Amara Marluke

A former Bend football standout is in jail on charges he shot and killed a fellow Portland State University student, Amara Marluke, 19.

Keenan R. Harpole, 20, was arrested on his family’s property on Homestead Way in Deschutes County around 8:30 a.m. Monday — seven hours after the shooting was reported near PSU in downtown Portland.

Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies transported Harpole to Multnomah County, where he was turned over to the Portland Police Bureau.

He was arraigned Tuesday afternoon on charges of second-degree murder and unlawful use of a weapon.

Details of the shooting remained unclear Tuesday, though Portland Police spokesman Sgt. Michael Roberts said, “This was not a stranger-on-stranger crime.” Roberts declined to elaborate.

But in court documents, prosecutors allege the killing was a domestic violence incident.

Marluke is a native Oregonian and a 2021 graduate of Sunset High School in the Beaverton School District. She was adopted by the family of Amy and Brad Marluke around 10 years ago, according to Amy Marluke’s sister, Melanie Henriksen, who spoke in court Tuesday.

Prior to that Amara Marluke lived for several years in foster homes in Oregon.

Henriksen and other relatives asked Multnomah Circuit Judge Judge Benjamin Johnston to keep Harpole in jail prior to the trial.

“We strongly, strongly encourage the court to protect other women who may face similar fates, and to grant all of those who love Amara — and I think it’s obvious that there are so many — to grant us the safety and security to know that this man is behind bars,” Henriksen told the court.

Harpole is being held at Multnomah County jail without bail.

A statement by PSU President Stephen Percy was released Tuesday.

“I am profoundly affected by the sheer tragedy of this loss. My heart breaks for Amara’s family and for everyone who knew her. I offer my deepest sympathies. We will work together as a campus community to heal,” he wrote.

Marluke was a music major on scholarship at PSU. In addition to her art, she was a passionate advocate for social justice causes, including Black Lives Matter.

“She really did light up a room in a way that nobody else could,” Henriksen told The Bulletin. “The way that she touched people was unusual. And I think that because she had struggles in her life, she was able to connect with nearly everybody and find the good in everybody and find ways to lift everybody up.”

Harpole is a former member of the PSU football team. Though he played for the Vikings last year, he was not listed as a team member on its spring roster, according to university spokeswoman Christina Williams.

A health and fitness major, he lived with roommates in University Point in downtown Portland, according to court records. He has lived in Portland for the past seven months. Prior to that, he lived for five months with his mother in Beaverton.

Harpole worked between 20 and 24 hours per week as a driver for Uber Eats, attending classes eight hours per week, according to court records.

Harpole did not tell jail officials of any mental health issues, according to the jail intake form in his court records.

A representative of Multnomah County Circuit Court said neither Harpole, nor Marluke was a party to a restraining order.

Mountain View head football coach Brian Crum declined to comment.

“Out of respect for all the parties involved in this tragic event, I won’t be commenting,” he wrote to The Bulletin. “It isn’t a part of the story.”

A person who answered a call for his mother, Heather, said the family did not have a comment at this time.

Harpole’s next court date is scheduled for April 13.