01-04-2025
Opening statements set for 1988 Atrops murder trial
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — When Deborah Lee Atrops was strangled to death, her body dumped in the trunk of her Honda Accord at a dead end of Murray Road, she left behind an 8-month-old daughter. She was only 30 when she died around November 29, 1988.
For years, her murder was unsolved. Then in May 2021, the Washington County Cold Case Unit partnered with the Washington County Sheriff's Office to reinterview witnesses and re-examine forensic evidence in the case. In early 2023, a grand jury indicted her estranged husband, Robert Atrops, for second-degree Tuesday, opening statements are finally expected after jury selection began in mid-March. It's the second time this trial is set to begin.
Opening statements were . But the trial was delayed after a key witness – and Deborah's former lover – committed suicide the week before when Arizona law enforcement tried to serve him with a material witness warrant, court documents said.
Robert Atrops is now 71. The trial is expected to last 4-5 weeks.
KOIN 6 News will continue to follow this trial.
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