Man accused of stealing from MAX stabbing victim’s body pleads guilty

PORTLAND — A homeless man accused of stealing the wallet and wedding ring off of MAX stabbing victim Ricky Best — apparently moments after Best had died — pleaded guilty Monday to three felonies and a misdemeanor.

George Elwood Tschaggeny, 51, who at various times called Clark County home, pleaded guilty to first-degree theft, tampering with physical evidence and two counts of identity theft for his crimes on May 26, as Best’s body lay motionless at the Hollywood MAX station.

Tschaggeny, who was being sought in Clark County for a driving offense at the time of his arrest, is scheduled to be sentenced next week, but court records don’t indicate what his sentence will be. Tschaggeny had been scheduled to go to trial next week, before he entered his new pleas.

Prosecutors allege that Tschaggeny used Best’s credit cards five times on the day of the theft.

Police say Tschaggeny was caught on TriMet surveillance video leaving the crime scene with two bags, minutes after Jeremy Joseph Christian, 35, stabbed Best and two other men in the neck during a racist, Islamophobic rant as the MAX train pulled up the the Hollywood Transit Center. Best, 53, and Taliesin Namkai-Meche, 23, died. Another man, Micah Fletcher survived.

Christian has pleaded not guilty to aggravated murder and other charges. Christian is scheduled to appear in court next week for a hearing about the conditions of Christian’s incarceration, which include being held in jail without the chance of posting bail to get out.