Bio

James Michael Isom was born on December 26, 1933. Isom was a Korean War veteran. Later summaries of his case state that, during his military service, he was once assigned to gather the frozen body parts of fallen soldiers. This detail appears in case summaries but is not developed in the Oregon Supreme Court opinions.

Before the murder of Barbara Ann Maher, Isom was already in custody in Washington State. On May 13, 1986, he was a prisoner in a Washington state prison and was transferred to a work-release center in Seattle. That same day, he received a pass that required him to return by 5:00 p.m., but he did not return.

After leaving the work-release center, Isom traveled to Portland, Oregon. He rented a room at the Continental Motel under the name James Austin. During that period, he met Barbara Ann Maher in a Portland bar. The two later went to his motel room.

The available records show that alcohol was involved before the killing. Isom later claimed that he had little memory of the incident and said he acted in self-defense after Maher and an unidentified man tried to rob him. The jury rejected his account and convicted him of aggravated murder.

Murder Story

In May 1986, James Michael Isom failed to return to a Washington work-release center after being given a pass. Under the law in effect at the time, that made him an escapee. Several days later, he rented a room at the Continental Motel in Portland, Oregon, using the name James Austin.

While in Portland, Isom met Barbara Ann Maher in a bar. They had been drinking and later went together to Isom’s motel room. The next morning, Isom checked out of the motel. Later that day, a motel maid discovered Maher’s body in the bathtub of the room Isom had rented.

Barbara Maher had been stabbed to death. Isom was arrested at a nearby restaurant about two hours after her body was discovered. At trial, Isom testified that Maher and an unidentified man tried to rob him in the motel room. He claimed that he pulled out a knife, used it to drive Maher away, and then broke free from the unidentified man. He said that he later realized Maher was unconscious and bleeding. He claimed he carried her into the bathroom, found that she had been stabbed, and left without calling police.

The prosecution challenged Isom’s version of events. The state argued that he intentionally caused Maher’s death while he was an escapee from custody. He was charged with aggravated murder under Oregon law because the killing occurred after he had escaped from a correctional setting and before he had been returned to custody.

In 1986, Isom was convicted of aggravated murder and sentenced to death. In 1988, the Oregon Supreme Court reversed his conviction because of trial error involving police statements used during cross-examination. The case was sent back for a new trial.

After a retrial, Isom was again convicted of aggravated murder. He was resentenced to death on October 12, 1989. In 1992, the Oregon Supreme Court affirmed the conviction and death sentence.

A death warrant was issued on August 24, 1992, and Isom’s execution was scheduled for November 7, 1992. At first, he did not plan to continue appeals, but he later changed his mind and filed for post-conviction relief on August 31, 1992.

James Michael Isom remained on Oregon’s death row for several more years. He died of metastatic cancer in the infirmary at Oregon State Penitentiary in Salem on November 14, 1997. He was 63 years old.