Biker sentenced for shooting, killing Portland bystander, mother of 3
• Published: May. 04, 2026, 11:41 a.m.
Isabel Funk | The Oregonian/OregonLive
https://www.oregonlive.com/crime/2026/05/biker-sentenced-for-shooting-killing-portland-bystander-mother-of-3.html
A fight at a 2023 motorcycle club party in Southeast Portland devolved into a shooting that killed a bystander and ended this week with a 22-year prison sentence for the Washington man who fired his gun.
William Watson, 34, said in court he had been defending himself and didn’t mean to kill the 26-year-old mother of three, Cali Bolden, just after 4 a.m. on Oct. 15, 2023. On Monday, he pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter, felon in possession of a firearm and first-degree attempted assault in connection with the Portland woman’s death.
Watson, who lived outside of Tacoma and was a member of the Outcast motorcycle club, had traveled to Portland with other club members to attend a party hosted by the Oregon chapter, according to court records. During the party, a fight broke out and spilled onto the street at Southeast Foster Road near 86th Avenue.
Bolden and her friends were on the sidewalk and her friend pulled out a phone to record the fight, according to court records. Watson noticed, pushed the friend and grabbed her phone. When Bolden’s other friend intervened, Watson pulled a firearm, court records said.
He fired several shots at the friend and one struck Bolden, who died at the scene. Bolden’s friend was also hit, and Watson shot another man eight minutes later.
“The loss of this human, the loss of this mother and this sister and this daughter, is the end result of gun violence,” Multnomah County Circuit Judge Jenna Plank said. “There’s nothing that this system has to offer that will be enough. There’s three little people in this world who aren’t going to know their mom.”
Bolden died the day after celebrating her oldest son’s 8th birthday.
“Every time it comes to his birthday, he remembers that’s the day that mommy didn’t come home,” Melissa Greely, Bolden’s mother, said.
Bolden’s other children were 10 months old and 2 at the time of her death. Their father had died less than a year before. The youngest, Greely said, does not remember his mother and knows her only through photographs and stories.
Bolden’s oldest child spoke at sentencing, saying he prayed that God would forgive Watson.
“To the family, I want them to understand that I do hate what happened,” Watson said at his sentencing. “I want them to know for sure that that was a total accident, that was not meant to happen at all.”
Watson said he was “defending myself,” and claimed he never saw Bolden. He said if she had been in his line of sight, he wouldn’t have fired.
Bolden was the youngest of five sisters, two of whom spoke to the court during Watson’s sentencing. Her family members recalled her kindness and generosity, describing her as a devoted mother, a loving family member and a caring friend.
“Something that once felt unbreakable, a pack of five, is now missing a piece that cannot be replaced,” said sister Taelar Durbin. “We were five sisters, now we are four. Nothing will ever make that right.”
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