Michael Panarites (Courtesy photo: MCSO)

A man was sentenced to half a century in prison for terrorizing a former intimate partner with whom he shared a child emotionally, physically, sexually, mentally, verbally and financially.

Michael Panarites, 40, was given 50 years in prison for 23 counts Thursday, May 8, by Multnomah County Judge Andrew Lavin. The charges he was found guilty of included rape, sodomy, assault, solicitation, and attempted murder. All of it led to years-long escalation of violence against the mother of his child.

Multnomah County Deputy District Attorneys Kenzie Ludwig and Reid Schweitzer prosecuted the case.

“I’m forever grateful to the survivor for trusting us to handle the case against her abuser,” Ludwig said. “This sentence not only reflects the severity of his conduct, but it also serves a greater purpose of keeping her, her loved ones, and the community safe from his criminal behavior.”

The DA’s Office thanked Gresham Police Detectives Adam Wright and Lindsay Friderich, Officer John Heer, and Portland Officers Karina Robles and Julian Drury for their investigation and dedication to the case.

The charges against Panarites

• Attempted murder
• Solicitation of murder
• Stalking
• Two counts of unlawful possession of a firearm
• Six counts of unlawful use of a global positioning system device
• Two counts of harassment
• Second-degree criminal mischief
• Two counts of coercion
• Fourth-degree assault
• Three counts of first-degree sodomy
• Two counts of first-degree rape
• First degree unlawful sexual penetration

Judge Lavin said one of the major considerations for his sentencing was that despite numerous court-issued orders “nothing stopped Panarites from harassing those who were cooperative with law enforcement.”

Years of torment

The violence against the victim began in 2020 with physical blows.

Panarites continued to escalate those attacks, frequently telling his partner that “no one was going to come save her.” The incidents soon became sexual in nature, including repeated assaults and rapes.

The victim got a protective order against Panarites in the summer of 2022, and it was renewed in May 2023. Despite the restraining order, Panarites got help from his father in finding his partner and daughter, hiring a private investigator to track the pair. Panarites began making threats of killing his former partner, and purchased a crossbow.

On March 10, 2023, Panarites violated the restraining order. A neighbor saw him dump a backpack filled with a firearm, knife and ski mask inside outside his partner’s house. He fled Oregon, catching a flight to Las Vegas then renting a car to Sacramento to stay with his parents.

On April 18, 2023, a mechanic found a GPS tracker attached by magnet to the victim’s car. Three more trackers were discovered on the car over the next few days. During this period of stalking he continued to speak of killing the victim and her mother.

On May 29, 2023, a Portland Police officer spotted a vehicle driven by Panarites because of stolen license plates. They found the car filled with more than 100 rounds of ammunition, multiple loaded magazines, stolen firearm, machete, axe, crossbow, bolts, and numerous other stolen plates. On his car keys was a handcuff key. All of those were tools and weapons he described to his parents as being his methods for murder.