Michael James Metcalfe pleaded guilty to second-degree murder as well as robbery, burglary and other charges in Umatilla County Circuit Court.
Metcalfe pleaded guilty on June 4 to murdering George Anthony Martin, 61, on Jan. 3, 2020 in Milton-Freewater. He also pleaded guilty to four counts of first-degree robbery, felon in possession of a firearm, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, second-degree burglary, and first-degree solicitation to commit murder.
Retired Judge Greg Baxter from Baker County sentenced Metcalfe, who was 20 at the time of Martin’s murder, to life in prison with a minimum 32.5 years of prison time without any chance for a reduced sentence.
Umatilla County District Attorney Daniel Primus said the charges stem from an investigation by the Milton-Freewater Police Department with assistance from the Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office, Federal Bureau of lnvestigation, and other state and local agencies. The investigators determined that Metcalfe committed crimes against eight different victims in the Milton-Freewater area over the course of approximately three weeks in five separate criminal episodes.
Metcalfe was also responsible for robbing victims in the Red Tea Garden on Dec. 14, 2019, First Stop Market on Jan. 3, 2020, as well as in an alley on Jan. 5, 2020. Primus said that while in custody, Metcalfe solicited another jail inmate to murder a witness who testified before the grand jury about the murder of George Martin.
Further details of the incidents will not be released at this time as there are pending charges against a co-defendant, Jonathan Lee McDonald.
