Ian Cranston listens to opening statements during the first day of his murder trial at the Deschutes County Courthouse in Bend Thursday, Nov. 3, 2022.
Courtesy of Dean Guernsey / Bend Bulletin
A Redmond man who was sentenced to 10 years in prison on manslaughter and other felony charges will soon be returning to the Deschutes County jail.
Ian Cranston now “has a presumption of innocence on all of his charges, just as if he had never been convicted,” Deschutes County District Attorney Steve Gunnels said.
Cranston’s conviction in the shooting death of Barry Washington Jr. outside a downtown Bend nightclub in 2021 was overturned after the Oregon Court of Appeals decided the jury received improper instructions that affected the outcome of the trial.
Gunnels said Cranston could be tried again — but this time he may be let out on bail after spending approximately four years in custody.
Barry Washington Jr.’s death sparked protests in Bend and an impromptu memorial was created and maintained by community members for four years until organizers and Washington Jr.’s family had a permanent plaque installed in place of the informal memorial earlier this year.
The verdicts were reversed because the appeals court decided the jury received improper instructions and “the error was not harmless,” according to court documents.
Kevin Sali, Cranston’s attorney, was not immediately available for comment but said in a previous statement, “We are grateful to the Court of Appeals for recognizing that the jury in the first trial was not instructed properly, and we expect that in the second trial there will be no doubt about Ian’s innocence.”
Once Cranston is lodged in the Deschutes County jail, a release hearing will be scheduled, according to Gunnels, and during that hearing, the court will set bail. Unlike before, Cranston is now entitled to bail because his highest charge would be manslaughter and not murder.
If Cranston is tried again, he could face the same five charges he was initially convicted of: manslaughter in the first and second degree, first degree assault and two counts of unlawful use of a weapon, according to Gunnels.
Since he was found not guilty of second degree murder in 2022, Cranston can’t be tried for it again because it’s barred by the constitutional double jeopardy clause Gunnels said.
After the court decides on Cranston’s release, the court would set a plea hearing date, and if Cranston pleads not guilty, the court would set a trial date, Gunnels said.
Gunnels said it could take up to a couple of weeks for Cranston to be transported to Deschutes County. Cranston is likely at the Snake River Correctional Institution, according to the Victim Information System in Oregon website.
