Defense seeks leniency in Salem motel murder of sex trafficking victim

Cody Roy Hilliard told psychologists he heard voices before he murdered Kim Cheen Low in a Salem hotel room. 

The 27-year-old Salem man had a troubled childhood that included sexual abuse and seeing his mother physically harmed, according to court testimony from psychologists who examined him in connection with the March 2018 slaying.

Low was a 38-year-old Malaysian woman and human trafficking victim.  

The details emerged Tuesday as testimony unfolded for the second day of Hilliard's sentencing trial. He has already admitted to murdering Low at the Days Inn Black Bear hotel.

His defense attorneys began presenting his case, starting with testimony from two psychologists who examined Hilliard after the murder. Prosecutors unveiled their case Monday. The trial is expected to continue into Friday.

In statements Hilliard made to one psychologist, he described the killing as a "nightmare that won't go away."

Hilliard told the doctors he had been a sex worker himself, with clients who included older women and men. He also solicited escorts online and paid them for sex, which is how he met Low the day she died. 

In a couple of instances, Hilliard had been assaulted by pimps waiting for him in hotel rooms when he tried to pay for sex, according to accounts he gave to a psychologist. 

The testimony is a key part of the defense's case for getting Hilliard a sentence that carries the possibility of parole after 30 years.

Prosecutors are seeking a life sentence with no possible parole. 

In opening remarks, defense attorney Geoffrey Gokey said the doctors' testimony will be a "big part of our case as to what's going on with the defendant."

Hilliard paid to have sex with Low the night she died. He found her through a Backpage online ad and was directed to her motel room. He returned to her room that same night and choked her before bludgeoning her with a tire iron. 

Hilliard also pleaded guilty to raping and sodomizing Low after she died. 

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He was arrested the next day by Oregon State Police while driving a stolen 2005 Trailblazer along Interstate 5 near Eugene.

Dr. Craig Beaver, a psychologist from Boise who testified, said violence and sexual abuse that people suffer early in life can lead to a "delayed frontal lobe development,"

which impacts their ability to manage emotions and properly deal with high-stress situations as an adult.

Beaver said he doesn't think it caused the crime, but noted that individuals in an "excited state" have less ability than others to make decisions.

"He operates more like a younger adult than somebody in their mid to late twenties," he said.

Testing conducted on Hilliard showed he had an average IQ, according to court testimony.

Dr. Kevin McGovern, a psychologist who evaluates sex offenders and victims, testified that Hilliard also told him about other injuries he suffered. In one instance, he was run over with an all-terrain vehicle and laid in bed with severe headaches for several weeks.

But he was never hospitalized, so there is no medical documentation to back it up.

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Under cross-examination from prosecutor Matt Kemmy, McGovern conceded that using the phrase "life-threatening" to characterize the injury may not be the best word choice.

Hilliard also had difficulty when talking about his abuse, the psychologist testified.

"He would shut down," he said. "His eyelids would flutter. He would start looking down."

Investigators believe Low's pimp was probably watching the hotel room before police arrived. They've been unable to find him. 

As for Low's family, they live in a remote part of Malaysia. Salem authorities don't know if the family is aware she's dead.

Ben Botkin covers Oregon state government. To support his work, subscribe to the Statesman Journal. You can reach him at bbotkin@StatesmanJournal.com, 503-399-6687 or follow him on Twitter @BenBotkin1  

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