Ore. man sentenced for holding ex-girlfriend hostage and fatally shooting her
07/12/2023 12:16 pm PDT
PORTLAND, Ore. (TCD) -- A 30-year-old man will spend more than two decades behind bars in connection with the 2021 kidnapping and fatal shooting of his 29-year-old ex-girlfriend.
According to a news release from the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office, on July 10, a judge sentenced Davonte Donahue to 25 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree manslaughter constituting domestic violence and one count of unauthorized use of a weapon with a firearm constituting domestic violence. Additionally, Donahue pleaded no contest to two counts of first-degree attempted murder.
A grand jury previously indicted Donahue in November 2021 on charges of second-degree murder with a firearm constituting domestic violence, five counts of first-degree murder with a firearm, and one count of felon in possession of a firearm, the District Attorney’s Office said.
On Nov. 21, 2021, Portland Police Bureau officers performed a welfare check at an apartment in the 2400 block of Southeast 171st Avenue after a woman called to report she was being held hostage.
According to the District Attorney’s Office, Donahue took the phone, identified himself as “Jason,” and claimed the female caller was on drugs. He also reportedly said the woman lied about there being a gun in the home, and the female shouted "Davonte Donahue" before the call ended "abruptly."
Upon their arrival, two Portland Police officers reportedly knocked on the door but failed to make contact with anyone inside the unit. The District Attorney’s Office said the officers evacuated neighbors, and three additional officers responded to the scene.
Police tried knocking on the door again, but there was no answer. According to the District Attorney’s Office, a female neighbor exited her apartment with a young child, and as she was being evacuated, the suspect allegedly opened fire toward the officers from inside the apartment unit.
Police noticed bullet holes in the front door, but no officers were shot. The District Attorney’s Office said officers withdrew, but 30 more shots were fired from inside the unit.
The Portland Police Bureau’s Special Emergency Response Team and Crisis Negotiation Team responded to the scene. For the next several hours, Donahue allegedly kept firing. The Crisis Negotiation Team attempted to negotiate as the Special Emergency Response Team tried to enter the home.
The Special Emergency Response Team reportedly broke down windows to look inside and threw a chemical agent inside the home. The suspect began firing at officials again.
Eventually, police utilized a robot to gain entry into the home and reportedly found Donahue "crawling around on his hands and knees." Donahue barricaded himself in a room, but the Special Emergency Response Team took him into custody shortly after 1 a.m.
During a search of the home, police located a deceased female, identified as Mariela Gonzalez Rocha, a mother to a young son. The District Attorney’s Office said she died from a gunshot wound.
Donahue will be transported and booked into the Oregon Department of Corrections to serve his prison sentence.
Prior to the shooting, Donahue was sentenced to nine years in prison for sex trafficking of a minor. On July 6, 2021, he was released from federal prison and transported to a reentry center in Portland. However, on Aug. 12, he was able to escape custody, cut off his ankle bracelet, and flee in a vehicle. On Oct. 4, officials signed a warrant for his arrest.
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