A jury ruled Thursday that Jeremy Christian callously disregarded the lives of the three men he stabbed on a MAX train, was fueled by racist and religious bigotry, poses a future danger and probably can’t be rehabilitated.

The jury also determined that Christian showed no remorse for his victims. Defense attorneys had disagreed, highlighting Christian’s statements to a police detective that he felt bad about the death of one of the men because his children would grow up without a father. Christian presumably was talking about Ricky Best, a father of four.

During court hearings Tuesday and Wednesday, prosecutors asked jurors six questions about Christian and his crimes:

Were Christian’s crimes fueled by “his unreasonable racial and religious bias”? Did he show a callous disregard for the value of human life? Is he likely to be violent in the future? Has he shown no remorse? Is the likelihood that he can’t be rehabilitated high? Was he at least 18 years old at the time of the murders?

After deliberating for six hours Wednesday and Thursday, jurors agreed with the prosecution on each question by answering “yes” with unanimous votes.

No sentencing date has been scheduled yet. Multnomah County Circuit Judge Cheryl Albrecht could use the jury’s findings about Christian to help her determine his sentence.

Moments after reading the jury’s answers, Albrecht and a three trauma specialists met with the group to help them decompress from all they’ve witnessed in the stressful case that included multiple videos of the victims as they were stabbed and bled to death.

The judge offered the seven men and five women the address of a walk-in mental health clinic and the phone number of a 24-hour hotline. She advised them to be aware of signs of anxiety and stress.

“It is not uncommon for these feelings to arise during or after your jury service, or even weeks later,” read a letter given to jurors. “There is no right or wrong way to react.”

Jurors were excused from service. As they left the courthouse, all declined interviews.

After 15 days of trial, jurors found Christian guilty last week of 12 crimes, including first-degree murder for the deaths of Taliesin Namkai-Meche, 23, and Best, 53, attempted first-degree murder for the serious wounding of Micah Fletcher, then 21, and hate crimes against two teenage girls, one who was wearing a hijab, on a crowded MAX train as it pulled into the Hollywood Transit Center in Northeast Portland on May 26, 2017.

Oregon’s new first-degree murder law, which took effect Sept. 29, gives the judge two sentencing options: life in prison with a 30-year minimum and “true life,” which is life in prison with no possibility of release.

Christian’s defense attorneys, however, are arguing that the new law, passed as Senate Bill 1013 last summer, is unconstitutional and as a result leaves the judge with only one option -- sentencing Christian to life with a 30-year minimum. The defense and the prosecution could debate that during another hearing, which hasn’t been scheduled yet.

This week, Christian’s attorneys called on the testimony of forensic psychologist Mark Cunningham, who said Christian didn’t commit his crimes out of racial or religious bias. Cunningham interviewed Christian during four visits to jail.

“At the end of the day, Jeremy Christian thinks he’s superior, not because he’s white" but because he believes he has a better understanding of the world’s problems than others, Cunningham said.

Although others describe Christian as a white supremacist, Christian had a fantasy about moving to Brazil and marrying a member of an indigenous tribe, Cunningham said.

Defense attorney Dean Smith asked jurors to consider the “the bigger, broader picture” of Christian, not “a simplistic idea of who he is.” Smith told jurors that Christian could be rehabilitated by the time he’s 65.

Christian was 35 at the time of the stabbings, and the earliest he might be considered for release if he’s given life with a 30-year minimum is at age 65.

“What about when he’s 40, 50, 60 and 65, is he going to be the same person? He’s going to grow, he’s going to change," Smith said.

On the contrary, said prosecutor Don Rees, telling jurors that Christian has long track record of violence, including the gunpoint robbery of a convenience store at age 20 and multiple fights during his nearly eight-year prison term. A prosecution-hired psychiatrist diagnosed Christian with antisocial personality disorder, which is characterized by violence, aggression, lack of compassion for others and criminal thinking.

“Is he someone who is going to hurt someone again? In the state’s view, absolutely," Rees said.

He described Christian as angry, hateful and “pro-criminal." Rees said Christian tried to profit off the killings by orchestrating the sale of a book on a website that auctions off the belongings of murderers. He also talked about writing a song about the “MAX murders.”

After Christian’s arrest, he admitted over and over that he stabbed the men and he expressed no regrets. “I stabbed the two (expletives) in the neck, and I’m happy now," Christian said.

“That’s not just lack of remorse," Rees said. "That’s apparently taking pleasure in the crimes. ...That’s the opposite of remorse.”

Rees continued: “The evidence demonstrates absolute disregard and disdain for the lives of other people.”

Correctional deputies from the Multnomah County jail system said Christian referred to an African American sergeant using a racist term and another deputy with a slur about gay people.

Prosecutors also said Christian mocked his victims many times. In a recorded jail phone call to a friend in January 2018, Christian ridiculed Fletcher’s strained facial expression in a National Geographic photo, in which Fletcher was stretching the large scar across his neck, the prosecution said.

“It’s just so over the top, it’s insane,” Christian told his friend. “This picture is so crazy. It just makes you wonder ...was it National Geographic (that said) ‘I want you to go like this and do this’?”

Christian continued, saying he knows Fletcher was bullied as a child in school.

“Apparently that rubbed off on him, because he decided to bully me,” Christian complained, adding that it didn’t work out well for Fletcher, apparently referring to the blade that Christian slid into his neck.

-- Aimee Green

agreen@oregonian.com

o_aimee

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