Oregon parolee convicted of rape, murder transferred due to 'public attention'
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — An Oregon man who was released on parole in Clatsop County — decades after being convicted of rape and murder in the same community — has since been relocated to another county, authorities confirm.
As first reported by The Astorian, George Nulph was transferred out of his transitional housing facility shortly after his parole began there last month. The facility requested his transfer on Feb. 24 “due to concerns related to public attention surrounding his offense,” according to Clatsop County Sheriff’s Office Community Corrections Director Kristen Hanthorn.
“Due to confidentiality laws and privacy considerations, we are unable to disclose further details about Mr. Nulph’s current location,” Hanthorn said in an email. “However, please know that all placement decisions are made with careful attention to public safety and the individual’s rehabilitation needs.”
Nulph was convicted of kidnapping and murdering Cannon Beach woman Frances Christians — the mother of two children — in 1976. The Oregon Department of Corrections released him from prison on a “temporary leave” in 1986, but he was incarcerated again the following year after he sexually assaulted an 18-year-old Portland woman as he held her at gunpoint.
Last month, Christians’ granddaughter told KOIN 6 that officials’ decision to release the now-73-year-old man to the same county where he committed his original crimes was “mind-boggling.” Clatsop County District Attorney Ron Brown also said he “adamantly opposed” his release.
During an Oregon Parole Board hearing in January 2017, the woman who escaped after Nulph assaulted her in the ‘80s expressed that he shouldn’t be released because he is a danger to the community. At this hearing, and at another in October 2024, he argued that he wasn’t the same person he was when he was arrested.
Nulph contended he would be “a productive and positive influence in the community” if he were to be released. The board proposed a rehabilitation center in Jackson County, but the request was later denied.
According to Community Corrections Director Hanthorn, Clatsop County is continuing to work with the new facility to “support long-term placement.”