On the evening of July 17, 2020, police in Northeast Portland discovered three people shot to death inside a residence. One of the victims was Lawrence Wayne Murphy, 77, a White male. The other two victims were 45-year-old Elmer Edwin Hughes and 40-year-old Tashia Cobb, all city residents.

Investigators identified and arrested a neighbor, Brett Pruett, a few days after the bodies were found; police said the shootings were tied to a rental dispute. The case later moved through the courts and resulted in convictions and a sentence of three consecutive life terms without the possibility of parole.

Lawrence Murphy’s death is part of a triple homicide that left three families grieving and drew attention to how quickly a neighbor dispute turned deadly. If anyone knew Lawrence, his household, or had information about the events leading up to July 17, 2020, please share what is known.