An argument over loud music turns deadly, but the man accused of murder isn’t pleading guilty.
What We Know:
- According to the NY Post, Robert Paul Keegan and Aidan Ellison were both staying as guests at the Stratford Inn in Ashland, Oregon. On November 23rd at around 4 am, Keegan and Ellison got into an altercation regarding Ellison’s “loud music” playing in the parking lot. Keegan, age 47, became enraged and fatally shot the teen in the chest. Ellison was just 19-years-old.
- Robert Paul Keegan pleaded not guilty to first-degree manslaughter, unlawful possession of a firearm, and recklessly endangering another person. He is being held in Jackson County Jail without bail ahead of his next court appearance set for Feb. 22, 2021.
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The Southern Oregon Black Leaders, Activists, and Community Coalition released a statement on the issue highlighting the racism in South Oregon’s community.
“The murder of Aidan Ellison is another example of Southern Oregon’s racist history with and current practice of white supremacy. Aidan was murdered because he was a young Black person who made a white man uncomfortable and refused to submit to that man’s personally-perceived authority – not because he was listening to music too loudly.”
- A vigil was held on Thanksgiving day for Aidan Ellison, whose murder comes as the only homicide in Ashland this year. Police confirmed that Ellison was a guest at the hotel that night and was homeless at the time of his death. His friend told KMVU last week, “He had nothing, but yet even if he had something, he would give it to you, no questions asked.”
The Southern Oregon Black Leaders committee plans on holding a rally on December 2, 2020, at the Jackson County Courthouse to demand justice for Aidan Ellison.
