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| Inquiry looks into prison stabbing death |
| By The Oregonian |
| Published: 09/08/2003 |
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An Oregon State Penitentiary inmate who was killed inside the Salem prison this week died of multiple stab wounds and blunt force head trauma, an autopsy found Wednesday. David Shane Polin, 31, a former Hillsboro resident serving time for attempted murder and drug convictions, was slain Tuesday morning in an activities area where inmates meet for counseling and club gatherings. Oregon State Police are leading the investigation into Polin's death, but getting information from inmates who might have witnessed the killing has been difficult, said Don Abar, Marion County deputy district attorney. That's normal, he said. Whether they fear retaliation or want to protect each other, inmates inside the maximum-security prison aren't eager to cooperate with investigations. 'There's a subculture that adheres to what is called the Code of the Con,' Abar said. The killing was the first at the penitentiary since September 1998. Investigators were trying to figure out a motive, officials said, but prison killings usually stem from gang rivalries or someone seeking revenge for something that happened behind bars. Polin was stabbed with a shank, an object sharpened into a weapon inside prison, Abar said. Perrin Damon, an Oregon Department of Corrections spokeswoman, said Polin had been sent to prison seven times since 1992, including convictions for attempted murder, felon in possession of a firearm, drug possession and supplying contraband. Polin was serving time for shooting and paralyzing a gang rival in Hillsboro in 1996. Damon said he was scheduled for release in 2010. The activities area in which Polin was killed is monitored by correctional officers, but Damon declined to say whether any of them saw what happened. Oregon State Police and Marion County officials are investigating. Polin's killer faces an aggravated murder charge and the death penalty if convicted, Abar said. |
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