Polk County grand jury upgrades charge to murder

A Salem man now faces a charge of murder in connection with the July shooting death of former Oregon National Guard soldier Matthew Pearce in West Salem.

Nicholas Ransom originally was charged with first-degree manslaughter, when he appeared on Aug. 11 before Polk County Circuit Court Judge Monte Campbell, in addition to charges of being a felon in possession of a firearm and unlawful possession of a firearm.

He was re-arraigned on Tuesday after a Polk County grand jury returned an indictment on a charge of murder.

Pearce was found dead July 15 in a residence in the 2600 block of Islander Avenue NW, after officers responded to reports of a disturbance involving a gun about 11 p.m., according to police reports.

A Salem Police affidavit, called a probable cause statement, said officers found Pearce dead in the upstairs master bedroom. An autopsy performed by the Oregon State Medical Examiner’s Office said Pearce died from multiple gunshot wounds.

According to the affidavit, Ransom admitted to shooting Pearce with a .380 handgun during a fight that began in the bathroom. The fight started after Ransom told Pearce there was going to be a new sleeping arrangement in the house.

Ransom told police that Pearce dragged him out of the bathroom and into the bedroom, where he pummeled and choked him on the bed for 10 to 20 minutes before Ransom grabbed a handgun that was on a nearby dresser.

According to the affidavit, Ransom said Pearce came at him with a “crazy look in his eyes,” prompting Ransom to shoot Pearce four times. Ransom said Pearce “didn’t go down” after the first four shots, so he shot Pearce one more time in the head, telling police he shot Pearce because he feared for his life and was left with no other choice.

But statements by witnesses to the shooting — as well as an evaluation of Ransom’s injuries and a recorded 911 call — outlined discrepancies in Ransom’s story, according to the affidavit.

A series of gunshots over the course of four or five seconds could be heard in the background of a 911 call made by a witness who was present at time of the shooting, said Det. Scotty Nowning of the Salem Police Department. The rapid nature of the shots was not consistent with Ransom’s description of the shooting, Nowning said.

Ransom’s injuries, evaluated just hours after the incident, were also inconsistent with the prolonged physical beating Ransom described to police. According to the affidavit, Ransom had a few small scratches and a bump on his head following the fight.

Andrew Smith, a witness to the fight, said he saw Pearce punch Ransom in the face and assault him with a head butt, but he never saw Pearce choke Ransom.

Smith also said the fight had ended in the bathroom.

According to Smith, Pearce made a phone call from his cellphone following the altercation. Smith said he saw Ransom run from the bathroom during the call, retrieve a handgun and raise the gun.

Smith took off running and said he heard gunshots about when he was about halfway down the stairs, according to the affidavit.

Those inconsistencies eventually led to the manslaughter charges against Ransom.

Statesman Journal reporter Alisha Roemeling contributed to this report.

Email cwilliams9@statesmanjournal.com, call (503) 399-6719, or follow on Twitter @connerjwilliams

What’s next

Nicholas Ransom’s next court date is set for Sept. 14 for a pre-trial conference.