Inset: Pablo Figueroa being escorted by police following his 2024 arrest (KPTV). The bar where Figueroa witnessed a man win a $2,000 jackpot (KPTV).
A 62-year-old man in Oregon will spend several years behind bars after he followed home the winner of a barroom video lottery game and attempted to rob the victim of his $2,000 ticket at knifepoint, ultimately stabbing him 15 times in the process.
Multnomah County Circuit Judge Benjamin Souede on Friday ordered Pablo Figueroa to serve a sentence of five years and 10 months in a state correctional facility, records show. Figueroa pleaded no contest in March to one count each of second-degree assault, first-degree burglary, and attempt to commit a Class A felony. In exchange for pleading to the charges, prosecutors with the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office dropped several additional counts of attempted murder, burglary, robbery, assault, strangulation, and unlawful use of a weapon.
According to court documents obtained by Portland NBC affiliate KGW, the incident began with the victim going out to Montana’s Bar in the 11000 block of Southeast Stark Street in Portland on the night of Saturday, Aug. 18, 2024. While at the bar, the victim played a lottery machine and won the game’s $2,000 jackpot. At some point after winning, Figueroa reportedly introduced himself to the victim.
Eventually, the victim left Montana’s Bar and walked the several blocks home to his residence in the Wy’East Plaza Apartments. Unbeknownst to the victim, Figueroa had been following him since he left the bar, trailing him all the way back to his home where he watched him open the locked security door, catching it before it could close again.
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Figueroa allegedly followed the victim up to the second floor of the building, waited for him to open his door, and then forced his way apartment into the apartment. Figueroa then tackled the victim, and repeatedly punched him while demanding money, according to a report from Portland Fox affiliate KPTV.
Despite the victim giving Figueroa several hundred dollars, Figueroa still pulled out a pocketknife and allegedly stabbed the victim about 15 times, injuring him in the face, chest, and arms. Per KGW, the victim said he likely only survived the attack when he decided to play dead.
The victim reportedly blacked out a short time after the attack and awoke to the sound snoring inside of his apartment. He said was able to get away when he realized that following the attack, Figueroa had fallen asleep.
“Mr. Figueroa had the money and could have left my apartment,” the victim said in court, according to The Oregonian, “but instead decided to sit at my kitchen table and watch me die.”
Police obtained surveillance footage from inside and outside of the apartment building and found there was no footage of Figueroa exiting the building. During a search of the area, investigators said they discovered Figueroa hiding inside of the building’s garbage room. Police noted that his pants were covered in blood and he was carrying $624 in cash on his person. The pocketknife used to attack the victim was recovered from inside of a box of cat litter.
At the time of his arrest, Figueroa reportedly had several outstanding warrants for his arrest for repeatedly failing to appear in court on charges such as identity theft and auto theft. He had previously been convicted on charges of failing to report as a sex offender.
