The 29-year-old suspect arrested for allegedly assaulting and killing a man near downtown Portland’s waterfront Friday had a history of violence and mental health concerns, court records show.
Abel Nistor was convicted of assaulting and strangling his father last year after claiming he was a demon, according to court records. Eight years prior to that, he killed the family dog.
Nistor has been in and out of jail, has taken anger management courses and spent time in the state’s psychiatric hospital, court records show.
ANIMAL ABUSE
In 2015, Nistor was sentenced to six months in jail after he killed his brother’s Rottweiler with a hammer and knife. He told prosecutors that he killed the animal, Leo, because the dog’s barking was making it difficult to sleep.
Nistor pleaded guilty to first-degree aggravated animal abuse and animal abandonment. He was required to undergo anger-management classes and therapy aimed at teaching him how to show empathy for animals and was banned from owning pets for 15 years.
Nistor cut the dog’s throat and hit him in the head with a claw hammer over a dozen times, court records show. Nistor allegedly told police that he “killed the dog in the cruelest way possible” and that he “kind of liked it,” according to a probable cause affidavit.
At the time, his brother, Lewis Nistor, told the judge he believed his younger brother deserved a second chance. He told the presiding judge that he believed anger management courses would be enough, and that the prison sentence wasn’t necessary.
Nistor’s psychological evaluation results were “positive,” according to his defense attorney at the time. Prosecutors requested that further tests be done to ensure he received appropriate mental health treatment if needed.
Prosecutors said that even after the arrest Nistor told them he felt he had no choice but to kill the dog.
Nistor was also sentenced to three years probation and was banned from owning weapons. He was ordered to undergo mental health and drug-and-alcohol evaluations, court records show.
FAMILY ASSAULT
Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a harassment call in Southeast Portland February 11, 2023. They arrived to find Ilie Nistor injured and with red marks around his neck, according to court documents.
He told deputies that his son attacked him because he thought he was a demon.
That day, Abel Nistor broke down the door of the house and started praying for his father, saying that he thought there was a demon inside the home, the affidavit said. Abel Nistor was living at the far end of the property in a mobile home and was not allowed into the main house since killing the family dog in 2015, court records show.
He declared his father a demon that must be killed, according to the affidavit, and struck him in the face. Nistor then began strangling him as he continued to yell that he was a demon, court documents said. Lewis Nistor heard the commotion and rushed to his father’s aid. He sprayed Abel Nistor with bear mace and he fled the home, according to court records. His family left the house for their safety and called 911, the document said.
Deputies arrived to find Nistor back inside the house and arrested him.
During the trial, Nistor was determined to be mentally unfit to proceed. After three months, including time at the Oregon State Hospital, Nistor was cleared to continue.
Nistor pleaded guilty to fourth-degree assault and attempting to commit a misdemeanor in October. A judge sentenced him to 330 days in prison and two years probation, according to court records.
He was released in November after serving 232 days of his sentence, records show. The sheriff’s office did not immediately respond to an email Saturday asking why Nistor was released early.
EASTBANK ESPLANADE
Police officers converged on Portland’s Eastbank Esplanade near Southeast Madison Street after receiving reports of an assault early Friday morning. Officers found a man dead when they arrived and detained Abel Nistor as a suspect at the scene.
Nistor was taken to the hospital with unspecified injuries, police said. Once released, he was booked into Multnomah County jail on allegations of second-degree murder and fourth-degree assault, records show.
Police said bystanders, including a waste transportation worker, security guard and Portland firefighters, stepped in to stop the assault.
It’s unclear what precipitated the violent attack. Investigators ask anyone with information about the incident to contact Detective Meghan Burkeen at Meghan.Burkeen@police.portlandoregon.gov or 503-823-2092 or Detective Brian Sims at Brian.Sims@police.portlandoregon.gov or 503-823-2079.
The killing was one of many along the downtown Portland waterfront in recent years. One week earlier, a man was stabbed to death on the Steel Bridge. Two other people were killed on or near the waterfront in January — a stabbing near Northwest Naito Parkway and Everett Street, and a shooting near Southeast Water Avenue and Salmon Street.
Nistor remained in jail as of Saturday afternoon, booking records show.
— Austin De Dios covers public safety and diversity, equity and inclusion. Reach him at 503-319-9744, adedios@oregonian.com or @AustinDeDios.
– Aimee Green covers breaking news and the justice system. Reach her at 503-294-5119, agreen@oregonian.com or @o_aimee.
Our journalism needs your support. Subscribe today to OregonLive.com.