Illegal immigrant admits killing girl, 15, in Milwaukie
by Steve Mayes, The Oregonian
Tuesday September 16, 2008, 3:05 PM
OREGON CITY -- An illegal immigrant pleaded guilty today to murdering 15-year-old Dani Countryman in a case that drew national attention and exposed flaws in the process for deporting criminal offenders.

Alejandro Emeterio Rivera Gamboa admitted in Clackamas County Circuit Court that he stepped on Countryman's throat to help subdue her while his cousin, also a Mexican national from the Guadalajara area, allegedly raped the girl.

Countryman died in the early hours of July 28, 2007, after a night of partying at the Balboa Apartments in Milwaukie. The Texas teenager was vacationing in Oregon, visiting her older sister, and planned to return home later that day.

Ashley Countryman, who was one of the last people to see her sister alive, sat quietly through the proceedings and later declined to speak with media. Dani Countryman's grandmother, who lives in Texas, listened in by phone.

According to the terms of a plea bargain, Rivera Gamboa pleaded guilty to aggravated murder and abuse of a corpse and will be sentenced to life in prison. He must serve at least 35 years before he is eligible for parole. He was charged with abuse of a corpse because he moved Countryman's body after killing her, according to Chris Owen, deputy district attorney.

Gamboa and his cousin, Javier "Gabe" Arellano Gamboa, were initially charged with aggravated murder, attempted rape and attempted sexual abuse. Arellano Gamboa remains in custody pending trial.

For those demanding a crackdown on illegal immigration, the murder became a high-profile example of the consequences of lax enforcement. Rivera Gamboa had been in police custody nine months before the murder and admitted he was in the United States illegally. But he was not deported.

The Oregonian reported that Rivera Gamboa pleaded guilty to two counts of drunken driving in November 2006. He signed a plea agreement that stated he was not a U.S. citizen and was released without anyone in the criminal justice system notifying immigration authorities.


http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ss ... killi.html