Murder of Cheryl Keeton
Record spans 1986 to 2007
Portland · Oregon · United States · 1986
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Cheryl Keeton was a 36-year-old trial lawyer in Portland, Oregon, and the mother of three young sons. She grew up in Longview, Washington, studied law in Seattle and moved to her firm's Portland office in 1985. In February 1986 she filed for divorce from Bradly Cunningham, and both parents were seeking custody of the boys.
On the evening of 21 September 1986 the children were not brought home on time. Cheryl wrote down what their father told her by phone and told her mother she was going to meet him at a gas station near her West Slope home. At about 8:45 p.m. she was found beaten to death in her van on the Sunset Highway.
No one was charged for almost seven years. In 1991 Cheryl's estate won a wrongful-death verdict against Cunningham in a civil trial, and he was later indicted for murder. A Washington County jury convicted him on 22 December 1994, and he was sentenced to life in prison. His conviction was upheld on appeal in 2005.
At a glance
Bradly Morris Cunningham
Murder
Timeline· 14 entries
Update, investigation event
Date estimatedCheryl Keeton and Bradly Cunningham marry in Seattle
Source clipping Update, investigation event
Date estimatedCheryl Keeton moves to her firm's Portland office
Death reported, investigation event
Cheryl Keeton found fatally injured in her van on the Sunset Highway
Source clipping Update, investigation event
Date estimatedOregon State Police announce a homicide investigation
Source clipping Update, investigation event
Police hand out about 300 fliers in West Slope seeking information
Source clipping Civil trial, court event
Multnomah County jury returns an $81.7 million civil verdict against Bradly M. Cunningham
Portland, Oregonseattletimes.comCharges filed, court event
Hillsboro, Oregonseattletimes.comUpdate, investigation event
Date estimatedParole board tells Bradly Cunningham he will never be released
Appeal, court event
Oregon Court of Appeals overturns the conviction over the admission of Cheryl's 7:59 pm call
Appeal, court event
Court ruling, court event
Date estimatedAppeal, court event
Court ruling, court event
Civil caseOregon Court of Appeals vacates the dismissal of Cunningham's post-conviction case and remands it
Oregon, United Statesgovinfo.govCourt ruling, court event
Civil caseFederal judge orders Cunningham to drop unexhausted claims or dismiss his habeas petition
Timelines show sourced milestones, not every court filing.
Coverage· 5 entries
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1995
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·Addicted to Murder · 4 episodes — a run within a broader show
15 Sep 2026
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·1 Sep 2026
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·25 Aug 2026
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·18 Aug 2026
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1 Oct 1986
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·27 Sep 1986
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·23 Sep 1986
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