[chris]

Jeff McDonald was hunting for deer in a remote patch of woods near Manning, in rural Washington County, Oregon, in October 2013 when a naked stranger walked out of the timber and told him he came from a family of Sasquatches.

The 58-year-old McDonald had little time to react. Investigators said Linus Norgren, then 20 and from nearby Banks, punched him from behind, knocked him unconscious and dislocated both of his shoulders. When McDonald came to, Norgren had his hands around his throat and was striking him in the head with a rock about the size of an apple, according to the Washington County Sheriff's Office.

McDonald broke free, retrieved his hunting rifle and held Norgren at gunpoint while he called 911. Deputies searched the brushy, hard to reach terrain for more than an hour and a half before locating the two men. McDonald was treated for a head injury, a dislocated shoulder, a broken finger and eye trauma; Norgren was treated for minor injuries.

A Washington County jury convicted Norgren in March 2015 of attempted murder and three counts of second-degree assault, rejecting his claim that he acted in self-defense. Circuit Judge Thomas Kohl sentenced him to 10 years in prison. McDonald asked the court to weigh what Norgren might do if he were ever released, saying nothing would stop him from attacking someone else again.

The Oregon Court of Appeals threw out that conviction in 2017. A Mental Health Response Team that examined Norgren after his arrest had concluded he was suffering "a break from reality," and his family said he had shown signs of mania in the weeks before the attack. The appeals court ruled Norgren could not have knowingly waived his Miranda rights in that state and sent the case back for a new trial. He was booked back into the Washington County jail in 2018 to await it.

Norgren was ultimately found guilty except for insanity on three counts of second-degree assault. A judge placed him under the jurisdiction of Oregon's Psychiatric Security Review Board in November 2019, which can supervise his treatment for up to 10 years. Doctors diagnosed him with bipolar disorder.

Norgren sought his discharge from the board's supervision in 2022, citing years of stability. The board kept him under its jurisdiction in 2023, finding he could still be dangerous if his disorder became active again. In November 2025, the Oregon Court of Appeals reversed that decision, ruling the board had not proven Norgren remains a danger, and sent his case back for further review.