Portland police have identified the Radio Cab driver stabbed to death in his taxi Sunday as 43-year-old musician and artist Reese Lawhon.
Lawhon, an accomplished painter, also performed as a bassist with the Portland band Aan in the aughts and 2010s. Those who knew him, including two younger sisters, described him as a kindhearted and gentle person.
“Reese was one of the sweetest Portland musicians that I’ve ever known,” said Theo Craig, who used to book tours for the band about a decade ago. “That’s certainly saying a lot, because we’ve got a lot of nice folks in our music community.”
In a statement Tuesday, his family called Lawhon “the most caring, witty, loving son, brother, uncle and dear friend you could possibly imagine having. He had the best gift of making people laugh and smile.”
Around 6:40 p.m. on Easter Sunday, American Medical Response employees in an ambulance traveling on Southeast Water Avenue near Southeast Washington Street spotted a person exiting a Radio Cab with bloody clothes, according to a probable cause affidavit.
They saw the person, later identified as Moses J. Lopez, drop what appeared to be brass-style knuckles with an attached blade, the affidavit said. Medical personnel treated the suspect for a hand injury, and later found Lawhon dead inside the Radio Cab with two stab wounds in his neck, according to the court document.
Portland police arrived shortly after. An onboard camera recorded the attack.
Video footage showed that Lawhon picked up a fare around 6 p.m. outside Voodoo Doughnut at 22 S.W. Third Ave. The passenger asked to be taken to Southeast Third Avenue and Washington Street, and then gave a different location when they arrived. When Lawhon went to put in the new address, he was attacked.
Lopez was detained, and pleaded not guilty to unlawful use of a weapon and second-degree murder charges Monday.
Lawhon had worked for Radio Cab for over a decade, and “never had a customer complaint,” according to Radio Cab spokesperson Darin Campbell.
– Austin De Dios; adedios@oregonian.com; @austindedios; 503-319-9744
Our journalism needs your support. Please become a subscriber today at OregonLive.com/subscribe