, former Astoria police detective Joe Colistro, members of Carlson's and Payne-Rana's families and more.

Rehabilitation

Throughout the hourslong hearing, Payne-Rana described to the parole board his efforts to build skills and tools that he could apply outside of prison. Payne-Rana pointed to his involvement in several courses and programs while incarcerated, receiving his GED and developing a desire to help people and give back to the community.

One major topic during the hearing and the discussion around Payne-Rana's rehabilitation was the substantial amount of sexual, physical and emotional abuse he endured as a child prior to Carlson's murder.

John Bailey, a parole board member, described his history of abuse as more than "almost anyone (he has) ever seen."

Jody Davis, Payne-Rana's attorney, described him as having cognitive and developmental limitations as a result of the abuse he experienced, calling him a "broken child" at the time of the murder. Payne-Rana talked about dealing with anger management issues and borderline personality disorder.

"How would a 16-year-old be able to commit such a heinous form of murder is almost incomprehensible, except when you consider that Jessie himself had to experience this abuse on a regular basis," Davis said. "What he went through in his own life, the abuse that he suffered, does not excuse his actions or the crime and Jessie knows this very clearly. But it is the necessary context to understand why, despite the horrible nature of what happened here, this is not the act of a crazed, psychopathic serial killer as was speculated to."

Davis portrayed Payne-Rana as trying to become a better and more insightful person. She said he has shown remorse and accountability, and that he wants to continue to make progress.

Lt. Donald Harris, who has supervised Payne-Rana in prison, described him as "an impetuous young man" when he first met him.

"Since that time, over the years, I've noticed him changing ... He shows a lot of insight, a lot of changes from what I saw previously in his incarceration," Harris said. "He showed me a lot of maturity and a lot of growth."

Despite seeing progress, Harris admitted to concerns about the learning curve in readjusting to society if he was released.

Payne-Rana said he would seek to utilize a strong support system if release was granted. His sister spoke at the hearing, saying that his family would provide an "insurmountable amount of support" if he were to be let out of prison.

"It's our hope that the board will recognize that he does in fact have the ability to continue to grow and mature and will allow him the continued opportunity for skill building and emotional management in a context where he actually can receive that, such as accordance with his release plan and the structure he intends to build in his own life," Davis said.

Disciplinary record

While parole board members were encouraged by Payne-Rana's progress while in prison, they also expressed concern about his extensive disciplinary record.

Although Payne-Rana had not been written up for nearly two years, his record showed dozens of incidents related to poor behavior and breaking prison rules over the past two decades. Kelly Kuklenski, a parole member, also cited his history of making violent threats.

A psychological evaluation in January concluded that Payne-Rana showed a moderate to high risk of engaging in violence in the future.

Brown, the district attorney, pointed to his record in prison and the evaluation as serious concerns.

"The bottom line from my perspective is public safety. He's got a lot of criminal-thinking errors in his past and I submit that he's probably still going to have those in the future," he said. "He's got tremendous problems with anger and we live in kind of an angry world. I question how he would do if he were on the outside dealing with sources of stress and anger."

Brown, along with Marquis, who was the district attorney at the time of the murder and sentencing, asked that the board deny Payne-Rana's request for early release.

"Nobody in that courtroom, not Judge (Phil) Nelson, not me, not even his own lawyers, conceived that he could be released in just 23 years," Marquis said. "Astoria and no community can afford the risk that Mr. Rana is asking this community, the state, the parole board to take when ... (evaluators) say that his risk is high."

Colistro, a former detective for the Astoria Police Department who was the lead investigator in the case, called Carlson's murder "one of the most horrendous crimes" he had ever investigated.

Colistro underscored Payne-Rana's deceptive behavior during the search for Carlson and his lack of remorse in the aftermath of the murder.

"My impression throughout this and at the end of it was that Patrick was a serial killer who got caught with his first victim," he said " ... I had no doubt then and still have no doubt that, given the opportunity, he will commit crimes again."

'I was at peace with this'

Several of Carlson's family members were emotional in providing testimony, conveying anger and frustration with Payne-Rana's bid for early release.

"I miss her so much and words cannot describe how this has torn my and my family's hearts emotionally apart," George Brugh, Carlson's brother, said. "This has been a big factor in our lives, especially mine. I have been through many difficult and terrible tragedies because of the action he made."

Brugh said he has been suicidal and dealt with crime and addiction because of the trauma from Carlson's murder.

"I can't stand you for what you did to my family," Tessa Carlson, the victim's mother, said to Payne-Rana before being asked to direct her comments to the parole board.

"Every February, it's awful for everybody," she said of the anniversary of the crime. "I was in a place where I was at peace with this and she's at rest. I don't want to do this again.

"... He doesn't deserve to be out. He's going to hurt someone else."