GUILTY OR - Melissa Bittler, 14, Portland, 13 December 2001

[Doyle]

Melissa Bittler's parents appealed to the public for help in identifying their daughter's killer weeks after the 14-year-old girl was found sexually assaulted and strangled in a neighbor's back yard Dec. 13, 2001.
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1074344105182640.xml

 

[WasBlind]

Thanks, Doyle, I will definitely add her family to my prayers.

Here are some more matches on yahoo, including a bench dedication with pictures, her parents are in photo 9

http://search.yahoo.com/search?p="Melissa+Bittler"&ei=UTF-8&fr=fp-tab-web-t&cop=mss&tab=

http://www.bwna.org/photos/melissa/

Here is a link with Melissa's picture on it

http://www.koin.com/webnews/20034/20031216_bittler.shtml

 

[Doyle]

Ladon A. Stephens' mother and younger brother testified in court Wednesday that they confronted Stephens in early March 2002 and that he wept as he told them he had "killed somebody."

http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/107598661353210.xml

 

[Doyle]

Defense lawyers for Ladon Stephens began trying to chip away at the prosecution's case Monday, saying they planned to call witnesses who would reveal a number of inconsistencies.
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1076417828238860.xml

 

[Doyle]

Prosecutor details Bittler killing
The Portland teen was still alive when raped, jurors are told in closing arguments, which also comes as news to her parents
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/107659162419550.xml

 

[Doyle]

The fate of Ladon Stephens, who has been on trial for the rape and murder of 14-year-old Melissa Bittler, rests in the hands of a jury.
http://www.katu.com/news/story.asp?ID=64543

 

[Doyle]

Ladon Stephens could be put to death for the rape and murder of a 14-year-old Portland girl.
A jury found Stephens guilty Thursday in the death of Melissa Bittler and sexual assault of four other women
http://www.koin.com/webnews/2004/20040220_bittler.shtml

 

[WasBlind]

For Melissa.

I pray for justice for this family.

 

[OkieGranny]

From 2008:

http://www.katu.com/news/local/34376944.html

The Oregon Court of Appeals has rejected an aggravated murder appeal for Ladon Stephens, who was convicted of raping and killing a 14-year-old girl.

The 40-year-old Stephens was sentenced to life without parole in 2004 for the rape and murder of Melissa Bittler in Portland in 2001 after detectives built a case using DNA evidence.

Stephens was also sentenced to a string of 30-year sentences to be served consecutively for various sex crimes against four other victims.