Roy Jennings Beard

Roy Jennings Beard was a 57-year-old transient residing in Portland, Oregon, at the time of the Pomona Hotel fire in 1975. Very little is publicly documented about Beard’s early life, background, or any previous criminal history. At the time of the crime, Beard was considered a member of the local skid row population, which was among the largest and most impoverished in the western United States. Like many in the area, he likely faced chronic homelessness, alcoholism, and social instability.

Beard did not initially appear on police radar. After a brief period during which another man was falsely arrested, Beard emerged as the true suspect. Reports described him as mentally unwell, and he was sent to Oregon State Hospital shortly after arrest for psychiatric evaluation due to concerns about his competence to stand trial.

On the night of July 7, 1975, Roy Jennings Beard committed one of the deadliest mass murders in Portland history by setting fire to the Pomona Hotel, located in the former Erickson Saloon Building on Burnside Street in northwest Portland.

At around 11:00 p.m., Beard ignited a fire on the second floor of the 100-room hotel, using gasoline as an accelerant. Witnesses reported that a man had purchased gasoline from a nearby station shortly before the fire. Once the fire was lit, it rapidly spread throughout the upper floors, engulfing the building in flames that reached up to 1,000°F (538°C).

The Pomona Hotel, which catered primarily to impoverished men for as little as 80 cents per night, lacked a sprinkler system and adequate fire exits. This resulted in a tragic scene: people were seen hanging from third-floor ledges, screaming for help. Firefighters described finding bodies collapsed in the hallways, overcome by smoke while trying to escape.

In total, 8 people died on the night of the fire, all from carbon monoxide poisoning. Over 26 more were injured, with 4 additional victims later succumbing to injuries, bringing the total death toll to 12.

Beard was arrested in mid-July 1975, shortly after another man, John Joseph Newvine, was cleared of the crime. He was charged with 11 counts of murder and underwent psychiatric evaluation at Oregon State Hospital on July 15, 1975, after being deemed potentially incompetent. A tentative trial date was set for September 15, 1975, though the outcome of the case remains publicly unclear.