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OREGON CITY, Or. -- A Salem man who stabbed a woman to death on New Year’s Eve 2024 pleaded guilty to the murder in Clackamas County Circuit Court on Thursday, June 25.
Jason David Perillo, 51, was convicted of Murder in the Second Degree and sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 25 years.
Perillo killed Catherine Grace Crosse, 41, in a recreational vehicle she shared with a companion. Crosse was stabbed approximately 30 times, many of the wounds to her head and neck.
Crosse and her companion supported themselves by selling small quantities of fentanyl and cocaine. Perillo was one of their customers.
Perillo arrived at Crosse’s RV on Dec. 31, 2024 to buy controlled substances. According to phone records and video surveillance seized by investigators, Crosse was alive when Perillo entered the RV. Perillo then exited the RV 2 hours later, carrying items taken from the RV. Later in the day when Crosse failed to answer calls and texts from her companion, he asked a friend to check on her. The friend found Crosse’s body and called 911.
During a text exchange shortly before she died, Crosse and her companion discussed how they would spend the $6,750 they had accumulated.
During a search of the RV, investigators did not locate the $6,750 in cash. Investigators also did not find a $400.05 video lottery ticket Crosse won and discussed in a text message with her companion on Dec. 28 but had not redeemed.
Shortly after the murder, Perillo, who had no steady or reliable source of income, purchased a truck for $2,000 and gave another $1,000 to his wife. Investigators also learned he cashed Crosse’s winning lottery ticket four days after her murder.
The District Attorney’s Office wishes to acknowledge the work of Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office detectives for their thorough and diligent investigation.
Chief Deputy District Attorney Chris Owen and Senior Deputy District Attorney Stacey Borgman prosecuted the case.
Clackamas County Circuit Court case 25CR07441
