A Portland man was sentenced to life in prison Friday for stabbing Colin Smith to death in a Southeast Portland bar last year.

Rahnique Jackson, 26, was convicted Monday of murder in the second degree, unlawful use of a weapon and bias crime — the legal term for a hate crime — in the July 2, 2023, killing.

Four days later, Multnomah County Circuit Court Judge Shelley Russell imposed the sentence – life for the murder and weapon convictions and an additional 364 days for the bias crime.

Jackson had been harassing people at the High Dive bar before the murder, prosecutors said during the trial. And when Smith, a server at the Portland restaurant Ox, confronted Jackson for shoving a friend of Smith’s and uttering a homophobic slur, Jackson pulled out a blade.

He stabbed Smith a dozen times, Deputy District Attorney Branden Meadows said in closing arguments Monday. The jury convicted Jackson about two hours later.

At Jackson’s Friday sentencing, Colin Smith’s mother, Julie Smith, said it was “excruciating” to sit through the final days of the trial and listen to attorneys describe Jackson’s actions.

“The numerous examples of his inability to regulate his anger and hate ultimately led to the murder of my son,” Julie Smith said.

As Julie Smith spoke, Jackson hung his head and shook it slightly.

Colin Smith’s sister, Danielle Smith, spoke as well, standing up to directly address her brother’s killer.

“As you sit in your prison cell day in and day out, remember how you ruined so many lives with this one action,” Danielle Smith said.

Jackson could be considered for parole after a minimum of 25 years for the murder conviction. And if he ever gets the chance to meet the parole board, Danielle Smith vowed she would be present and “fighting for Colin every step of the way.”

In a statement to the court, Jackson expressed remorse for his actions and apologized to Colin Smith’s family.

“That person that night was not me,” he said.

He explained that he has struggled with alcoholism for years and said he regrets drinking the night of the murder, knowing what it led to.

“Now I’m in the most fear and regret of my life ever,” Jackson said. “I can never get worse than this.”

As she spoke to the courtroom, Julie Smith remembered her only son’s caring nature. Even as an adult, he called her every day, she said.

The day he was murdered, Colin Smith spoke to his mother over the phone for the last time.

“I love you, mama,” she remembered him telling her. “I will call you in the morning.”

— Sujena Soumyanath is a reporter on The Oregonian/OregonLive’s public safety team. You can reach her at 503-221-4309 or ssoumyanath@oregonian.com.