Police ID Victim, Suspect In Chinatown Homicide

PORTLAND, OR — Homicide detectives investigating a suspicious death in downtown Portland's Chinatown last week identified the slain victim as 28-year-old Portlander Tyler Allen Chism. On Saturday, police identified Chism's alleged killer as 59-year-old retiree Timothy Carl Cato.

Cato is being held at Multnomah County Jail on one count of murder. He is ineligible for bail. His arraignment is scheduled for Monday afternoon in Portland.

Cato on Oct. 26 was arrested without incident in the 700-block of Southwest Salmon Street. Police have not provided any reasoning for why Cato would have wanted Chism dead; according to Cato, the pair were complete strangers.

Chism was reportedly found dead on a sidewalk near Northwest Third Avenue and Northwest Everett Street around 2:15 a.m. Oct. 25. He appeared to have been stabbed, police said, noting the officer who found him initially thought he was just injured.

Medical responders later determined Chism was in fact deceased, and medical examiners later confirmed Chism died as a result of being stabbed.

Anyone with information about the investigation should contact PPB Detective Mark Slater at 503-823-9319, Mark.Slater@portlandoregon.gov, or Detective Erik Kammerer at 503-823-0762, Erik.Kammerer@portlandoregon.gov.

Cato, a longtime Portland resident, has a short history of violent crime in the state, though he hadn't been convicted of any crimes — or even arrested — in Oregon for the past 20 years.

In 1996 Cato was convicted of assault and other crimes and sentenced to five years in prison.

(Sign up for our free daily newsletters and Breaking News Alerts for the Portland Patch)

Images via Portland Police Bureau