A former New Jersey college football player who ripped off an elderly man's ear and face in a gruesome attack on an Oregon train platform was sentenced Wednesday to more than three years in prison.
Koryn Kraemer, now 27, attacked the 78-year-old victim, whom she believed to be a killer “robot,” at the Cleveland Avenue MAX station in Portland around 2 a.m. on Jan. 3, 2023.
Both the defense and prosecution blamed the gruesome violence on Kraemer's schizophrenia, for which he is now receiving treatment. According to OregonLive.
“I feel really horrible about what happened, and I now know that by medicating my condition I will be able to manage my illness and make sure nothing violent happens in the future,” Kraemer told Multnomah County Circuit Judge Shelley Russell on Wednesday.
The former college athlete admitted he was under the influence of alcohol, marijuana and fentanyl when he approached the man and sank his teeth into him.
When police arrived at the scene, Kraemer had bitten off the man's ear and ripped the skin off his face to the point where his skull was exposed.
He spat the victim's flesh onto the tracks and claimed police “saved his life by separating him from the robot,” according to the documents.
The victim was hospitalized in stable condition but has since died of unrelated causes. According to KATU.
According to court records, Kraemer was deemed mentally unfit to stand trial after his arrest. He spent four months at Oregon State Hospital, where he was prescribed medication to treat schizophrenia, he said during his sentencing hearing.
He grew up in Westfield, New Jersey, and previously attended Oberlin College in Ohio, where he was a goalkeeper for the men's soccer team in 2015 and 2016.
Kraemer had previously been arrested in Georgia, according to OregonLive.
“He feels appropriately ashamed and remorseful for things that occurred when he was not of sound mind,” Walsh said.
Kraemer plans to return to New Jersey and live with his family after serving his sentence, the attorney added.
He was initially charged with felony assault, but pleaded guilty to one count of attempted second-degree assault as part of a deal with prosecutors.
He was sentenced to 40 months in prison with credit for time served and the possibility of a leave of absence for good behavior.
He will spend nearly two years under supervision after his release, which could happen as early as next summer.
