By Aaron Girdham and Tom Peterson
The Dalles, Ore., Oct. 29, 2026 — Prosecutors in the murder case against Dan Watson put the emphasis on the death of 35-year-old Amanda Harman in opening statements on Wednesday, Oct. 28, in Wasco County Circuit Court.
“State Vs. Watson is the title of the case, but it does not fully encompass why we are here,” said Senior Deputy District Attorney Caleb Berthelsen. “This is the case of Amanda Harman.” He then gave the details of her last day before she was found stabbed to death in her home on March 18, 2023.
Berthelsen said it was an average day for Harman - she had her nails done around 5 p.m., picked up chicken wings. And she was texting a friend at 10:15 p.m. when it suddenly stopped.
Harman never completed that text, he said.
In his opening, defense attorney Steven Eberlein turned the jury's attention to the evidence. “The State will build their case on DNA evidence, DNA evidence, DNA Evidence,” he said and then calling it “mishandled.” He pointed out the crime lacks a single witness and the State’s case against his client is purely circumstantial.
Harman was found in her bathroom with 11 stab wounds, and during the ensuing investigation, Watson’s DNA was found under Harman’s fingernails, Berthelsen told the jury earlier.
Watson is the primary suspect of the murder of Harman, who was 35 at the time of her death. Police confirmed Watson had been affiliated closely with Harman and her partner Colton Brace in the past.
Harman’s body was found in her residence on Ayre’s Drive off Cherry Heights Road located outside of The Dalles. Medical personnel pronounced her death was due to several stab wounds. Watson is suspected of committing the murder and fleeing the scene in Harman’s Kubota, which was found nearby. Watson also stands accused of first-degree burglary, unauthorized use of a vehicle, and unauthorized use of a weapon.
The defense is relying heavily on the timeline of Harman’s death, stating that Watson had an alibi at the time of the crime. However, the video of Watson at his home is not available because the security service storing the video has an automatic erase feature that eliminates the footage every 5 days.
Eberlein also stated that two other male suspects were near the scene of the crime and were reportedly behaving suspiciously, noting the State failed to fully investigate them.
He said one suspect was near Harman’s neighbor’s driveway around the time of the killing and he was reported, crying, foaming at the mouth, and exclaiming, ‘I can’t believe he is dead.’
Eberlein also said a second male, a tenant on the Brace property, was behaving strangely, which was described as ‘off the hook’ at the time of the crime. Eberlein said the man asked to borrow money and a pickup, which was later found to contain drug paraphernalia. Eberlein said the man reportedly stated, “‘they are going to pin this on me.’”
Eberlein also said the tenant told police he might have a screwdriver or knife with Harman’s blood on it.
The State called four witnesses on Wednesday afternoon.
Chris Brace, who is Colton Brace’s father, was called to the witness stand and sworn in.
He established that Harman was living with Colton on one of the houses on the family property on Ayre’s Drive. The family refers to it as ‘Braceland.’
Under questioning from the State, the father testified that his sons Colton and Chris Jr. were in Europe, and he was planning to join them there. He said Amanda agreed to drive him to the Portland airport. But when he arrived at her home at around 11:45 a.m. on March 18, he found her front door “wide open.”
Chris Brace said he entered the house looking for Harman. He found her on the bathroom floor and he believed she was sleeping. He tried to wake her and when she didn’t wake he moved her and found she was stiff and cold. He called 911.
Wasco County Deputy Andrew Sesma testified that he was the first officer to respond to the Harman house after her death was reported. He confirmed that Harman was deceased and observed several firearms and uneaten take out food in the residence. His testimony confirmed that while three firearms and cash were in sight or easy to find, that nothing was missing from the house.
Under oath, Wasco County Medical Examiner Christopher Van Tilburg stated that Harman had extensive bruising to her head and stab wounds to the abdomen, torso, shoulders and neck—with one wound that punctured her heart. Under questioning by the State and defense, Van Tilburg revealed that Harman was injured prior to her death either in a struggle or fall based on the bruising he found on her hands.
The State finished the day by calling Hood River County Detective Kyle Kozad to testify.
Under questioning, Kozad said he had collected DNA in the case and investigated the crash site of a Kubota side-by-side. The Kubota was found in a field near the home on its side. Kozad said the Kubota appeared to have hit a stump and tipped over. The State showed photos of the tipped over Kubota and tire tracks leading up to the stump. Kozad confirmed the photos were taken during the investigation.
The trial is set to resume this morning at 9 a.m., Thursday, Oct. 29. The prosecution is expected to call additional witnesses at that time.
