An Oregon woman now faces charges after authorities say she struck her boyfriend with her vehicle, though she maintains he tried to kill her first.
Mary Ann McKinzy, 55, was extradited to Multnomah County on Sept. 18 after the U.S. Marshals Service apprehended her in Bakersfield, California, according to the Portland Police Bureau. McKinzy faces charges of second-degree murder, assault, and negligent homicide in connection with the death of 75-year-old James S. Miller. Prosecutors stated in court documents that McKinzy and Miller were in a relationship at the time Miller won $3,200 playing the lottery.
According to the court documents, Miller shared $1,700 of his $3,200 prize with McKinzy. She subsequently stole another $800 from him, the documents allege, which prompted Miller to “get a couple of his boys together” to find McKinzy and recover his money.
On Nov. 28, 2025, a friend drove Miller to McKinzy’s apartment complex in Portland, Oregon, where the two men located her in her car in the parking lot. The friend, who spoke to police during the investigation, said he did not know what Miller planned to do. The friend later told police that while he remained in the car, he heard Miller tell McKinzy to “open the door or I’m going to bust the window open.”
Police said Miller instructed his friend to position his vehicle to block McKinzy’s car and prevent her departure. McKinzy allegedly responded by reversing her car into the vehicle Miller’s friend was driving. The friend told police that when he exited to assess the damage, he witnessed Miller throw a knife at McKinzy’s car. According to court documents, surveillance footage recorded Miller stabbing McKinzy’s tires with a knife.
McKinzy then allegedly shifted her car into reverse and backed over Miller. When Miller’s friend demanded she move her car off him, she allegedly replied that he was “trying to kill” her. McKinzy then drove away from the scene.
Miller was pronounced dead at the location. After initially reporting his death as a possible stabbing, police later determined he died from blunt force trauma.
By the time police secured a warrant for McKinzy’s arrest, she had left the state. Authorities located her car at a tire shop shortly after Miller’s death. Hubcaps recovered from her vehicle matched one found at the scene. McKinzy also reportedly left many of her personal belongings in her car before fleeing.
The Portland Police Bureau reported that the U.S. Marshals Service located McKinzy in Bakersfield on Aug. 5. She remains in custody at the Multnomah County Detention Center, with her next court appearance scheduled for Sept. 29.
Leave a Reply