Accused Of Killing Beaverton's Amara Marluke, Man Pleads Not Guilty

PORTLAND, OR — The man charged with murder in the shooting death of his girlfriend outside a market in downtown Portland last week pleaded not guilty Thursday.

Keenan Harpole, 20, entered the plea in Multnomah County Circuit Court to charges of second-degree murder and unlawful use of a weapon in the killing of Amara Marluke, 19, according to court records.

Both charges are considered acts of domestic violence, according to a criminal indictment.

Harpole and Marluke had been in an on-again, off-again relationship, according to a law enforcement official with knowledge of the case who asked not to be identified because of the ongoing case.

Harpole's lawyer, Benjamin Kim, entered the plea on Harpole's behalf; Harpole remained silent during the arraignment. Harpole remains in custody at Multnomah County Detention Center. No bail was set.

Marluke's family, who adopted her when she was 9 years old after she had had several stints in foster care, were in the courtroom and declined to speak.

Marluke was killed near Mak's Minimart at Southwest College Street and Southwest Sixth Avenue around 1 a.m.on April 4, police said.

Both Harpole and Marluke were students at Portland State University.

Harpole had been studying applied health and fitness, according to the school. Harpole was a freshman who played football last year for PSU, the school said. He was from Bend, but at one point he lived in Beaverton, the law enforcement official said.

Marluke was a graduate of Sunset High School in Beaverton and was studying sonic arts and music production at the university, police said.

On her Instagram page, Marluke said that she was a "Black Activist/Songwriter & singer/PSU SAMP."

Marluke was co-president of the Black Student Union at Sunset High School. In a video that she recorded for a Black History Month project for Tualatin Hills Parks & Recreation District, Marluke described the difficult journey she had made accepting her Black identity.

"As a light-skinned individual, for a long time I did not think that I had a right to speak up or to own Black as part of my identity," she said.

As the student union's co-president, Marluke had been able to make "Black spaces" for all types of Black individuals, she said. "The experience has changed my life," she added. "Society will try and trick you into thinking there's one way to be Black, that you have to sound a certain way, look a certain way, present yourself a certain way.

"But that's not true. I challenge you to ask yourself what makes you proud, what does it mean to you to be Black. Take this time and celebrate that you are Black."

On a GoFundMe page meant to raise money for music equipment at school, Marluke said that she was the first generation in her family to go to college.

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