Hillsboro, Oregon. On May 24, 2023, Judge Eric Butterfield awarded restitution in the amount of $1,157,967 ($1,087,466 economic loss and $70,501 attorney’s fees and costs) to the victim’s estate. On November 9, 2021, a Washington County jury found Tracy Cloud guilty of second degree murder for shooting and killing her estranged husband Philip Cloud in their shared home. On November 16, 2021, Judge Butterfield sentenced the defendant to life in prison, with a minimum of 25 years.
Because the defendant and Philip Cloud were still married at the time of the murder, and Philip Cloud died without a will, the defendant was the primary beneficiary of Philip Cloud’s estate as his spouse. Philip Cloud’s niece, Ruth Munger, hired her own attorneys to prevent the defendant from financially benefiting from murdering Philip Cloud. Today’s judgment against the defendant is another demonstration of justice by holding the defendant financially accountable for cutting Philip Cloud’s life short.
HILLSBORO, Ore.- On May 23, 2023, Ronald Terry Stephens, age 42, of Portland, was convicted by a Washington County jury of two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of attempted first-degree murder, two counts of first-degree burglary, two counts of second-degree kidnapping, two counts of unlawful use of a firearm, and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. The case was prosecuted by Chief Deputy DA Jeff Lesowski and Deputy DA Alyssa Camp before Judge Andrew Erwin.
Stephens will be sentenced on July 5, 2023. He faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison.
At noon on Thursday, December 16, 2021, Stephens drove to the apartment of his ex-girlfriend Lacy Kitchens, age 26, on Greenburg Rd. & 96th Ave. in Tigard. He forced open the front door to the apartment and kicked in the victim’s locked bedroom door, finding Ms. Kitchens inside with her new boyfriend, Frank Delgado-Falcon, age 45. Stephens shot Mr. Delgado-Falcon and Ms. Kitchens each twice in the head with a 9mm handgun, killing them instantly. He then kicked in the bedroom door of the victim’s roommates, intending to kill them, but those individuals hid in their bedroom closet and remained unseen. Stephens fled the scene but was arrested later that same night with his fiancé at a Fred Meyer store in Sandy, Oregon. Lacy Kitchens’ blood was found on Stephens’ shoe and video surveillance placed him at the scene of the murders. The investigation also revealed that two weeks earlier Stephens had burglarized the same apartment looking for Ms. Kitchens and Mr. Delgado, and had kidnapped and menaced the roommates with a gun on that earlier date.
During the trial, Stephens’ fiancé, Jaquina Shelonda Anderson, age 31, failed to appear as a witness after being summoned by subpoena. It was learned that Stephens, from jail, had directed another person to help Anderson avoid law enforcement. A warrant has been issued for Anderson's arrest for contempt of court and her whereabouts remain unknown.
The Washington County DA’s Office would like to acknowledge the outstanding investigative work by the Tigard Police, the Washington County Major Crimes Team, the Oregon State Police Forensic Lab, and the Oregon State Medical Examiner’s Office.
HILLSBORO, OREGON: Xavier Denzel Rodriguez, age 19, was sentenced today after pleading guilty to two counts of Manslaughter in the First Degree, two counts of Assault in the Second Degree, and one count of Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants for causing a traffic crash that killed two Southridge High School students and critically injured a WCSO deputy. Senior Deputy District Attorney Andrew Freeman prosecuted the case before Judge Brandon Thompson. At the sentencing hearing today, Judge Thompson noted “this was a tragedy that was utterly avoidable,” before imposing a sentence of 25 years in prison under Ballot Measure 11.
The defendant spent the night of April 26-27, 2022, driving around the Portland metro area in a Nissan Altima with four juvenile male passengers, ages 16 and 17, that were all students at Southridge Highschool in Beaverton. The defendant was on probation for prior offenses, had no license, was drinking 4Loco, and frequently exceeding 100mph according to GPS data.
At about 12:20am the defendant was southbound on Murray Blvd when he swerved across the center line into the path of an oncoming WCSO patrol deputy. When that deputy turned around to attempt a traffic stop the defendant fled at high speed. He approached the intersection with Tualatin Valley Highway at over 90 mph and accelerating, then intentionally ran the red light at full throttle. As he did so WCSO Deputy Michael Trotter drove into the intersection from the west with the emergency lights activated on his patrol SUV. The defendant’s Altima struck the driver’s side of the patrol vehicle at 99.4 mph, crushing the front of the Altima and caving in the side of the SUV. The force of the impact sheared off seatbelts in the Altima, and sent the patrol SUV rolling and spinning through the intersection.
Two of the defendant’s juvenile passengers were killed in the crash, and the other two suffered serious injuries. Deputy Trotter sustained critical life-threatening injuries. After first responders cut him from the SUV they rushed him to the hospital, where he underwent numerous surgeries and spent weeks in the ICU. A Life Flight helicopter took the defendant to OHSU, where laboratory testing revealed his BAC to be .18%.
The Washington County District Attorney’s Office wishes to commend all the first responders whose skill and quick thinking saved four lives that night. We further acknowledge the efforts of the Washington County Crash Analysis & Reconstruction Team (CART) and the Washington County Major Crimes Team, who collaborated to thoroughly investigate this incident. This tragedy is a stark reminder of the dangers of impaired driving, and the consequences for a person who acts with no regard for the safety of others.
Hillsboro, Oregon. On May 4, 2023 a Washington County jury convicted Longview, Washington resident Michael Anderson, age 41, of Online Sexual Corruption in the First Degree, Luring a Minor and Attempted Rape in the Third Degree.
Mr. Anderson, who went by the online name, “Mr. Wiggles 4U” used an online social media app to solicit sexual intercourse with a 15 year-old child. Mr. Anderson, described in graphic detail the sex acts he wished to engage in, even after learning the child’s age. What Mr. Anderson did not know, was that he was actually communicating with a team of detectives with the Washington County Sheriff’s Office conducting a child predator sting. Mr. Anderson traveled to a Beaverton church parking lot to meet this child, but noticed a detective wearing a vest and drove away, texting “good luck with your sting.”
Judge Brandon Thompson has scheduled Mr. Anderson’s sentencing for June 22, 2023 at 8:30 am. Under Oregon law, the sentencing range for these crimes is 22 to 23 months in prison, and we will be asking the court to impose that sentence.