5 victims in Ore. mass killing, including suspect’s girlfriend and her best friend, found with gunshot wounds: police

Authorities believe the suspect, Benjamin Charles Parker, shot all five people and started fires at the scene before leaving the state

NEED TO KNOW

  • The five victims in a quintuple homicide in rural Oregon were all found with gunshot wounds, police have confirmed
  • Mary Elizabeth Kimsey, 85; Rowan Karla Kimsey, 60; Stella Jade Kimsey, 26; Linsey Mae Haraldsen, 26; and Alvin Raymond Chu, 27, were all found dead at a property about 25 miles west of Portland on Saturday, Aug. 22
  • The suspect, Stella’s boyfriend Benjamin Charles Parker, was found dead in his car with a gunshot wound to the head the following day

The five people killed in a quintuple homicide in rural Oregon over the weekend were all found with gunshot wounds, police have confirmed.

Mary Elizabeth Kimsey, 85; Rowan Karla Kimsey, 60; Stella Jade Kimsey, 26; Linsey Mae Haraldsen, 26; and Alvin Raymond Chu, 27, were all found dead at a property about 25 miles west of Portland on Saturday, Aug. 22.

Stella lived on the property with her boyfriend, Benjamin Charles Parker, who is the suspect in the case. Rowan, who owned the property and lived with them, was her mother and Mary was her grandmother. Linsey was Stella’s best friend and Alvin was Linsey’s boyfriend.At a news conference on Tuesday, Aug. 25, Detective Mark Povolny from the Washington County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that Mary, Rowan, Stella and Linsey had all been shot multiple times, while police believe Alvin — whose body was inside the vehicle that had been set on fire — was also killed the same way.

Stella’s body was found inside another vehicle, while the bodies of Mary, Rowan and Linsey were all found outside on the ground, Povolny added. Evidence suggests that they were all shot with a .22-caliber gun, with numerous shell casings found in the vicinity.

The police also said that, as well as setting one of the cars on fire, the suspect set individual fires at each of the other four bodies, and tried to set both the main home and a carport on fire, but was unsuccessful.

The five cats and dogs found on the property had also been shot, police said. Two cats and two dogs were found at the scene, while another cat was later euthanized after sustaining serious injuries.

The victims were discovered after Forest Grove Fire & Rescue responded to reports of a vehicle fire at the property on Saturday morning. Firefighters alerted police after finding human remains, and a homicide investigation was launched.

Police previously confirmed that Parker, 36, was found dead in his vehicle outside a Safeway store in Enumclaw, Wash., about 200 miles away, the following day.

In Tuesday’s conference, they added that his body was found with a gunshot wound to the head, with officers believing the same .22-caliber handgun was used.

Povolny said that, as police were preparing a warrant for five counts of murder in the first degree, Parker’s mother called one of the detectives to tell them her son called her the night before and confessed to his crime.

“He said he had been planning this for a while and that it was premeditated,” he said. “He said he planned to kill three people, but two more people were also killed.

“He confessed to killing the animals, setting the fires, and trying to burn the property down.”

Parker did not give his mother a motive, per Povolny. The investigation into the case continues.

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“Although the suspect is deceased, this does not mark the end of our work,” Sheriff Caprice Massey said at the conference.

“Our commitment now is to provide the families of Mary, Rowan, Stella, Linsey and Alvin with answers as we learn them. They deserve nothing less.”

In a post on Facebook, the Washington County District Attorney’s Office said the incident was “domestic violence-related.”

“This tragedy really highlights the far too common issue concern present throughout our nation, including here in Washington County, and that’s the issue of violence in the home,” Washington County District Attorney Kevin Barton said, per local media outlet KPTV.

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