A 38 year-old man Wednesday entered not guilty pleas to a two-count indictment charging him with murder and unlawful use of a knife stemming from the April 8 killing of Paul Mears in downtown Portland.

The fatal assault occurred about 1:30 p.m. at Southwest Broadway and Alder Street, a witness told investigators, according to a probable cause affidavit.

When police and paramedics arrived, they found Mears bleeding from an injury to his right shoulder, near his neck, the affidavit said.

Paramedics attempted to provide emergency aid to Mears, as he lay on the sidewalk on his back, but couldn’t save him, Multnomah County deputy district attorney Bumjoon Park wrote in the affidavit.

Based on a witness’ account, police located Daniel Paul Conner about two blocks away at Southwest Broadway and Morrison Street, and found him with a bloody knife, the affidavit said.

Conner also had blood on his hands, gloves, jacket and face, according to police and prosecutors.

Conner told investigators he has been living on the streets for two years and said he didn’t know the alleged victim in the case.

Conner was convicted in October 2014 of second-degree assault and attempt to commit a Class A felony in a Northwest Portland attack in which police and prosecutors said he used a bottle to injure a black man. He said he tried to kill the man “because he was black” and that he cut four black people in one night, according to court records. He was sentenced to three years in prison, followed by three years of post-prison supervision. As part of a plea agreement in the 2014 case, a hate crime charge - second-degree intimidation - was dropped.

Conner is being held without bail at the Multnomah County Detention Center. A trial has been tentatively set for May 24.

-- Maxine Bernstein

Email at mbernstein@oregonian.com

Follow on Twitter @maxoregonian

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