Appeals Court Overturns Keegan Manslaughter Conviction
The case tied to the 2020 shooting death of 19-year-old Aidan Ellison in Ashland has been returned to Jackson County Circuit Court.
“While this result is deeply disappointing for us, I recognize that disappointment is far outweighed by the extraordinary pain it is causing for Aidan’s family and friends.
Aidan would only have turned 25 this August, nearly six years after his death — a stark reminder of his young life and of all the years, milestones, and everyday moments that were taken from him and those who loved him.
We remain committed to honoring his memory and to once again pursuing justice in this case to the fullest extent of the law.”
MEDFORD, Ore. — The Oregon Court of Appeals has overturned the 2023 manslaughter conviction of Robert Paul Keegan, returning the case tied to the shooting death of 19-year-old Aidan Ellison to Jackson County Circuit Court.
Keegan, 53, had been convicted in May 2023 of Manslaughter in the First Degree in connection with Ellison’s death. The shooting happened Nov. 23, 2020, in the parking lot of the Stratford Inn in Ashland.
A jury acquitted Keegan of Murder in the Second Degree at trial, but found him guilty of the lesser-included manslaughter charge. He was later sentenced to 10 years in prison under Oregon’s Measure 11 sentencing law.
As a result of the appellate court’s decision, that conviction and sentence have now been vacated.
According to the Jackson County District Attorney’s Office, the Court of Appeals based its decision on a jury instruction given during trial involving a limitation on the use of self-defense under Oregon law. The instruction stated that self-defense is not a lawful defense when both parties mutually agree to engage in a fight.
The District Attorney’s Office said the instruction correctly stated Oregon law, but the Court of Appeals determined it did not apply to the facts of the case and reversed the conviction on that basis.
District Attorney Patrick Green said the office had hoped the case would be further appealed to the Oregon Supreme Court. However, the Oregon Department of Justice declined to pursue additional appellate review. In Oregon, criminal appeals on behalf of the state must be initiated and handled by the Department of Justice.
“While this result is deeply disappointing for us, I recognize that disappointment is far outweighed by the extraordinary pain it is causing for Aidan’s family and friends,” Green said.
“Aidan would only have turned 25 this August, nearly six years after his death — a stark reminder of his young life and of all the years, milestones, and everyday moments that were taken from him and those who loved him,” Green said. “We remain committed to honoring his memory and to once again pursuing justice in this case to the fullest extent of the law.”
Keegan has been transferred from prison to the Jackson County Jail, and criminal proceedings on the Manslaughter in the First Degree charge have been reinstated.
He made his first appearance on the reinstated charge Monday afternoon in Jackson County Circuit Court. Pro Tem Judge Paul Moser set bail at $500,000. Prosecutors had requested bail be set at $1 million.
Because Keegan was acquitted of the murder charge at his original trial, he cannot be prosecuted again on that charge. The District Attorney’s Office said that without the murder charge pending, the judge was required to set bail and could not legally order Keegan held without bail.
Keegan’s next scheduled court date is a pre-trial conference set for July 6, 2026, at 9 a.m.
Cover image: stock photo
