Plea and sentencing of Shawn Quentin Greenwood

By Shannon Weidemann (McKone) on Tuesday, September 7th, 2021 in Eastern/Southeast Oregon News More Top Stories

BAKER CITY – (Release by the Baker County District Attorney) On September 3, 2021, Shawn Quentin Greenwood, 50, entered a plea to the crimes of Criminal Negligent Homicide, Burglary in the First Degree, and Attempting to Elude Law Enforcement. Per a stipulated agreement, Judge Matthew B. Shirtcliff sentenced Greenwood to a total of 90 months in the Department of Corrections.

The Baker County District Attorney’s Office offered the plea agreement in this case after it was apparent that many important pieces of evidence would not be available at trial due to the lead police investigator listening to privileged telephone conversations between the defendant and his attorney. The Parrish family members and the other victim, Nathaniel Brown, supported this decision given that this was the best possible sentence under the circumstances and that Greenwood was willing to accept some responsibility for the crimes he committed.

The state believed that at trial, that the defense would have focused on the actions of Baker City Police Detective Shannon Regan thereby clouding the evidence concerning the crimes committed by Greenwood. A forensic investigation by the Department of Justice caused the state to determine that it could not ethically call the detective to testify at trial. Key evidence that she touched was either suppressed or would not have been able to be presented since she could not testify.