Judge denies bail for man accused of killing prominent Portland anti-fascist

Family and friends of Sean Kealiher have long pointed to Christopher Knipe as being involved in the 2019 homicide.
A Multnomah County judge has denied bail to the man accused of running over and killing prominent Portland anti-fascist Sean Kealiher in 2019, ensuring Christopher Knipe will remain in jail until his trial, which is scheduled for October 2023.

Knipe was arrested in August, more than two years after anti-fascist activists and Kealiher’s mother identified him as the likely culprit.

Knipe’s vehicle was left at the scene of the Oct. 12, 2019 killing. He had told police at the time his car was stolen that night and that he was at home during the incident.

It’s a lie that appears to have confounded police, who didn’t arrest Knipe until two and a half years after the alleged murder, despite having multiple videos debunking Knipe’s statement that he was not downtown that evening. Knipe, and the two other people he was with, left the car at the scene and “nonchalantly” walked away after running over Kealiher, according to prosecutors.