A former college football player has been arrested in the slaying of a Portland State University student, who authorities believe he previously dated.
Amara Marluke, a 19-year-old activist with dreams of making music, was found fatally shot near the college campus early Monday and identified by authorities the following day. She’d been pursuing a degree in Sonic Arts & Music Production when she was killed.
On Tuesday, deputies with the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office tracked down Keenan Harpole at a family property in Bend more than 100 miles away from the school. The 20-year-old, who once played running back for the PSU football team, agreed to turn himself into authorities and is facing charges of second-degree murder and unlawful use of a weapon.
Authorities said he is cooperating with investigators, who believe the killing is likely a domestic violence incident.
According to her Marluke’s family, she and Harpole were in an on-again, off-again relationship that started at the beginning of her freshman year, in summer 2021.
“They kept finding their way back to each other,” Amara’s aunt, Melanie Henricksen, told People. “He was her first love, but there were a lot of destructive elements, early.”
Harpole has pleaded not guilty to the slaying and is being held without bail at the Multnomah County Detention Center.
A statement from the university’s president, Stephen Percy, confirmed both Marluke and Harpole were students at PSU.
“Amara was an artist and an activist and a vibrant member of our community. Her death is mourned by all of us,” Percy said.
“I am profoundly affected by the sheer tragedy of this loss. My heart breaks for Amara’s family and for everyone who knew her. I offer my deepest sympathies. We will work together as a campus community to heal.”
Marluke also served as copresident of the school’s Black Student Union and would often post about Black Lives Matter in addition to other social justice issues on social media, the Oregonian reported.
“You couldn’t meet Amara and not want to join what cause she was fighting for because she could bring everybody together,” her mother, Amy, said.
“She was endlessly patient. She was always willing to teach with compassion. You could talk through [conversations] and you would learn. I will forever miss those conversations with my girl.”
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