A man from Oregon has been convicted for the brutal murder of his friend, a crime that involved stabbing the victim 55 times before setting his body on fire in the trunk of his own car. Robert Thomas Colon, 44, was found guilty of the murder of 27-year-old Andrew Hathaway, which took place on September 5, 2018, in Portland, according to the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office.
Before the trial commenced, Colon had already admitted to charges of arson, abuse of a corpse, and tampering with physical evidence. His sentencing is scheduled for Wednesday, and he could potentially face a life sentence with the possibility of parole after 25 years.
The prosecution revealed that on the night of the murder, Colon and Hathaway were visiting a residence where two other men lived. All four men were using drugs at the time. A fistfight broke out between Colon and Hathaway, which was initially broken up by the other two men. However, the fight resumed later, with Colon beating and stabbing Hathaway until he was dead.
Following the murder, Colon and one of the other men moved Hathaway’s body to the trunk of his car, drove it to a vacant lot, and set it on fire. Firefighters who responded to the blaze discovered the remains, which were so badly charred that 80% of Hathaway’s body was unrecognizable.
An autopsy later revealed that Hathaway had suffered 55 stab wounds and six slice wounds across his body. The authorities have not publicly disclosed a motive for the crime.
Senior Deputy District Attorney Shawn Overstreet, who prosecuted the case, expressed relief at the verdict. He said, “This is some justice for the Hathaway family. They’ve been living with this for seven years. I’m glad we could finally bring them some closure. This was a lengthy, involved investigation with lots of misdirection from others in the beginning. But we saw it through and found the killer.”