The relatives of a man who died after he was knocked on the head with a pistol in 2020 offered a measure of forgiveness to the family friend who killed the Portland patriarch.
The sister of Jeffrey Sloan, 67, told his killer Monday that she missed her big brother’s laugh, the funny calls he made on her birthday and the way he mispronounced her name on purpose to make her smile.
“Because of God’s grace and forgiveness toward me, I forgive you,” Chantay Reid said during a sentencing hearing for Damian R. Lucas, 39.
“Even though I forgive you,” she told Lucas, “we’re here because of your decision. Actions have consequences.”
Lucas was repaying a $10 loan to Sloan’s wife around midnight on July 2, 2020, when Sloan joked that Lucas was “cheap” for asking for change, court records show. Lucas rushed out in a rage, then returned about 15 minutes later with the gun and hit Sloan, inflicting a fatal brain bleed, The Oregonian/OregonLive previously reported.
Sloan’s wife, Marilyn Sloan, addressed Lucas in court and implored him to mend his ways.
“Damian, you’ve got to keep on living, no matter what,” she said. “I love you because we’re all God’s kids.”
Jeffrey Sloan’s daughter echoed those words of absolution. His granddaughter added she would miss her grandfather’s humor and mechanical skill.
Lucas’ father spoke remotely, apologizing for his son’s actions and noting the families had been friends for years.
Lucas wiped away tears as he delivered his own statement.
“I appreciate the blessing. I didn’t expect this,” he said. “I’m not ready to forgive myself yet. But I can say I’m just sorry.”
Multnomah County Circuit Judge Christopher Marshall sentenced Lucas to seven years and 10 months in state prison, with eligibility for sentence reduction programs in the last year and a half of his punishment. He was originally charged with second-degree murder and pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter under the terms of a deal with prosecutors.
— Zane Sparling; zsparling@oregonian.com; 503-319-7083; @pdxzane
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