Man Pleads Guilty To Boxcar Killings Pleads Guilty To Two Murders In Oregon; Two Other States Plan Extradition
A man suspected in the beating deaths of boxcar riders across the country pleaded guilty to two Oregon slayings Friday, avoiding a trial and a possible death sentence.
Robert Silveria, 39, was sentenced to consecutive life terms for his guilty pleas in the December 1995 beating deaths of William Avis Pettit, 39, in Salem, and Michael Andrew Clites, 24, of Waldport, who was found dead in a boxcar in Portland. Police concluded that Clites died in Eugene.
Silveria, who had been scheduled for trial March 1, dabbed his eyes with a tissue but said little as he was sentenced by Marion County Circuit Judge James Rhoades.
Relatives of some of Silveria’s victims sat in the small courtroom and cried softly as the sentence was imposed. They declined to be interviewed.
Salem Police Detective Mike Quakenbush, who helped solve the case, walked over to the families and tried to console them after the hearing.
“There’s nothing I can tell you that will bring your son back, but I’m glad you can find some closure,” Quakenbush told them.
Silveria was arrested by railroad police in Auburn, Calif., in March 1996. Police say he implicated himself in some of the slayings in statements he gave to officers.
He is suspected in at least 10 other slayings of boxcar riders nationwide, including:
Willie Clark, 52, found April 28, 1994, in a hobo camp near a railroad line at Tallahassee, Fla.
Charles Randall Boyd, in his 40s, found dead in a camp in Ellsworth County, Kansas, July 28, 1995.
Paul Wayne Matthews, 43, found in a hobo camp near Whitefish, Mont., Oct. 16, 1995.
Evidence has shown that all were beaten to death, usually with one or more weapons, such as a rock or ax handle. In some cases, wallets and identification were stolen and used to obtain food stamps.
Although Friday’s guilty pleas allowed Silveria to escape the death penalty, the families of the victims backed the arrangement as a way to avoid a painful trial and ensure that he will stay behind bars permanently.
Authorities in the Kansas and Florida cases plan to extradite Silveria for trial, and officials in other states might follow suit, officials said.
During Friday’s hearing, attorneys described Silveria as a model prisoner who is known for being soft-spoken and polite.
“He would like to apologize for the grief, pain and sorrow he has caused the victims’ families,” defense attorney Tom Bostwick told the judge just before sentencing.
But Moffat said that even though Silveria’s behavior has been good behind bars, his crimes were brutal and cowardly.
“His victims were usually asleep and unaware of his attacks,” the deputy district attorney said. “I don’t know why he did what he did.”
xxxx MORE MURDERS? Robert Silveria, 39, who pleaded guilty to two Oregon murders on Friday, is suspected in at least 10 other slayings of boxcar riders nationwide. Authorities in at least two of those cases plan to extradite Silveria for trial.