A lightning-fast jury needed only one hour of deliberation, and one word — guilty — to convict Wyatt Storm Belcher of a senseless slaying on the Eastbank Esplanade on May 8, 2022.
The Multnomah County Circuit Court jury convicted Belcher of second-degree murder in the shooting of Ash Smith, a 31-year-old mother of five who had been living unsheltered in Portland.
The shooting happened as organizers were packing up after a drum circle, which was held each Sunday beneath Interstate 5 ramps and featured cups of hot soup for those who attended…