Portland 'zombie' man photographed smiling with bloody lips given sweetheart plea deal for biting off victim's ear, part of face

An Oregon judge has sentenced a former Oberlin College student who bit off an elderly man's ear and part of his face in a "zombie-esque" attack at a Gresham train station last year to three years and four months in prison. Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt handed Koryn Kraemer a sweetheart plea deal, which included a guilty plea to a single second-degree attempted assault charge in exchange for a reduced sentence, according to a press release from the district attorney's office.

The 78-year-old victim, who sustained serious injuries in the attack, later died of pneumonia.

Koryn Kraemer, 27, originally of Westfield, New Jersey, was sentenced on Wednesday by Multnomah County Circuit Judge Shelley Russell. Both the prosecution and defense said that Kramer's diagnosed schizophrenia attributed to the Jan. 3, 2023 attack. Deputy District Attorneys Julian Samuels and Sean Hughey represented the state in this case.

The gruesome assault unfolded around 2:15 am at the Cleveland Ave MAX platform, when Kraemer unleashed a vicious attack on the elderly victim, biting off his ear down to the bone and the skin from a portion of his face, court documents said.

The victim's injuries were reportedly so severe that emergency responders were able to see his skull, police said.

Kraemer, who identified himself to Gresham police as "El Baker," told officers that he thought the victim was a "homicidal robot." A probable cause arrest affidavit stated that Kraemer admitted he was under the influence of fentanyl, alcohol, and marijuana at the time of the attack.

Officers reported that when they pulled Kraemer from the victim, he spat out the elderly man's flesh and thanked the police for saving him from the "robot."

Kraemer, who was photographed in his mugshot smirking with bloodied lips, was initially declared mentally incompetent to stand trial. He was taken to the Oregon State Hospital, where he was held for about four months before being returned to the Multnomah County Jail. He told the court during sentencing that he now takes two medications to treat his schizophrenia, and apologized for the attack.

"I feel really horribly about what happened, and I know now that by medicating my condition I'll be able to manage my illness and ensure that nothing violent happens in the future," Kraemer told Judge Russell, as per the Oregonian.

Defense attorney William Walsh told the court that Kraemer, a former goalie on the Oberlin College men's soccer team in Ohio, failed to graduate and slipped into homelessness. That's when his psychosis took over, Walsh said.

"He is appropriately embarrassed and remorseful for things that occurred when he wasn't in his right state of mind," Walsh said.

Kraemer, who has at least one prior arrest in Georgia, was originally charged with felony assault but escaped the charge after reaching a plea negotiation with the prosecutors. His attorney said Kraemer plans to live with his family in New Jersey after his sentence. Additionally, the judge granted him credit for time served and the possibility of time off for good behavior.

Kraemer will remain in custody of the Oregon Department of Corrections for the duration of his sentence. TriMet has issued him a lifetime ban.