Daphne (3:11)

I gotta say, you guys will not forget this one. So without further ado, this is episode 573 of Going West. So let's get into it.

Heath (3:50)

In January of 2020, 3, detectives in Oregon were called to the parking garage of an office building after a man was found dead inside his vehicle. At first glance, the scene looked almost like a medical tragedy. But surveillance footage told a darker story with a camera capturing a masked man coating the security cameras with spray paint Hours before the murders took place. The case quickly shifted from a mysterious workplace death to a calculated homicide, which was the result of years of stalking. This is the murderer of Kenneth Fandridge. Kenneth Fandrich was born in April of 1966 to parents Judy and Frank fandrich and raised alongside brothers Richard and Lance in suburban Portland, Oregon. Affectionately nicknamed Kenny by his friends and family, he was known for his lifelong love of animals and the outdoors. He was skilled in scuba diving, fishing, hunting, as well as snow sports, including snowmobiling. And he was also an avid skier and snowboarder. So, naturally, after graduating from high school, he indulged his affinity for the outdoors by moving north to Alaska to work as a commercial fisherman on the bering sea. And then that career eventually gave way to a successful underwater welding business, which he started from the ground up. While living in Alaska, he met his future wife, Tanya, whom he described as his best friend and soulmate. She later wrote of him, Kenny was known for his constant humor and unwavering friendship. He was kind, compassionate, and had a huge heart. He would be the first to lend a helping hand whether he knew you or not. At the time they were introduced, Kenny was working as a welder on a fishing boat in dutch harbor, which is an Alaskan port located in the Aleutian islands. They were introduced by mutual friends, and a short time later, Kenny traveled to Tanya's hometown of Anchorage just to take her out for ice cream. So he's a very romantic guy. They married in 1993, so when Kenneth was 27. And although Tanya had been born and raised in Anchorage, she moved away from home for the first time three years after their marriage to join Kenny in Oregon, which is obviously where he was from when he and his dad, Frank, decided to start a business together.

Daphne (6:36)

Yeah, and this doesn't seem like too big of a culture shock. You know, she's Moving from Alaska, a lot of nature there, to Oregon. Also a lot of nature there.

Heath (6:45)

Yeah. And they actually settled in Oregon City, Oregon, which is just south of Portland, Very close to where Kenny grew up. They built a custom home with plenty of room for their pets and easy access to Oregon's, you know, incredible wilderness, like you're saying. So, yeah, not too different from what she was used to, but she actually had a lot more because Portland has more than Anchorage does. I will say that's true.

Daphne (7:08)

A little bit bigger of a city.

Heath (7:10)

So Tanya, like Kenny, was a lifelong lover of animals, so she became a veterinary technician. And this is going to be a huge piece of this story today, as you guys will see. But, yeah, they loved animals. Like, at one time, their home hosted a raccoon, two goats, two cats, and six dogs.

Daphne (7:30)

Damn. Lots of animals.

Heath (7:32)

Yeah. Which worked out because Tonya remembered fondly, quote, he was as crazy about animals as I am. So this was like a shared passion of theirs.

Daphne (7:41)

Well, during the last few years of his life, Kenny was working as a pipe fitter for intel, which manufactures semiconductor chips for computers as well as cell phones. On January 27, 2023, he said goodbye to Tanya and headed to work in Hillsboro, which is a western Portland suburb and around 45 minutes from his home in Oregon City. He parked his black Honda Civic on the second floor of the intel office building's parking garage, and then he headed inside. But just hours later, his wife Tanya, who was frantically searching for him, reported her husband missing when he didn't return home from work that afternoon. Now, as we know, this is 2023, so Tanya did have Kenneth's location on her phone, so she tracked it, and guess what? It pinged at the garage of his office. So she's like, why the hell is Kenny still there? Well, while a police officer was patrolling the parking structure, he noticed what looked like a person sitting in the driver's seat of Kenny's Civic. But he was slumped over and not moving. 56 year old Kenny was still upright, as if he had been posed that way, or as if he had passed peacefully while sitting upright in the driver's seat. You know, maybe he had a heart attack or something. His hands were folded neatly in his lap with his head slumped forward, and next to him were his phone, keys and lunchbox. So initially, officers wondered if maybe he could have suffered a medical emergency, as I mentioned, or even that he had taken his own life. Like, at first glance, this really did not look nefarious, and it probably doesn't sound very nefarious either. At least not yet. But upon further inspection, they spotted red marks around Kenny's neck, indicating that a struggle had taken place before he died. A medical examiner soon determined that Kenny had been strangled and ultimately died from compressive trauma to his neck. Now, Tanya arrived on the scene to find that her husband was already gone, and she just collapsed in sobs on the cement floor of the garage. But police would soon realize that she knew more than they could have ever expected.

Heath (10:04)

Yeah, she thought she already knew who did this.

Daphne (10:07)

Exactly. Yes, she did. Because as Tanya spoke with detectives at the scene, her voice started shaking, and she told them through tears that her husband was being stalked for the last few years of his life, not just months, years. And had suffered constant threats to his life. Even without any evidence, she was sure that this man was to blame for Kenny's sudden death. But even more shocking was that this man was Tanya's former employer and also her former lover.

Heath (10:42)

Yeah, things are gonna get pretty crazy and pretty crazy with what I'm about to get into. Because when detectives checked the security camera footage from inside the garage, the garage where Kenny was found, they spotted a man dressed in all black, as well as black sunglasses with red mirror tinted lenses and a yellow hard hat, but also a black face mask. So this didn't look like a construction worker, even though elements of his outfit did. But this is clearly somebody who's just trying to conceal the way that they look, which is what makes it so scary.

Daphne (11:17)

Yeah, I mean, at first glance, you know, it doesn't look too off because of the hard hat, but then you throw in the face mask and you're automatically kind of suspicious, you know?

Heath (11:27)

And the sunglasses, because he's in a parking garage, so there's no reason to be wearing sunglasses. But also, let me tell you what he was doing, because what he was doing is what made this so suspicious.

Daphne (11:38)

Well, real quick, before we move on, I just wanted to mention if you've ever seen the films the prowler or My Bloody Valentine. That is what. That is what the vibe is giving me. The outfit really looks like that to me.

Heath (11:51)

So My Bloody Valentine it is.

Daphne (11:53)

Right? And that's why it kind of makes you. It kind of just gives you a really eerie feeling seeing it.

Heath (11:58)

Really good comparison. That gives you a visual. If you can't go look on our socials right now. So, yeah, his entire face is shrouded in this disguise. He has a hard hat, sunglasses, a face mask on. So no determinations could be made about his looks, aside from the fact that he was white. But there was a patch of skin visible on his forehead which showcased deep glabellar lines, otherwise known as 11 lines. And I actually didn't know that they had a name. So for anybody who's like me, they're just those lines that may appear, like, between your eyebrows when you furrow your brows.

Daphne (12:31)

Like the vertical lines?

Heath (12:33)

Yeah, exactly, the vertical lines. Thank you. Now, this same man could be seen slinking through the parking lot and spray painting six different security cameras with blue spray paint at 7am on the morning of the murder. So hours and hours earlier, which detectives determined was not a coincidence, this seemed to prove premeditation.

Daphne (12:57)

And for anybody wondering, that morning in Portland, Oregon, the sun didn't come up until 7:41 that day, so it was still dark outside. While this creep is roaming around spray painting security cameras.

Heath (13:09)

Yeah, so, so creepy. And of course, because he's right in the camera, before he spray paints them, there are videos and photos. Again, we will post those. I mean, they're really, really creepy. Well, according to the building's management, they this was the second time this had happened in the last month. The camera spray painting. But unfortunately, the parking lot security team failed to notice until it was too late. However, not every camera had been covered, likely due to the amount of through traffic in the garage. So based on the timing and movement of the spray painting, investigators were able to follow the movements of a maroon colored Dodge Caravan snaking through the parking garage and eventually coming to a stop next to Kenny's black Honda Civic. Though the camera adjacent to Kenny's car had been coated in a layer of spray paint earlier that morning, which made this whole thing feel like it was connected to what happened to Kenny. Anyway, detectives were able to match the lights of the van to the ones caught on video through a layer of paint backing into the spot next to Kenny. So even though spray paint was put on the cameras, they're able to still see the lights and figure out what is happening.

Daphne (14:27)

Right, you can faintly see that. That car pulling in.

Heath (14:31)

Yeah. So if this car is backing up next to Kenny's, they're connecting it and saying, huh? They're waiting for Kenny to show up. And then a struggle ensued and then they left afterwards. So this is how they're able to connect it to this vehicle. But before Kenny was even killed, at 3:21pm Kenny, sporting a Grateful Dead T shirt, jeans, a black jacket, and a hat, could be seen walking up the cement stairs of the parking garage to return to his car after leaving work for the day. Through the blue spray paint on the adjacent security camera, the one I was just talking about. The lights of his Civic could be seen flashing once as his doors unlocked and he got into his car. Though the attack couldn't be seen on camera, of course, because it was spray painted. Detectives believe that a masked assailant walked up behind Kenny and wrestled him into the neighboring car, the Dodge Caravan, which was also pulled in with its headlights facing out. Kenny was then strangled from behind and discarded in the driver's seat of his own vehicle while the assailant fled in that maroon Dodge Caravan.

Daphne (15:44)

So investigators came to the belief that this man had laid in wait for Kenny to return to his car, then sprung up behind him, dragged him into that van, and in the midst of a deadly struggle, strangled him before propping his body back up in his own driver's seat in hopes of passing off the crime as something other than a murder. From a masked assailant.

Heath (16:06)

Yeah, him propping Kenny up in his own car to make it look like it was a medical emergency or that he had passed away from some other, you know, cause. But it's not that easy, buddy.

Daphne (16:18)

I mean, it's crazy that he thought he was going to get away with this. Well, the lights on Kenny's vehicle can be seen flashing multiple times. And although this was all skewed by the spray paint, detectives came to the belief that this was a desperate attempt by Kenny to alert passersby about what was happening. So he's, you know, flashing his headlights, trying to get some attention here. As Tanya was still reeling from the news, she was the first to be questioned in connection to Kenny's death and informed police of the stalker who had been making their lives a living hell. More alarmingly, Tonya admitted that she knew who he was because he was her former boyfriend and also the man that she had an affair with during her 30 year marriage to Kenny. When asked about the details of this affair, Tanya admitted that it lasted about five months back in 2017, so six years earlier, and that this man, the man she had been romantically entangled with, was a 50 year old veterinarian named Dr. Stephen Milner, and he had actually been her boss. But things went even further back than 2017 because Tonya worked at Steven's veterinary clinic, Milner Veterinary hospital, for nearly 20 years, and she also really enjoyed her time there. Stephen was known and loved in his community and also operated one of the most successful and popular clinics in town. Described as kind, charming and successful, Stephen had a way with both animals and his clients because despite being a clinician and a consummate professional, he was known for his gentle touch, which included crying alongside pet parents faced with the end of their animals lives, which I feel.

Heath (18:11)

Like is actually a really sweet thing. When we had to put one of our family dogs down like a year ago, I remember our vet who was amazing and she is, she was just in a really good mood and she was laughing a lot and we're all sobbing and I'm like, hello.

Daphne (18:25)

Yeah, I know this is just another day for you. Read the room, Read the room girl. Well, Steven, you know, he would always send follow up sympathy cards as well and was even known to make donations in honor of the deceased pet. So he really, it's like he seems.

Heath (18:42)

Like a great guy based on this stuff.

Daphne (18:44)

Yeah, I mean, on one end of the spectrum, it's like you can see Steven one way. But as we're gonna talk about that is not the entirety of Stephen Milner.

Heath (18:53)

It's actually really interesting. I've been seeing so many comments about doctors. No offense to any doctors out there, this does not go for all of you. But specifically in the Monique and Spencer Tepe case, as we know, or many of us know, a doctor was arrested for the crime. And I see, I've been seeing a lot of people saying that there are a lot of very egotistical doctors out there who seem like they're really caring, but then they really have a totally different kind of personality. And I guess you could say that for anybody really.

Daphne (19:24)

Yeah, you probably could.

Heath (19:25)

But I think at work he, he seems like he really, really cares about what he does. And maybe he did, but on the inside there's a lot more going on here.

Daphne (19:34)

Well, actually one former client recalled how he quickly opened his Clinic on the 4th of July in order to subdue her dog. Because this dog was triggered by the fireworks. I mean, that's how dedicated Steven was to his job.

Heath (19:47)

Yeah, a lot of examples on him being a great vet.

Daphne (19:50)

Steven's former receptionist, Brandi Reeg recalled, quote, he's the best boss I've ever had. He also took pride in his community involvement and often volunteered, donated to animal welfare foundations and even established a hygiene headquarters for homeless people outside of his clinic. So again, on one side of this coin you're like, well, he just seems like the greatest guy. He donates. He's really a part of his community. Great guy, right?

Heath (20:17)

It really does go to show you though that you don't really know people. People can do a really good job at acting like they care. A again, Maybe part of him. These parts of him probably were real. This doesn't mean that this was all a manipulation, but people can be multifaceted, unfortunately. So Tanya worked as a vet tech for him for 19 years, but for most of that time, their relationship was pleasant and professional. You know, he was her lovely boss for a long time, and it wasn't until the circumstances changed for them both that they kind of found themselves exploring a physical and romantic relationship. I guess not kind of. They really. They really did that.

Daphne (21:00)

They did do that.

Heath (21:01)

He really went in, basically. Steven was married twice, and he had two kids. But after he separated from his second wife, he found himself wanting to explore a connection with his very reliable friend and trusted employee, Tanya. And, you know, I think he spent so much time around her and knew how wonderful she was that even though this is not super appropriate to do, he decided to try to pursue her. And Tanya actually also was growing very dissatisfied in her own situation, particularly, of course, with Kenny. They had been growing apart for many years. Their relationships had been. Or their relationship had been on the rocks for a long time. Both of them really struggled with outbursts and excessive drinking. And they had also each been arrested for domestic violence on a few separate occasions. Actually, a few years prior to his death, Kenny had been charged after a fight with Tonya, but she did drop the complaint against him. They just chose to stay together and try to work things out. But Tonya later said that the allure of her boss, this guy that everybody loved, was difficult to deny. Admitting, quote, I was lonely, and someone was paying attention to me. It was wrong, and I will regret it for the rest of my life.

Daphne (22:20)

I will say one quick thing. I mean, not that this really matters, but Steven's not like, you know, he's not Prince Charming. He's not a super handsome guy by any means.

Heath (22:30)

That's what you're gonna say.

Daphne (22:31)

It's like the ugly. But I. But I think just his personality, the way that he treated Tanya is what kind of, you know, Tanya's feeling like, you know, Kenny's really not giving me the time of day. He's kind of giving me the cold shoulder. So, you know, this guy over on. On this side of the spectrum, he's. He's actually paying attention to me. He's talking to me. He cares about my concerns and whatever.

Heath (22:55)

Yeah. I mean, literally, in her own words. And I think especially because, as we know, Tanya loved animals so much, still does to this day. And so did Steven. And so they had a lot in common. They spent so much time together.

Daphne (23:08)

To be fair, so did Kenny.

Heath (23:10)

I mean, yeah, but I think growing apart from Kenny and seeing this other man that has all these great qualities in her eyes, and he's so beloved, like, almost like a little bit of a town celebrity in a way, you know, for his position, a pillar in.

Daphne (23:26)

The community, you would say.

Heath (23:27)

Yes. So I think. And like, you're saying not to defend this at all, but just to kind of see her side. But also, actually, well, before I say this, it's funny. A guy commented on one of our posts recently for Jocelyn Earnest. We were talking about how her husband was cheating, and then she was cheating, and this guy was like, why do you always defend women for cheating? So I just want to say we're not doing that.

Daphne (23:52)

No, definitely not. It was. It was not the right thing to do by any means.

Heath (23:56)

Nobody should do that. Absolutely not. And doing this actually is directly what caused Kenny's murder. So this is a very, very bad situation. But I will add that Tanya believed that Kenny was cheating on her as well and complained that he frequently traveled for work, staying in their RV at job sites, while Tanya was kind of left to hold down the fort by herself. So it seems like they were both very much straying. Their relationship was not good for a long time. Now, despite all this amazing stuff that we're saying about Steven, even Tanya said that Steven had a dark side that she had seen before. And she remembers that he would sometimes boast about the legal proceedings of his divorces. Remember, he was twice married and that he loved intentionally making his exes miserable. He was getting kind of a sick pleasure out of making things difficult for the women in these separations. So I feel like that's a really bad sign, especially since he's bragging about it to his lover. Like, that's just not a good look to a woman to be like, fuck these ladies. Ha ha ha.

Daphne (25:06)

Also, if you're trying to get the attention of this new lover of yours, why? Why? You know, you should be focused on that girl.

Heath (25:15)

Walk away. Hear that again.

Daphne (25:17)

It just makes you kind of look a little pathetic. Like, you should be focused on going after this new woman and not so much focused on antagonizing the old women.

Heath (25:27)

Yeah, well, that's part of his other side, really, peeking through. And she is taking note of this, but still, like, for the most part, she was charmed by him, and he gave her the attention and validation that she was no longer receiving at home. And this, as she admitted to, was a huge mistake. By early 2017, Tanya and Steven were officially romantically involved. They wrote each other under secret names so that they could talk in secrecy. Though their co workers knew that something was going on between them.

Daphne (26:00)

You can always tell.

Heath (26:01)

You can always tell. This was the hot goss at the veterinary clinic a few months after the affair began as well. They even attended a wedding for a co worker together with Tanya, sure that Kenny was traveling for work and couldn't attend. But as the night wore on and Steven and Tanya had more to drink, they became less discreet and wound up kissing and being very physically intimate with each other in front of their fellow co workers at this wedding. And they were then seen leaving together.

Daphne (26:32)

Ew, that's so. It just feels so. That's just really not a good look. Like you're just like making out in front of your co workers.

Heath (26:41)

It gets a lot worse. Because when she didn't return home, Kenny, who had gotten home from that work trip that evening after all, he did not stay out of town for the night, acted on his suspicions and showed up to Steven's house. Even her husband was suspicious and he caught them red handed.

Daphne (27:00)

Well, Tanya did know that what she was doing was wrong because she says she was ashamed at this and hoping to work out their relationship. She ended the affair after this and. And she and Kenny just tried to work on their marriage. But of course, Stephen was not satisfied with this and he refused to take no for an answer. He began following Tanya around after hours, showing up at her home and harassing her with incessant phone calls and letters. Now, when this wasn't working, he went after Kenny as well. By Kenny's own admission, Steven once told him, hey, I'm a veterinarian. I've done surgeries and I have the tools to chop you up into little pieces.

Heath (27:43)

God damn.

Daphne (27:44)

Kenny even later relayed this to the police, telling them in a recorded statement, he's a psychopath. He told me he's going to chop me up into a million pieces and make sure it takes days to do it.

Heath (27:56)

That is so horrifying.

Daphne (27:58)

Crazy.

Heath (27:58)

Poor Kenny.

Daphne (27:59)

I mean, yeah, at this point, Steven is losing his fucking mind. Kenny also claimed that he received a letter from Stephen that recommended, in his words, that he should do everyone a favor and go back to drinking yourself into your own demise.

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Daphne (33:58)

Ollie, Before that break, I told you some pretty horrific things that Steven threatened Kenny, telling him that he was A vet and knew how to chop him up into a million pieces and said he'd wish Kenny would essentially just drink himself to death. So the police were all aware of this, as was Tanya, and she was completely horrified. So she wound up making the difficult decision to quit the vet practice just due to the stress it was putting on her and Kenny so that she could get, of course, away from Steven.

Heath (34:45)

Definitely the right choice.

Daphne (34:47)

But Steven had no interest in backing off. He was totally obsessed with getting Tanya back. So he started showing up at the Fandriches home and was even caught on security footage inside their garage. Army crawling around on the floor in order to watch them and keep tabs on Tanya.

Heath (35:07)

And this footage is really creepy, too. We will post it. There's a lot of scary footage in this.

Daphne (35:14)

Yeah, bro. Is extremely sneaky for one, and extremely creepy for two.

Heath (35:20)

And extremely stupid because we have these videos.

Daphne (35:23)

Yeah, you're gonna get caught on security.

Heath (35:25)

Footage even when you spray paint six cameras.

Daphne (35:28)

Well, after Kenny and Tanya reviewed this surveillance footage and realized that he had placed a tracker on their car, Kenny finally filed a restraining order against Stephen in August of 2019. But Steven continued to plead for Tanya to give him another chance. But obviously, this was really only just kind of pushing her away further and further away from him.

Heath (35:52)

I mean, imagine stalking a woman and threatening her husband and putting a tracker on her car and her husband's car and thinking that she will still want you.

Daphne (36:01)

Exactly. At this point, she thinks you're a psychopath.

Heath (36:04)

No, she. I mean, literally. She said that.

Daphne (36:06)

Yeah. Because both Tanya and Kenny reported to police that they were being stalked, harassed, as well as followed. And just like the Kristeel Krug episode that we covered three episodes ago, which, if you haven't listened to that one yet, you must go check it out. They had the guy's name and gave it to the police. And guess what? They did absolutely nothing about any of this. So this stalking just continued for years.

Heath (36:36)

Which is kind of wild, considering she's out of his orbit now. Like, she hasn't worked for you for years. Move on, man. She's married. Which you can also say in the Monique and Spencer Tepe case, like, some people unfortunately just can't move on.

Daphne (36:50)

Yeah, they cannot accept rejection. And that's something that is such a terrifying realization in situations like this that people like this exist and they really just don't know how to let it go. And that seems to be the detail that he just couldn't get over. So when Steven retired in 2020 and sold his veterinary Practice. He only had more time to tend to his obsession, of course, Tanya. He wrote her passionate love notes, calling her the love of his life. And in one letter, he mused, there are goods and bads and all sorts of other things. There are things I know to be true, there are things that I think are true, and there are things that are false that I want to be true. The one absolute, rock solid truth is that I love you. I have never loved anyone this way or for these reasons.

Heath (37:43)

And he thinks that that should be enough, that his horrific actions are justified because they're in the name of love. But that is not what's going on here. This is not okay.

Daphne (37:55)

Well, he also admitted to pushing Kenny to his limit in hopes that Kenny would just lash out at Steven, which would prove that she was supposed to be with him and not with her husband. Or maybe he even hoped that Kenny would be arrested for retaliation, giving Steven a chance to just come in and swoop in and take Tanya for himself. He wrote that he knew that he was risking getting in trouble and even risking his own safety, but told her that it was worth the risk because he believed that Kenny was standing in the way of their love story. In another letter, he called her the most amazing person, adding, I am completely and utterly in love with you. Without a doubt, what we have only happens once in a lifetime.

Heath (38:43)

Well, Steven, who is in his early 50s, by the way, when all of this is happening, began spiraling out of control when he realized that Tonya was not coming back for him. In one of his final letters to her, he wrote, I wish I was the strong man I used to be. I'm sorry I caused you pain. I'm sorry I changed the course of your life. But you're probably right. I needed to be saved. And I clung to you like a drowning man clings to a branch. I was so enthralled with you. I wanted you all for myself. The only time I remember being happy in the last years was when I was with you. So the pressure on Kenny and Tanya was really mounting. They had totally had enough, and it was taking its toll on their well being. And honestly, it had been for a while. So In August of 2021, they got into another fight, and this time Tanya was arrested on charges of domestic violence. She was held in jail overnight, but released the next morning when her $25,000 bail was posted.

Daphne (39:50)

By who?

Heath (39:52)

Stephen Milner. Both the police and Tonya maintain that they're not even sure how he found out that she had been arrested. Maybe he had Just been keeping that close of tabs on her. Like, I think this proves that he was still stalking her, because, I mean.

Daphne (40:06)

Literally, how would he know? Yeah, exactly.

Heath (40:08)

How would he know? So now, on the outs with Kenny, Tanya stayed with Steven for a few days after her arrest.

Daphne (40:16)

Eek. Yeah, that. See, and this is the thing. She knows that Steven is doing all these things, putting trackers on their cars, stalking them, doing all of this shit, and she makes the decision to go stay with Steven for a few days.

Heath (40:32)

I don't know, maybe she had nowhere.

Daphne (40:34)

Else to go, but I'm sure Steven was like, yippee. This is awesome. This is exactly what I wanted all along.

Heath (40:42)

Yeah. And maybe she didn't actually think that he was going to harm either of them. Like, it's really hard to know what she was thinking, but it's definitely easy to look at this and be like, oh, God. Because this. This was a dangerous move for sure. So she did eventually return home and continued to try to reconcile with her husband Kenny. Obviously, he found out that Steven had posted her bail, which surely didn't make him happy, especially since she stayed with him for a few days. But she said that their time together was friendly and not at all romantic. Still, you know, this is. This is a big deal. This was just a big thing to do.

Daphne (41:23)

I mean, it's. It's definitely disappointing.

Heath (41:26)

So the charges against her were dismissed after they reconciled and Kenny dropped the complaint. Obviously, this had happened many times before. The very same thing, as we mentioned, with Kenny against her. We don't know what was done. You know, if there was any physical abuse, if it was all emotional or. Or verbal abuse. We don't know the extent of this abuse.

Daphne (41:49)

Well, we do. We do know that this last incident there was some sort of violent event that was caused or that was at the hands of Tanya. So, yes, she was responsible for this. I'm assuming that it was some sort of physical thing.

Heath (42:04)

She was arrested on charges of domestic violence, but again, Kenny dropped the complaint and they stayed together. So Stephen, of course, was devastated when Tanya returned home to Kenny. And the stalking and harassment only intensified from there because he kind of got, I would imagine, a little bit of a taste of what it was like to be with Tanya again, even if what she's saying is true about it was only friendly and we weren't romantically involved.

Daphne (42:34)

Steven's hoping that this is gonna lead to something.

Heath (42:36)

Yes, of course. So In March of 2022, Stephen followed Kenny for nearly an hour in his car. And Kenny became so rattled that he called the police. Stephen was pulled over, but they released him with only a stern warning. And when he was stopped, he leaned out the car casually, his dog sitting in the passenger seat next to him, and told the officer that he had been trying to get ahold of Kenny to speak with him. And when he was unable to do so, he started following him.

Daphne (43:08)

Well, as usual, Steven made himself the hero, telling the officer that Tonya was an old friend and that he was worried for her safety and believed that Kenny was being abusive towards her. Which didn't even work because the officer told him simply, leave them alone. He wants nothing to do with you. She wants nothing to do with you. If you show up at their house, if you contact them, anything like that, you're gonna go to jail.

Heath (43:32)

I could just picture him in the car with his dog leaning out, just like, oh, I was just looking out for her. And he's like, no, shut up.

Daphne (43:39)

I love how the officer just seems so unfazed by this bullshit story from Steven. He's like, buddy, listen to me right now. If you continue this, I'm putting you in handcuffs.

Heath (43:50)

But also, this officer is saying, you're gonna go to jail if you continue this. Like, he should have already gone there, putting a tracker on their car with footage of the act.

Daphne (44:00)

I mean, I agree.

Heath (44:01)

Threatening Kenny, following them, like, hello.

Daphne (44:05)

Well, literally all the officer did was tell Steven that he was coming close to being arrested on stalking charges instead of taking him into custody. So Stephen was permitted to continue his reign of terror against Tanya and Kenny. Following the events of that night, Kenny filed for yet another order of protection against Stephen. He even retained the services of a lawyer, claiming that he didn't know where else to turn to to keep himself safe.

Heath (44:34)

Poor Kenny.

Daphne (44:36)

On March 28th of 2022, he even crashed his car into a tree, claiming that he had been so distracted by the stalking and fears, you know, that he was being followed by Steven, they.

Heath (44:49)

Couldn'T even look at the road.

Daphne (44:50)

Kenny then uncovered yet another tracker on his car, and this time decided that it was time to really do something about this and pursue criminal charges against Steven.

Heath (45:00)

He's literally living a thriller movie.

Daphne (45:03)

Yes, literally. And actually, Steven was awaiting trial on these very charges when this murder of Kenny took place. So at this point, Kenny was so distraught and paranoid that his life no longer felt like his own. He told his friends, family, lawyer, and even Tanya that it was only a matter of time before Steven got to him. So, doing all that he could, Kenny leveled a civil lawsuit via his lawyer, seeking thousands of Dollars of damages for emotional distress.

Heath (45:39)

With the overwhelming amount of evidence pointing towards Stephen being the perpetrator of Kenny's murder. Let's get back to that now. Now you guys have the backstory of everything that happened before Kenny was killed. Detectives were nearly certain that they had their culprit once Kenny was dead. But it's so beyond frustrating. Like, years of him reporting this to you guys, and you don't take real action until his life ends. Like, until he's dead. Like you said, Heath, this is just like Kristiel Krug and sadly, so many other stalking cases.

Daphne (46:14)

Yeah, it's really crazy when we look at cases of stalking within the United States and just how much people can really get away with. There's truly not a ton that police can do about stalking because we do not have very strict stalking laws here in the US I think we should.

Heath (46:34)

All get together and try to do something about that. I don't know, like, go in front of even, like, on a state by state basis. Like, there has to be something like that we can do as a giant group to. To put an end to this. There's too many stories like this, and it's honestly sick.

Daphne (46:51)

Yeah. I mean, if you guys want to get involved with us and try to do something about it. Drop a comment for this episode.

Heath (46:58)

Yes, please. Now, though, in this case, the evidence was largely circumstantial, what they found after finally obtaining a search warrant for his home was damning, to say the least. Detectives recovered what they described as a shrine to Tanya in Steven's nightstand.

Daphne (47:18)

Freaky little bastard.

Heath (47:19)

Do you want to know? I know you already know. Do y' all want to know what was in it? Underwear, condoms, and a framed picture of her. Plus love notes and post it notes from when their affair was still going on. I mean, that's. It's a shrine. It's a hidden shrine.

Daphne (47:34)

It's so creepy. Yeah. Even though it's hidden, it's so creepy.

Heath (47:38)

Steven's white Toyota RAV4 was also searched. And though he clearly hadn't used his own personal vehicle to commit the murder, because, remember, that was a maroon Dodge Caravan, forensic data experts noted that he spent. An inordinate.

Daphne (47:53)

An inordinate.

Heath (47:55)

An inordinate.

Daphne (47:56)

That's a tough word. An inordinate.

Heath (48:00)

Inordinate.

Daphne (48:01)

You got it.

Heath (48:01)

Sorry. That is hard. Amount of time at a local Home Depot recently, which is never a good sign. So acting on a hunch, investigators scoured their surveillance footage from the Home Depot, and lo and behold, the maroon Dodge Caravan that matched the One seen parking next to him on the security video had been abandoned in the Home Depot parking lot.

Daphne (48:26)

Yeah, it had been there for an inordinate amount of time.

Heath (48:30)

Wait, you kind of messed up on it, too.

Daphne (48:32)

I did. In inordinate. Oh, my God. In inordinate. Wow, that is tough. N. Inordinate.

Heath (48:39)

And if you say it slowly, it's easy. Anyway, so there at the Home Depot, police uncovered even more incriminating security footage depicting Steven shuffling between two cars that detectives believe he purchased just to carry out Kenny's murder. A small blue sedan and the maroon Dodge Caravan. They think he bought two cars. Like, that's how. That's how much he did to try to get away with this.

Daphne (49:06)

Yeah, he really did a lot of, like, premeditated shit here.

Heath (49:10)

And he was still caught. I mean, did he seriously not think that aside from the surveillance video and all the things that he didn't realize they had, that they weren't gonna look into him after police already knew that he was stalking them for years? Like, you're number one. You're the number one suspect no matter what.

Daphne (49:29)

Yeah. They're gonna head. They're gonna make a beeline straight towards you, Steven.

Heath (49:33)

Well, these cars could be seen parked there for hours and even days at a time. And Home Depot security had already been made aware of the suspicious activity involving the two cars anyway.

Daphne (49:44)

Yeah. So they knew that those two cars had just been sitting there.

Heath (49:48)

Detectives came to the belief that he had purchased the cars in cash on Craigslist under an assumed name. Well, in the month before the murder. This is where we get into why going to Home Depot is never a good sign when you're connected to a murder case. Because they could see him going in there periodically to pick up supplies that he would later use to carry out the murder. In one, he could be seen walking out with those red mirrored sunglasses that he later wore in the parking garage cameras to cover them up with spray paint. And the yellow hard hat that he had been wearing on the footage was also from Home Depot. Though neither of his backup cars were recovered from the Home Depot parking lot, both were able to be located. The maroon van had been impounded after being flagged as abandoned and was pulled in from the side of a highway in North Portland before being sold to a scrap metal company. But to the frustration of the investigators and the prosecution, the van had been destroyed and could no longer be processed for evidence. As for the blue sedan, it was recovered after being abandoned as well, but this time near a homeless encampment, but did not Contain any helpful DNA evidence.

Daphne (51:09)

But thankfully, Kenny's hands had been swabbed for DNA when he was taken in to have his autopsy performed. And the DNA found matched that of Stephen Milner. I mean, obviously, again, did he really think he was going to get away with this? So, not wanting to spook him, Detectives with the Hillsborough police department brought him in to speak with him under the guise of gleaning more information about the pending stalking charges against him after he had been caught for a second time placing a tracker on Kenny's car. This took place on January 31, 2023, just four days after Kenny's murder. The interviewing officer noted that he had a small cut on his nose which had been poorly covered up with makeup. They also matched his deep set. What's that word?

Heath (51:59)

Glabellar.

Daphne (52:00)

Glabellar lines with those captured on the security camera.

Heath (52:04)

So it's like you got a cut on your nose. You look like the guy. You bought all this stuff at home depot. Well, you're a stalker.

Daphne (52:12)

Exactly. Now, at first, detectives allowed him to leave and get into his car for whatever reason, but when he did, they swarmed him and arrested him on the spot. So I don't really know. Like, they could have just. They could have just done that in the police.

Heath (52:28)

It's kind of like the ending of one battle after another. If you've seen it, you're like, did we really have to do this twice?

Daphne (52:34)

Yeah, there's a good movie, but kind of no reason to let him leave.

Heath (52:37)

No, I don't. I don't get that at all.

Daphne (52:39)

Well, exactly two years later, Steven was facing his murder trial. Now, in court, Steven admitted that he had been in the intel parking garage that day, but that he had been trying to scope Kenny out in order to have him arrested for driving under the influence.

Heath (52:56)

What?

Daphne (52:56)

What? All because he wanted to keep Tanya safe, Which is just a. Like, you're such a dumbass dude. Anyways. Surprisingly, despite the evidence proving his guilt, Steven's defense team allowed him to testify on his own behalf, which is probably not a good idea. Steven maintained that Kenny had spotted him and that he opened the door to talk to Kenny, not wanting a confrontation with. But that Kenny then became physically aggressive and that he had been acting in self defense. Stephen alleged that Kenny fell back into the van after trying to attack him, Falling into the car and bumping his head on the door, which was of course to blame for the trauma that was inflicted. He then explained that he panicked and posed him in the front seat of his own car before Fleeing that parking garage.

Heath (53:47)

Really interesting story, Stephen, but the jury didn't believe it. And on January 22, 2025. So two years after his murder, Stephen Milner was found guilty of second degree murder, as well as seven counts of violating a court stalking protective order. On February 18th of 2025, 55 year old Stephen was sentenced to life in prison, though he would have the possibility of parole after 25 years. Now, Tanya made a harrowing 20 minute statement to Stephen in court. In it, she maligned law enforcement for failing to take their reports of stalking and harassment seriously enough. Rightfully so, Tanya. And she also poked holes in all of the fraudulent, embellished claims that Stephen made about her and Kenny over the course of the last few years. In defense of her husband, Tonya said, I lived with an alcoholic, but not a wife beater. There is a significant difference. My husband struggled with alcoholism. And yes, we fought. But your defense team took that vulnerability and his disease and twisted it to assassinate Kenny's character and discredit the truth of our lives in our marriage. Was the murder of my husband not enough? Your lawyers paraded a string of lies in this very courtroom. As if they could erase the love Kenny and I shared. I love Kenny. Kenny loved me. We weren't perfect, but there was no shortage of love, commitment and partnership between us. And you couldn't stand that. You became the root of our problems. I feared you, not Kenny. Your continued relentless, intrusive interference in our lives drove Kenny to drink more. When he drank, he would blame me for your interfering in our lives. As if I had any control over you. He drank because of you. We fought because of you. Kenny is dead because of you. This is all because of you.

Daphne (55:57)

She also maintained that the only true conflict in their marriage arose from Stephen saying you were the reason why we argued. He blamed me for your intruding in our lives. I never told you that you were the source of our arguments because that information would have encouraged you to continue harmful tactics, making our lives even more difficult. I believe that if you'd known that the little things you were doing actually caused us marital problems, it would have only encouraged you. It is for this reason and many others, I did not want to have anything to do with you. It was never me running to you to share the details of my marriage. You presumed to know what our lives were like. All you had to do was stop. I will never believe that you thought my life was in danger. This is a lie based on deception. You needed a defense for the savage and brutal way that you killed Kenny. The truth is you lost all control, not just of your life, but of yourself. This made up version of Kenny coming after you was an absurd and desperate fabrication of the truth and the jury clearly recognized your deceitfulness. I've witnessed your insatiable need to be seen as a hero, which you clearly are not. You are a weak, self centered man with a hero's complex that lacks self control and honesty. You did not have a defense so you made one up. No one believes you. I doubt that even the attorneys you paid to defend you believed you. They could not, nor did they even try to deny what you've done. Their only defense strategy was to persecute Kenny and me. All you had to do was.

Heath (57:55)

Thank you so much everybody for listening to this episode of Going West.

Daphne (57:59)

Yes, thank you guys so much for listening to this episode. If you want to see photos from this case, head on over to our socials. We're on Instagram at Goingwest podcast. We are also on TikTok. We've been making a lot more content on TikTok, so head on over there and give us a follow.

Heath (58:16)

Yeah, and you really do want to go look at these photos of Steven.

Daphne (58:21)

Oh yeah, creepy. And the hard videos and shit.

Heath (58:24)

Yes, you really want to go see all these because they are super disturbing. So check them out. Thank you guys. Big shout out again to our editor Drew for sending this one over.

Daphne (58:32)

I love you big guy.

Heath (58:33)

Love you. This was such a wild story. So also if you have not yet tuned in to our two episodes on Monique and Spencer Tepe, make sure that you do that because it is all unfolding right now and we have all, all the latest.

Daphne (58:49)

All right guys. So with that for everybody out there.

Heath (58:52)

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Daphne (59:15)

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Daphne (59:55)

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