A Portland man killed two men in two unrelated cases within two months. Then, the judge made sure he would never walk free again.
Multnomah County Circuit Court Judge David Rees handed Nathaniel Curtis Freeman, 35, a.k.a. Portland rapper 'Nate Grapes,' two life sentences without the possibility of parole for the shooting death of Ny’Cole Griffin, 30, and Morgan “Max” Victor, 30. After a two-week trial, Freeman was found guilty and convicted by a jury of two counts of first-degree murder with a firearm, three counts of unlawful use of a weapon with a firearm, and three counts of felon in possession of a firearm, according to Multnomah District Attorney’s Office.
On April 26, 2022, the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) responded to Southeast 9th Avenue and Southeast Ash Street after reports of a shooting. However, when they arrived on the scene, they learned Griffin had been rushed to Legacy Emanuel Hospital by friends, where he was pronounced dead.
Similarly, a month later, PPB responded to another shooting in a home in the Hosford-Abernethy neighborhood along the 2800 block of Southeast Division Street. Upon arrival, authorities found Victor’s body with a gunshot wound in the apartment.
Freeman, who was previously convicted for a 2008 murder near the University of California Berkeley campus in California, was linked to both homicides.
"He was a great son, awesome brother, an amazing uncle and friend. He was a protector and a real super hero to me. He loved me beyond words; I felt and knew it every day, and I miss him, his goofiness and just awesome personality and huge tight hugs. This guy Nathaniel Freeman has killed prior and after killing my son and should have never been out of jail, in my opinion," said Griffin’s mother, Nikki Griffin-Ware, reported KGW8.
The defendant was ordered to serve both sentences consecutively.
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