Portland, OR. — Twenty-year-old Damani Jazz Anderson pleaded guilty to multiple felony sex crimes for sexually assaulting five girls and young women between February 2023 and August 2024, according to the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office.
Anderson pleaded guilty to four counts of Rape in the First Degree; three counts of Kidnapping in the First Degree with a Firearm; three counts of Unlawful Use of a Weapon with a Firearm; and one count each of Attempted Rape in the First Degree with a Firearm and Robbery in the First Degree with a Firearm. Prosecutors said four of the assaults were committed at gunpoint.
Sentencing is scheduled for January 29, 2026, at 1 p.m. before Judge Souede in courtroom 16A.
The case was prosecuted by Multnomah County Senior Deputy District Attorney Robin Skarstad.
According to prosecutors, the first assault occurred in February 2023 when Anderson was 16 years old and involved in an on-and-off relationship with a 17-year-old. Prosecutors said he was mentally, physically, and emotionally abusive. During one incident, the victim went to Anderson’s room to retrieve her belongings, where he pushed her onto a bed, pinned her with his knee, restrained her, and raped her.
In January 2024, when Anderson was 17, prosecutors said he targeted a 13-year-old middle school student he met on Snapchat. After arranging to meet at her school, he pressured her to walk to a remote area of a nearby park. Once there, prosecutors said Anderson pulled a gun, threatened to shoot her, took her phone and threw it into a ditch, and ordered her to undress. He took photos of the victim and threatened to post them online if she contacted police. Prosecutors said he then raped, strangled, and sodomized the victim while repeatedly threatening to kill her. The victim was later able to escape.
In June 2024, Anderson, then 18, contacted a 16-year-old he had previously dated and met her at Pier Park. Prosecutors said the two drank alcohol before Anderson pressed a gun against her head and demanded she undress. The assault was interrupted when people approached with flashlights, allowing the victim to escape.
Approximately one week later, Anderson contacted a 17-year-old victim through Instagram using a false name. Prosecutors said he met the victim while wearing a ski mask, pointed a loaded firearm at her chest, and ordered her to undress. During the assault, he told her about other girls he claimed to have assaulted and killed. He then raped the victim and forced her to perform oral sex.
The final assault occurred in August 2024, when Anderson met an 18-year-old victim through Tinder. Prosecutors said he directed her to an industrial area in North Portland near railroad tracks and an abandoned warehouse. Anderson forced a gun into the victim’s mouth, made her perform oral sex while pointing the firearm at her forehead, and later raped her. Approaching lights distracted Anderson, allowing the victim to escape and run to nearby homes for help. Police were called.
The Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office credited investigative work by Portland Police Detective Kyffin Marcum and Gresham Police Detective Larry Foulke.
About the Author
