Inset: The suspect accused of killing a Plaid Pantry cashier in Oregon, identified by police as Michale J. Paine (Portland Police). Background: The Portland Plaid Pantry location where Paine allegedly killed the cashier (Google Maps).
A 21-year-old man from Oregon is facing serious charges after allegedly shooting and killing a convenience store clerk during a late-night robbery. The suspect reportedly confessed to police, expressing regret and acknowledging that the crime “was not worth $25.”
The accused, Michale J. Paine, was apprehended and is now charged with first-degree murder, first-degree robbery, and unlawful use of a weapon in the tragic death of 57-year-old Ernesto Castellanos, according to local authorities.
The Portland Police Bureau detailed the unfolding investigation through a series of news releases. Officers were dispatched just before midnight on March 27 to a Plaid Pantry store located in Portland’s Cully neighborhood, following a report of an “unconscious person.” Upon arrival, they discovered Castellanos deceased from an apparent gunshot wound.
The medical examiner later confirmed the death as a homicide.
In the hours following the incident, police released surveillance footage depicting the suspect. They described him as armed and dangerous, urging the public for assistance in identifying him. By Monday evening, the suspect had voluntarily surrendered to authorities.
Paine contacted 911 expressing his desire to turn himself in and was subsequently taken into custody. During transport, he began discussing the incident without prompting, as reported by local NBC affiliate KGW, referencing information from a probable cause affidavit.
“Have you ever f—ed up in your life so bad, you don’t know what to do after?” Paine reportedly told police. “He only had $25 in the till.”
Investigators say surveillance footage captured the moments leading up to the shooting, showing the suspect walking around the store, getting a drink, and waiting at the counter before opening fire on Castellanos. The suspect was wearing a distinctive black hoodie featuring the face of Michael Myers from the “Halloween” movie series and the words “Here to crash the party!”
From the affidavit:
We viewed additional video surveillance of the incident which included the suspect … entering the store, walking toward the east wall, touching the screen to the lid dispenser, touching and leaving behind extra lids on the counter and floor, getting a beverage at the self-service beverage area, waiting at the checkout counter, drinking from the Plaid Pantry cup, leaving the Plaid Pantry cup on the counter, shooting the victim two times, walking behind the checkout counter, touching the cash register screen and drawer, touching the coin machine lever, kicking the victim, touching the victim near the right shoulder, and then leaving the store.
The victim was shot once in the chest and once in the neck, either of which would have been fatal, according to the medical examiner.
Paine allegedly told detectives he went to the store intending to rob it. When Castellanos “did not appear to believe that he was actually going to rob him,” Paine responded by shooting him and getting the money from the register himself.
The defendant allegedly admitted that “what he did was not worth $25,” later adding that his actions “should not be worth anything.”
Investigators were able to identify Paine in part through evidence left behind in the store, including fingerprints on a cup, and later recovered a firearm and clothing linked to the shooting, local Fox affiliate KPTV reported.
Multnomah County District Attorney Nathan Vasquez described the killing as “a sickening, brutal act,” emphasizing that the victim did nothing to prompt the attack.
“Ernesto was an innocent, hardworking guy. He was gunned down and killed in his place of business, just doing what we want in our community; people doing their job every day,” Vasquez said in a Monday afternoon statement to local ABC affiliate KATU. “I can tell you this is a sickening, brutal act and we are determined to get justice for Ernesto.”
Paine made his first court appearance Tuesday, and a judge ordered him held without bond. He is currently scheduled to return to court on April 8.
