Arsonist who set deadly Hillsboro fire to spur ‘return to prison’ gets 30 years

The arsonist who set a four-alarm blaze that took the life of a man sheltering inside the historic Weil Arcade building in downtown Hillsboro three years ago has been sentenced to 30 years in prison.

Rose Sunrise, 36, pleaded guilty earlier this month to first-degree manslaughter, first-degree arson and other charges as part of a plea deal with Washington County prosecutors.

Circuit Judge Janelle Wipper sentenced Sunrise, whose former legal name was Roel Leon, to 30 years in state prison Tuesday, with credit for time served.

Surveillance footage showed Sunrise “dancing or jumping around” before using a “donkey-style kick” to shatter a large window of the Weichert Realtors office in the arcade around 2:15 a.m. on Jan. 2, 2021, according to a search warrant filed in the case.

Sunrise left the business and was seen watching the flames grow and recording videos on a cellphone, the warrant said, then walking the six blocks back home.

Unbeknownst to Sunrise, 40-year-old Ronald Knapp had bedded down on the second floor of the shopping arcade to stay warm. Knapp died of smoke inhalation, but his body wasn’t uncovered among the rubble until a month later.

The fire destroyed eight shops and displaced an additional 20 businesses in the 100-year-old arcade, which was originally constructed as a department store in 1919.

Sunrise returned to the area around midnight on Jan. 2 and set fire to a GMC truck and Honda sedan parked on Southwest Washington Street, a probable cause affidavit said.

Sunrise was also sentenced as part of the plea deal for smashing a window at the Elevate Him nonprofit office on Dec. 4, 2021 and for stealing several tote bags and a statue of a lion. The total damages were estimated at less than $2,000 in that incident, according to the warrant.

Authorities matched surveillance footage to photos on Sunrise’s social media account and arrested Sunrise on Jan. 5, 2022. Sunrise spoke with Hillsboro Police Detective Michelle Hahn and told the investigator the motive for the arson was “so (Sunrise) could return to prison,” according to the warrant.

Sunrise had previously been convicted of harassment, attempted aggravated harassment, second-degree criminal mischief, third-degree assault and interfering with a police officer, according to the plea agreement.

A food cart pod is now planned for the vacant mid-block lot where the Weil Arcade once stood, according to the Hillsboro News-Times.

—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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