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PORTLAND, OR (KPTV) — A man accused of strangling and killing a woman at a motel last year pleaded guilty to manslaughter Thursday, according to the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office.
Joshua Scott Carlson, 32, was arrested in April 2017 after leading police on a high-speed chase that started in the motel’s parking lot.
According to court documents, Carlson was driving a stolen SUV when he left the Motel 6 on Southeast Powell Boulevard. The chase was called off due to safety concerns.
During the chase, additional law enforcement entered a motel room registered in Carlson’s name and located the body of 42-year-old Valerie Johnson, of Portland, court documents say.
The Oregon State Medical Examiner said she died of strangulation.
Law enforcement later discovered the stolen SUV Carlson was driving abandoned in the 4000 block of Southeast 51st Avenue, court documents say.
The Portland Police Bureau’s Special Emergency Response Team located Carlson hiding nearby on the roof of a home. He was taken into custody without incident, according to court documents.
Johnson’s family was in court Thursday by phone and say they are supportive of the case resolution.
Carlson is due in court again for sentencing Sept. 7.
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