Hermiston “Highway Sniper” dies in prison
By Joe Hathaway on Friday, April 26th, 2024 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
UMATILLA & MORROW COUNTY – A Hermiston man sentenced to life in prison for a series of shootings during the late 1980’s has died in custody.
The Oregon Department of Corrections says James T. Birchard died on Monday, April 22.
Birchard was incarcerated at Oregon State Penitentiary (OSP) in Salem and died at a local hospital. As with all in-custody deaths, the Oregon State Police have been notified, and the State Medical Examiner will determine cause of death.
Birchard entered DOC custody on Sept. 5, 1989, from Umatilla and Morrow counties with no parole date. He was 70 years old at the time of his death.
Dubbed the “highway sniper” by local media at the time, Birchard was convicted of multiple attempted murders for shooting at pedestrians and cars across the region. Police believed Birchard shot at more than a dozen vehicles in late 1988 and early 1989 to cause accidents so he could rob the vehicles and victims. No one died as a result of the shootings.
