Mistrial declared in Eugene bar shooting case after evidence lapse
Prosecutors missed an evidence deadline in the City Nights shooting case, forcing another mistrial in downtown Eugene nearly 19 months after the bar attack.
Lane County Circuit Court Judge Jay McAlpin declared a mistrial in the City Nights shooting case after finding prosecutors failed to turn over evidence to the defense in time. The ruling cut off a trial tied to a Dec. 8, 2024, shooting at the downtown Eugene bar, where two people were shot and the defendant was accused of trying to kill them.
The defendant has been identified as Desmond Washington, a 40-year-old Portland man. Court documents published July 22 showed the state had not provided evidence on time, and McAlpin ordered the mistrial after concluding the disclosure lapse could not be ignored in a serious attempted murder case.
The case has now added another layer of delay to a prosecution that has already stretched for more than a year and a half. When the case was first brought in Lane County Circuit Court on Jan. 22, 2025, prosecutors said a man with a lengthy criminal record in Oregon faced attempted murder and assault charges after the City Nights shooting. The latest mistrial means the underlying allegations have still not reached a final verdict.
The missed evidence deadline is the specific failure that derailed the trial. Criminal prosecutors are required to disclose material evidence to the defense, and McAlpin found that the Lane County District Attorney’s Office did not provide it in a timely manner. Lookout Eugene-Springfield also reported that the judge raised concerns about both the district attorney’s office and police after the mistrial, underscoring that the breakdown reached beyond one courtroom decision.
The impact extends beyond the defendant and the two people allegedly targeted inside City Nights. Downtown Eugene businesses and residents have been following a case tied to violence in one of the city’s nightlife corridors, and each reset in the courtroom delays closure for victims and witnesses while adding more work for Lane County Circuit Court.
It is also the third mistrial in Lane County this year and the second in two weeks involving a violent-crime case. On July 10, Judge McAlpin declared a mistrial in the separate murder case against Kenneth John Alvord, who is accused of shooting and killing his friend, Justin Huser. The back-to-back mistrials have put the county’s evidence handling and case management under sharper scrutiny as prosecutors decide how to move forward.
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