A Portland man was sentenced Monday to eight years and three months in state prison after prosecutors said he killed a man he believed had “snitched” to police four years ago.
Daniel T. Harwood, now 31, pleaded no contest to second-degree manslaughter and unlawful use of a weapon in the fatal shooting of Billy Mayfield, 37, inside a house in Southeast Portland on July 1, 2018.
Harwood originally was charged with murder after his arrest in September 2018. The charges were reduced as part of a plea deal.
David Mayfield told Multnomah County Circuit Judge Kelly Skye that his son would have celebrated his 41st birthday on Tuesday, noting that Billy Mayfield was unarmed when he was shot in a “senseless and cowardly crime.” The younger Mayfield, a father of three, had grown up in Portland, his father said.
“Billy was gunned down in the prime of his life,” said David Mayfield. “My grandchildren were robbed of their father. He was an awesome son.”
Harwood kept his eyes fixed straight ahead during the sentencing hearing as one of Billy Mayfield’s daughters begged him to look at her. He did not speak during the hearing.
Harwood shot Mayfield at a suspected drug house on July 1, according to court records.
Earlier that day, police had raided the house and encountered Mayfield, prosecutors said. Mayfield agreed to diagram the house’s layout, according to a court memo written by Deputy District Attorney Brandon Riffel. The diagram led police to a hiding place, where police arrested a man, the memo said.
Word got out that there was a large amount of methamphetamine stashed inside the home, according to the memo. And, the document said, “Word was also spreading that Mayfield had snitched.”
When Mayfield eventually returned to the house, Harwood and another unidentified man confronted him with guns, according to the memo.
Harwood shot Mayfield three times, a witness told police.
Harwood will be eligible for credit for time served and will be placed on post-prison supervision for three years after his release, Skye ordered.
