Man who stabbed lotto winner 15 times, then fell asleep as his victim played dead sentenced

A man who followed a gambler home and then stabbed him 15 times when he refused to give up a $2,000 winning lottery ticket was sentenced to five years and 10 months in prison Friday. 

Pablo Figueroa covered his face with his hand as Multnomah County Circuit Judge Benjamin Souede handed down the punishment. Figueroa, now 62, earlier pleaded no contest to charges of second-degree assault and first-degree burglary as part of a deal with prosecutors.

Figueroa was at Montana’s Bar on Southeast Stark Street on Aug. 18, 2024 when he noticed Jeff Williams strike it big on a video lottery machine around 11:30 p.m., according to a probable cause affidavit. 

He introduced himself, then stalked Williams back to his home at the Wy’East Plaza apartments, where he demanded the lucky ticket inside his unit. 

Williams refused, and in the ensuing struggle Figueroa pulled out a pocket knife and stabbed him 15 times in the face, arms and chest, only stopping when Williams played dead, the affidavit says. 

“Mr. Figueroa had the money and could have left my apartment,” Williams said in court, “but instead decided to sit at my kitchen table and watch me die.” 

Figueroa remained in the unit after the altercation and apparently fell asleep. 

Williams said he cracked an eye and escaped only once he heard his assailant start to snore. 

Police located Figuroa hiding in the trash room early the next morning and pepper sprayed him during the arrest, the affidavit says. 

A registered sex offender in Arizona, Figeuroa had six felony and 13 prior misdemeanor convictions on his record, according to a booking sheet. 

The plea deal also resolved an open 2022 case involving two stolen cars that Figueroa had been caught driving with a shaved key, an affidavit in the case says. Identity theft charges out of Washington County remain pending. 

Figueroa declined to speak at the sentencing, but defense attorney Michelle Ganow-Jones said he’d been grappling with addiction since the 1980s. 

“That is something he has to address if he is going to be able to enjoy the years that he has remaining once he is out,” she said.

—Zane Sparling covers breaking news and courts for The Oregonian/OregonLive. Reach him at 503-319-7083, zsparling@oregonian.com or @pdxzane.

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