OREGON CITY, Ore. — A hitchhiker who stabbed an Oregon man 66 times at an Interstate 5 rest area has been sentenced to life in prison.
Jurors earlier Tuesday found Michael Stepina of Albany guilty of murder after a two-week trial in Clackamas County.
The Oregonian/OregonLive reports Stepina made no statements in court.
Stepina told investigators after his arrest last fall that motorist Timothy Way performed oral sex on him after picking him up and offering him a shower and a meal. He took scissors from Way’s bathroom and used them when he later got dropped off a rest area near Wilsonville.
Prosecutor Sarah Dumont said during closing arguments that Stepina felt emasculated when Way performed the sex act, so he wanted to prove he was a man by killing him.
