Bend, Ore. – Edwin Lara, accused of the July murder of Kaylee Sawyer of Bend, was booked into the Deschutes County Jail early Wednesday morning.
The 31-year-old faces four counts of aggravated murder.
Authorities say Lara killed 23-year-old Sawyer and fled to California, where he allegedly committed a series of violent acts including kidnapping, attempted murder and carjacking.
He was arrested July 26 and jailed in Siskiyou County, California, and later waived extradition.
Sawyer was last seen the morning of July 24 outside her apartment building in Bend near the Central Oregon Community College campus, where Lara worked as a campus safety officer. Her body was found two days later off state Highway 126 east of Sisters.
Aggravated murder is the only crime in Oregon punishable by the death penalty, though the governor’s office has had a moratorium on executions since 2011.
Deschutes County District Attorney John Hummel has not said whether he’ll seek the death penalty in the case.
