Family of victim in 2021 stabbing files wrongful death lawsuit against Marion County 

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For almost three years, Travis Juetten’s family had no idea who killed him.

An intruder stabbed Juetten, 26, and his surviving wife in their home east of Salem on Aug. 13, 2021.

Juetten’s family is now suing Marion County, alleging authorities failed to protect him from a dangerous man who police later identified as a suspect in the fatal stabbing. At the time of the killing, the suspect, Cody M. Ray, 30, was on probation for earlier holding someone at gunpoint.

The lawsuit filed Dec. 1 in Marion County Circuit Court reveals publicly for the first time that authorities suspected Ray killed Juetten. Ray died by suicide a month after the stabbing, according to the complaint.

Police DNA testing tied Ray to the crime scene within months of the stabbing, the lawsuit claims. But Marion County law enforcement officials didn’t reveal Ray’s name to Juetten’s family until this past April “to preserve the integrity of the investigation.”

Juetten’s family is seeking $3.4 million in damages.

Marion County spokesman Jon Heynen said the county does not comment on pending litigation before completing its own “internal review.”

Sgt. Jeremy Schwab, spokesman for the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, said the agency does not comment on pending legal matters. The agency is responsible for supervising people on probation or parole.

‘A gentle soul’

Travis Richard Juetten was born on Dec. 16, 1994.

Growing up in California, Juetten played football, earned his black belt in taekwondo and was on a mock trial team in high school.

He traveled the world before attending George Fox University in Newberg, and eventually living on his family’s farm near Silverton. 

“From the time he was born, Travis was a gentle soul, kind, compassionate, and soft-spoken. He was slow to anger and quick to forgive. He was an amazing soul and grew into an incredible man who never made a single enemy. He was a joy to be around and had a tremendous moral compass. Travis would always see the best in people and was always willing to help anyone in need,” according to his obituary.

Juetten was an outdoorsman and a lover of all forms of games.

He met and fell in love with Jamilyn Rodriguez, and the two married in February 2018 and lived on the farm. 

“Travis was a quiet man, one who found his own purpose and didn’t feel the need to advertise his goals and achievements to the world. He found far more happiness in life than many people his age, spending his days playing games and simply enjoying what he had in the love he found with his wife,” the obituary said.

‘Zero tolerance’

Ray was on probation at the time of Juetten’s death.

Earlier that year, he was accused of pointing a handgun at two people in a Salem hotel in February 2021, according to the lawsuit. Marion County court records show he was convicted in June 2021 of unlawful use of a weapon and menacing.

Marion County Circuit Court Judge Jodie Bureta sentenced Ray to 30 days in jail and three years of supervised probation. 

Ray and prosecutors agreed on a sentence lighter than normal for convictions that typically result in prison time, according to Marion County court records.

Before the sentencing, while Ray was on pretrial release, prosecutors also charged him with drunk driving. 

Ray’s probation conditions included not possessing drugs or alcohol, obeying all laws and participating in a substance abuse evaluation, court records showed.

He wrote in his plea petition that he agreed to serve two years in prison if his probation was revoked.

Another condition listed is “zero tolerance.” That meant Ray’s probation officer needed to report all probation violations to a judge, the lawsuit said. Any violation would result in probation being revoked, according to the court’s list of probation packages. 

Ray was released from jail in July 2021.

Days later, prosecutors charged him with driving with a suspended license, a violation of his probation. Juetten’s family said in the suit that Ray’s probation officer learned about the incident through a law enforcement database. Both that charge and the DUI would later be dismissed after his death, court records showed.

Ray twice admitted to using alcohol or marijuana while on probation. 

“Despite learning of these violations,” the probation officer didn’t raise the issues with the court, according to the complaint.

Ray at the time told his probation officer that “maybe he needs meds or something,” the suit said. The officer also noted that Ray was showing “mental health behaviors,” Juetten’s family said in the complaint.

Ray also failed to attend an August 2021 appointment for additional and mental health treatment. 

A stranger attacks

Travis Juetten and his wife were planning to fly to Hawaii for a two-week trip on Aug. 13, 2021, according to his obituary.

But in the early morning hours, an intruder broke into their home near the intersection of Northeast Howell Prairie and Hazelgreen roads, the sheriff’s office said at the time.

The attacker stabbed Travis and his wife, Jamilyn Juetten multiple times. Travis died of his injuries.

“The assailant appeared to be an intruder whom nobody in the home reportedly recognized but described him as big and tall,” the lawsuit said. 

Police at the time made no arrests. 

Deputies encountered Ray 15 days later in a field in rural Marion County. He appeared to have blood on him and was yelling to himself about wanting “his son back,” according to his probation officer’s report at the time. Deputies spoke with Ray and eventually took him to what is now called the Behavioral Health Crisis Center in Salem.

Later that day, the Salem Police Department reported to Ray’s probation officer that he’d been involved in a domestic disturbance with his family, who were concerned for their safety due to his behavior. A responding officer “believed Ray may have also been experiencing some mental health matters but was unsure. Ray was making remarks about things he was hearing and seeing that were not present or heard by officers on scene,” according to the probation officer’s report.

Ray’s probation officer subsequently detained him after he admitted to using cocaine and alcohol.

A month later, “Ray killed himself after a violent attack upon others,” according to the lawsuit. Amity Girt, an attorney representing Juetten, told Salem Reporter that she couldn’t provide additional details about that attack.

The Oregon State Police’s forensic laboratory confirmed in 2021 or early 2022 that Ray’s DNA matched that of a sample from the stabbing investigation, the lawsuit said. Police also determined that a vehicle seen at the Juettens’ home on the night of the stabbing and being driven on nearby roads fit the description of a vehicle linked to Ray.

“Based on these investigative developments, law enforcement determined that Ray, now deceased, was a primary suspect in Juetten’s murder,” according to the complaint.

The suit said a prosecutor told Juetten’s mother earlier this year that if Ray were still alive, they would convene a grand jury and seek an indictment for murder. 

Marion County Deputy District Attorney Brendan Murphy confirmed that Ray is the main suspect in the investigation but declined to say whether his office would have pursued charges.

That was the first time Juetten’s mother learned who Ray was, his connection to the killing and that he was already on probation at the time for a violent crime, according to the suit.

The family is now alleging that Ray stabbed Juetten to death “as a direct, proximate and foreseeable result of Marion County’s conduct.”

They said in the suit that the county’s supervision of Ray was negligent, including by failing to follow the “zero tolerance” terms of his probation and report all probation violations to a judge. They also alleged that the county failed appropriately “react to the dangerous pattern between Ray’s substance use and his violent behavior,” and recognize that his mental health issues posed a risk to the community.

Juetten’s family is seeking up to $400,000 for economic damages and burial expenses, and up to $3 million for “Juetten’s pain and suffering and the loss of companionship to his family.”

Travis and his Jamilyn “were happy together and looked forward to a lifetime as husband and wife learning more about each other and the world around them,” the obituary said. “He leaves behind a family devastated by his loss.”

Contact reporter Ardeshir Tabrizian: [email protected] or 503-929-3053.

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