Three men arraigned in deadly 2014 shooting

See who officials are accusing of this pregnant mother’s murder, in a Centennial neighborhood apartment, almost two years ago …

In August of 2014, police Portland Police Bureau Homicide Detectives and Gang Team gathered outside these apartments, after discovering that a woman had been shot in the head in one of the units. East Portland News file photo

Story and photos by David F. Ashton

At about 5:00 a.m. on August 17, 2014, in the Eastwood Village Apartments at 15139 SE Powell Boulevard, in the Centennial neighborhood of outer East Portland, shots rang out in apartment #7.

In an apartment riddled with bullet holes, Portland Police Bureau (PPB) East Precinct District officers found the lifeless body of 21-year-old Ervaeua Herring.

>> Read “Gang-related murder in Centennial takes mother’s life“: CLICK HERE.

Finding the killer of former Parkrose High School student Ervaeua Herring, shown here in DMV and family photos, has been the objective of a 20-month investigation.

“The Oregon State Medical Examiner conducted an autopsy on Ms. Herring, determined that she was killed by gunfire, and that she was in the early stages of pregnancy at the time of her death,” said PPB Public Information Officer Sgt. Pete Simpson, as he told about the progress of the case.

Homicide detectives, working closely with Gang Enforcement Team detectives, have followed up on leads in this investigation, Simpson said. They interviewed dozens of people over the course of the past 20 months, resulting in three indictments, handed down by a Multnomah County Grand Jury in April.

In Multnomah County Court on May 3, 21-year-old Demetrius Ray Brown and 22-year-old Geontae Brachaurd Jones were indicted on charges of Murder (with a firearm – three counts each), Burglary in the First Degree (with a firearm – two counts each), and Unlawful Use of a Weapon (with a firearm).

Appearing before Judge Thomas Ryan, both Jones and Brown pled not guilty.

21-year-old Demetrius Ray Brown is currently being held at the Multnomah County Detention Center (MCDC) in lieu of $315,000 combined bail. MCDC booking photo

22-year-old Geontae Brachaurd Jones is currently being held at the Multnomah County Inverness Jail in lieu of $892,500 combined bail. MCDC booking photo

22-year-old DeAnthony Simmons was also indicted on the same murder, burglary and weapon charges as Brown and Jones. Simmons and Jones were also indicted on a charge of Felon in Possession of a Firearm.

22-year-old DeAnthony Simmons is in the custody of the Oregon Department of Corrections and will be arraigned at a later date. MCDC booking photo

“More arrests are expected in this case, and detectives believe that there are additional people in community with information about the homicide of Ms. Herring,” Simpson remarked.

Anyone with information about this case, including second-hand information or information learned from social media sites, is asked to contact Detective Anthony Merrill at 503-823-4033, anthony.merrill@portlandoregon.gov.

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