PORTLAND, Ore. – Brad Ballantyne (35) was arrested in Vancouver and charged in the 1993 cold case of Kimberly Dunkin.
Ballantyne is accused of shooting then 30-year-old Kimberly Dunkin in Northeast Portland on New Year’s Day 1993. She lived in Aloha at the time. Ballantyne faces charges of one count of aggravated murder and one count of murder.
Dunkin’s body was discovered in the driver’s seat of her blue 1973 Chevrolet Camaro on the morning of Jan. 1, 1993. The Camaro was parked in front of 4927 N.E. Skidmore Street. An autopsy determined Dunkin died from a gunshot wound to her head. During the subsequent autopsy, it was determined that Dunkin had consumed cocaine and marijuana.
Ballantyne would have been around 18 years old at the time of Dunkin’s death.
Detectives from the Portland Police Bureau’s Cold Case Homicide Unit are not disclosing any more information. For example, did Ballantyne know Dunkin, what was the connection, and how did they focus in on him after all these years? We will have to wait for these answers and more.
Court records show Ballantyne has a long criminal history, including arrests for assault and robbery. Just four days after Dunkin’s body was found in her car, Ballantyne was arrested for theft and a few weeks later for stealing a car, according to the records. In a Clark County court last Wednesday, he told the judge he is unemployed and unsure if he can afford an attorney.
Dunkin’s children were little when she died and her daughter graduated from high school last Wednesday, and her 20-year-old son just got married.
Two years ago police offered a reward in Dunkin’s murder and said they thought her involvement with drugs may have played a role in her death.
The Portland Police Bureau was assisted in the arrest by the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Clark County Sheriff’s Office and the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office. Police would not confirm if the $10,000 reward helped cracked the case and they declined to share any other information about how they linked Ballantyne to the crime.
Ballantyne is awaiting a July 16 extradition hearing to Oregon.
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