PORTLAND — A 33-year-old registered sex offender has pleaded not guilty to charges of aggravated murder, rape and animal abuse in connection with the rape of a woman and the death of a man and his dog in Portland.
The Oregonian/OregonLive reports Alexander Rico Ortiz was arrested Friday in Hillsboro, Ore.
Court documents say he declined to be interviewed by jail staff and laughed when informed of the charges.
Portland police say Ortiz raped a woman at a Red Roof Inn on Feb. 27, then fled to an adjacent apartment complex and killed 59-year-old Eleazar “Tony” Herrera Villegas and his Jack Russell terrier.
Police say Herrera Villegas died of multiple blunt force injuries and that the two men didn’t know each other.
