More than a year after his death, Aidan Ellison's killer will be in court
By Brad Smith
MEDFORD, Ore. – According to the Jackson County District Attorney’s Office, accused murderer Robert Keegan, 48, will be facing trial more than a year after shooting a young, unarmed Black man.
“(Keegan) will have a Feb. 24, 2022 court appearance and the trial is slated to start on Feb. 28,” said Benjamin Lull, a deputy district attorney. “DDA Samantha Olson will be the co-counsel. It should last about three weeks.”
By then, it will be one year, three months and eight days since Keegan shot and killed 19-year-old Aidan Ellison outside Ashland’s Stratford Inn. An Almeda Fire survivor, he was reportedly sitting in his car, which was located in the motel’s parking lot and listening to music. Keegan, who was also a fire survivor, was reportedly awakened by loud music at around 4 a.m. He went outside and allegedly asked Ellison to turn down the music.
Ellison reportedly declined to do that.
Court records added a few more details to the incident. Keegan told police that he returned to his room, got dressed, put the 9mm semiauto pistol in his jacket pocket and went to the front desk. He spoke to an employee about his concerns. The employee then went out to the parking lot and spoke with Ellison. As they talked, Keegan went outside and then confronted the young man. That is how the argument started. Keegan claimed that Ellison attacked him.
Reportedly, the murder suspect told police officers that he had “racked a round and shot Ellison in the chest because he was in fear for his personal safety.”
A former law enforcement officer said they were “concerned” by Keegan’s account.
“’Racked a round?’ That’s something you find in badly written private eye stories or other macho pulp crap novels,” they said. “It’s my opinion – my opinion, mind you – that Keegan was the aggressor here. He was looking for a confrontation. It sounds like the motel employee was doing their job and (Keegan) made things worse. In my opinion, (Keegan) is just another macho fuckup with a gun and a bad attitude.”
Keegan claimed that Ellison hit him in the face a number of times and that he acted in self-defense by shooting him. However, the autopsy showed that Ellison’s hands lacked bruising or marks consistent with a physical assault. More to the point, Keegan’s face wasn’t bruised or marked.
Keegan was taken into custody and charged with second-degree murder, first-degree manslaughter, unlawful possession of a firearm (Keegan didn't have a concealed weapon permit) and recklessly endangering another person – he fired the weapon near a motel employee. He was booked into the Jackson County Jail and has been there ever since.
Ellison’s murder came after months of protests from Black Lives Matter supporters and their allies – which were countered by right wing extremists’ outcries. There was outrage throughout the Southern Oregon area and even ire at some local media outlets. Some news outlets went into detail about Keegan’s alleged plight as someone displaced by September’s Almeda Fire while extraordinarily little was said about the victim. Making it even worse were others who demanded to see Ellison’s alleged criminal record – which, to date, none has materialized.
As some local media outlets published articles about a vigil on social media, racism reared its ugly head from time to time. It got so bad that in one case, KTVL banned “Elijah Rebel Kruis” for promoting hate speech, they said. Kruis’ Facebook page was adorned with Confederate flags and far-right posts. Others, like William Meehan, Jr. and Ronald King, blamed Ellison for playing “crap rap music” too loud and said the victim was being “disrespectful.” In short, they victim shamed.
Last month, on the year anniversary of Ellison’s murder, the Truth to Power Club held a mural dedication ceremony at the Ashland High School. The group said the mural was honoring Ellison’s life along with the lives of Oregon’s Black, Indigenous, and people of color leaders, both activists and artists alike. In true Southern Oregon fashion, local bigots blasted the comments section, wasting no time as they attacked and victim-shamed Ellison.
It was reported that Keegan didn’t have a criminal record, something his defenders commented about. However, in 2012, his then-wife filed a restraining order against him when they lived in Coos County. She claimed that Keegan was both physically and emotionally abusive to both her and their son. Fearing for her safety, she went into hiding and has tried to regain custody of her son. She told The Rogue Free Press that she received threats from Keegan prior to the shooting.
Since the shooting, there have been claims from a few motel employees saying Keegan was “disruptive and aggressive” during his stay. Some hinted that there were concerns about his behavior and some staffers wanted him relocated elsewhere.
Southern Oregon Coalition for Racial Equity (SOEquity) research director Dominique Toyer said this: “Here in the Rogue Valley, Black people are navigating through a predominantly white area in a time where a 17-year-old white kid can be a vigilante but Aidan couldn’t play his music in a parking lot. Black folks are constantly surrounded by our white neighbors and coworkers who are able to comfortably discuss if Black pain is legitimate. I am so tired of white rage and white complacency dictating if my Blackness is worthy of justice.”
Toyer wished that more people would take a stand against racism and other forms of oppression. “Neutrality doesn't make you a good person and I really wish more people understood that,” she said.
Lull said updates would be made should there be changes in the trial scheduling.
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