Woman accused of running over Portland man after a dispute over his $3,200 lottery win

A 55-year-old woman has been booked into jail in Portland, Oregon, on a second-degree murder charge, accused of running over a 75-year-old man she was dating after a falling-out that prosecutors say began with his $3,200 lottery win.

The U.S. Marshals Service arrested Mary Ann McKinzy in Bakersfield, California, on August 5, 2026, the Portland Police Bureau said. She was held in the Kern County Jail until she was extradited, and on September 18 she was booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center on charges of second-degree murder, first-degree assault, and negligent homicide. She has not been convicted in this case and is presumed innocent.

James S. Miller died in the parking lot of the Candalaria Plaza Apartments on Southeast 162nd Avenue early on November 28, 2025. Officers were called there at 3:43 a.m. on a report of a person stabbed, police said, but the medical examiner later ruled that he died of blunt force trauma and not a stab wound.

The account of what led up to it comes from a probable cause affidavit reported by The Oregonian/OregonLive. Miller had won $3,200 on a lottery ticket, and he gave McKinzy $1,700 of it. Prosecutors allege that she later took another $800 from him. Court records say Miller told an acquaintance he was going to “get a couple of his boys together” and get the money back.

A friend drove Miller to her apartment complex, where he found McKinzy sitting in her car and began tapping on the driver's window, according to the affidavit. The friend told police he heard Miller tell her to “open the door or I’m going to bust the window open.” Miller then had the friend use his car to block hers in, and she backed into it, court records state.

The friend said he got out to check the damage and saw Miller throw a knife at the hood of McKinzy's car. Security video also shows Miller stabbing her tires, according to court records. McKinzy then put the car in reverse, hitting Miller and backing over him, the footage shows. When the friend yelled at her to move the car off him, she said Miller was “trying to kill me” and drove away, the affidavit alleges. Prosecutors say she hit him on purpose.

Police found her car at a tire shop later that day with some of its hubcaps missing. A hubcap matching one left at the scene was sitting on the front passenger seat, and a puncture in the hood matched Miller's knife, according to the affidavit. Detectives got a warrant for her arrest, but she had already left town or did so soon after.

The Oregonian's report does not say what game Miller played or where he bought the ticket. Police are asking anyone with information who has not already spoken with them to email [email protected] and reference case number 25-325754.

Sources

Portland Police Bureau: Suspect arrested in connection to November 2025 homicide

The Oregonian/OregonLive: Woman arrested in California, accused of killing boyfriend in Portland