Portland man sentenced to five years for stabbing alleged predator

Elijah Cruz Valenzuela, 19, has been sentenced to five years in prison following a stabbing in downtown Portland on August 11, 2025. Valenzuela pleaded guilty to first-degree assault and first-degree burglary.

According to police reports, Valenzuela met 46-year-old Joshua Field on the dating app Sniffles. Valenzuela alleged that Field sent him videos depicting child sexual abuse and invited him to an apartment to watch them together. Valenzuela reported to authorities that he stabbed Field in the chest after the encounter, stating to police, “I stabbed a pedophile.”

Field survived the attack. Records indicate that Field had been previously investigated regarding the possession of child sexual abuse material and had faced similar allegations from individuals met on the dating app Grindr.