320. The Masked Killer - The Murder of Kenneth Fandrich

Summary

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Podcast Summary: Murder With My Husband

Episode 320: The Masked Killer – The Murder of Kenneth Fandrich
Release Date: May 11, 2026
Hosts: Peyton Moreland & Garrett Moreland

Episode Overview

In this gripping episode, Peyton and Garrett delve into the murder of Kenneth (Kenny) Fandrich, a beloved Oregon resident who became the target of lethal, years-long stalking following his wife’s brief extramarital affair. The case unravels themes of obsession, the shortcomings of anti-stalking laws, and tragic consequences when red flags go unheeded.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Victim Background: Kenneth "Kenny" Fandrich

[11:16–16:41]

• Kenny, born 1967 in Oregon, was described as warm, adventurous, animal-loving (once owned six dogs), and married 30 years to Tanya.
• After graduating high school, Kenny worked as an underwater welder in Alaska, where he met Tanya, his eventual wife.
• The couple settled in Oregon, living a quiet life with pets and enjoying the outdoors.
• By 2023, Kenny worked as a highly regarded union tradesman on a massive Intel construction project near Portland.

“He loved animals, and Kenny also had this unique desire for adventure.” — Peyton, [12:00]

2. The Day of the Crime

[16:41–21:12]

• On January 27, 2023, Kenny left work at around 3:21pm. Security cameras captured his routine departure, but he never made it home.
• Tanya, worried after Kenny’s phone dot remained stationary at his job site, called police for a welfare check.
• Police found Kenny dead, slumped in his car in the parking garage; initial thoughts suggested natural causes.

3. Cause of Death & Shocking Foul Play

[21:12–22:29]

• The next day’s autopsy revealed Kenny had died from “blunt compression trauma” — his neck was broken with extreme force, severing his spine.
• Surveillance footage showed a masked, hard-hatted individual spray-painting security cameras before Kenny’s death.

“His neck had been broken with so much force that it severed his spine.” — Peyton, [21:17]

4. Key Surveillance Clues & The Maroon Minivan

[22:29–25:00]

• The suspect’s face was concealed, but detectives noted a distinctive forehead crease.
• A maroon minivan was observed next to Kenny’s car before the murder — a crucial clue, as it later tied to the perpetrator.

5. Tanya’s Bombshell: The Stalker’s Origin Story

[25:58–33:01]

• Tanya immediately informed police Kenny had a persistent stalker: Dr. Stephen Milner, her former employer and a renowned veterinarian.
• Their illicit relationship began after 17 years of Tanya working at Milner’s clinic when both were vulnerable.
• After Tanya ended their five-month secret affair (2017), Stephen unleashed years of harassment—letters, threats, installed trackers on Kenny’s truck, and multiple in-person confrontations.
• Despite Tanya’s attempts to leave her job and avoid contact, the harassment escalated.

“She says... Kenny actually had a stalker, a very dangerous one, that had been following him for years.” — Peyton, [25:58]

6. Escalating Obsession & Systemic Failures

[33:01–45:17]

• Stephen Milner’s harassment morphed from unwanted letters, lies to his family, and manipulation, to direct criminal acts—placing trackers, trespassing, and property damage.
• Stephen’s reputation as a beloved community vet masked his dark side; he had a prior history of questionable ethics.
• Even after a restraining order, legal system responses were inadequate—he continued his campaign unimpeded.

“The amount of people that pretend to be nice and innocent and sweet out there, when they’re really not — there’s a lot.” — Garrett, [35:19]

7. Alarming Incidents & Psychological Toll

[45:17–53:05]

• Stephen’s stalking included army-crawling under their windows, setting up trail cameras, and bailing Tanya out of jail (after a domestic spat with Kenny).
• Despite a restraining order and multiple interventions, Stephen’s obsession escalated—installing more trackers, threatening both Kenny and Tanya, and confronting Kenny outside his workplace.

“If I caught someone army crawling in my yard ... they’d be buried currently in one of the holes in our side yards.” — Garrett, [45:59]

8. The Murder: Calculated and Premeditated

[53:49–63:09]

• Stephen bought multiple used vehicles under fake identities, including a maroon minivan, and practiced disabling surveillance at Kenny’s workplace.
• After the murder, clues pointed to Stephen: incriminating surveillance, physical injuries (badly concealed with makeup), DNA under Kenny's fingernails, and damning search of Stephen’s home (Tanya memorabilia, cutouts, fake tools).
• The maroon minivan was ultimately found destroyed in a scrapyard, but forensic evidence (DNA) was conclusive.

“Turns out, Kenny’s hands were covered in DNA from fighting back. And all of the DNA ... belonged to Stephen Milner.” — Peyton, [60:35]

9. Prosecution & Sentencing

[56:30–63:09]

• Stephen was charged with second-degree murder and stalking (Oregon murder law nuances prevented first-degree charges).
• He claimed self-defense but evidence overwhelmingly contradicted him.
• Convicted and sentenced to life with possibility of parole in 25 years; a civil settlement with Kenny’s estate followed.

“One person killed Kenny and that was Stephen Milner. So let’s hold him responsible and acknowledge that everyone makes mistakes.” — Peyton, [62:53]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On workplace trauma and the effects of stalking:
  “He was struggling on a day to day basis, to the point where he even got into a car accident ... he’s genuinely worried for his life.” — Peyton, [52:50]
• On the human psyche and complexity in abusive relationships:
  “Outside looking in, this is crazy. Inside looking in, this is crazy. I’m assuming that Tanya and Kenny’s marriage was in a really rough spot.” — Peyton, [49:33]
• On systemic gaps in protecting victims:
  “Stalking is so hard with the justice system ... They need to send them all to an island or something. You can’t live in society being that nuts.” — Garrett, [53:14]
• Reflecting on blame after tragedy:
  “I think the obvious way to go here is to feel a lot of anger and blame towards Tanya ... But again, like Garrett just said, one person killed Kenny and that was Stephen Milner.” — Peyton, [62:41]

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Timestamps for Significant Segments

• [11:16] — Kenny’s background and Alaska years
• [16:41] — Discovery of Kenny’s body
• [21:12] — Crime scene analysis, autopsy reveal
• [22:29] — CCTV: Masked man, maroon minivan
• [25:58] — Tanya’s revelation: the stalker’s origin
• [33:01] — Intensified stalking, legal failures
• [45:17] — Most alarming incidents (including army crawling, trail cams)
• [53:49] — The murder plot: premeditated tactics, new cars, surveillance disabling
• [56:30] — Arrest, prosecution, odd Oregon law
• [60:35] — Conclusive forensic findings
• [62:41] — Blame, consequence, and the importance of accountability

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Tone & Style

• Peyton: Empathetic, articulate, and detail-oriented—she brings narrative structure, emphasizes the human elements, and challenges listeners to consider the complexities of both victimhood and accountability.
• Garrett: Wry, candid, and reactive—he injects humor at times, expresses exasperation with injustice, and speaks to the average listener’s sense of frustration at flaws in the system and the mind-boggling persistence of stalkers.

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Conclusion

This episode exposes the perils of unchecked obsession and the inadequacies of the legal system to protect stalking victims before tragedy strikes. It’s also a piercing reminder that while mistakes can sow chaos, violence is always the perpetrator’s choice. Peyton encourages empathy and nuance, lamenting that Tanya’s mistake became ammunition for her stalker, but never excuses or diverts attention from the true villain.

“Sometimes, it’s not the mistake itself that sets us back. It’s the person tied to that mistake that forces us to keep reliving it.” — Peyton, [61:56]

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Transcript

[Peyton Moreland]

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[Garrett Moreland]

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[Peyton Moreland]

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[Garrett Moreland]

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[Peyton Moreland]

You're listening to an Ono media podcast. Hey everyone. Welcome back to the podcast. This is Murder with my husband. I'm Peyton Moreland.

[Garrett Moreland]

And I'm Garrett Moreland.

[Peyton Moreland]

And he's the husband.

[Garrett Moreland]

And I'm the husband. Happy Monday. Welcome back. Glad to be here. Thank you for watching. Thank you for listening. Thank you for supporting us.

[Peyton Moreland]

Thank you for your five star review.

[Garrett Moreland]

Thank you for. Thank you for being great. Honestly. Yeah. I have a couple things I want to go over. So no announcements, right? Any announcements?

[Peyton Moreland]

No. If you're watching on Netflix, I apologize for my appearance. Babe, I just woke up.

[Garrett Moreland]

Looks great. No, Peyton, looks great.

[Peyton Moreland]

I just woke up. Okay.

[Garrett Moreland]

You look great, babe. You do.

[Peyton Moreland]

Thank you. Go ahead. What do you got to say?

[Garrett Moreland]

If you guys want to hear some good rants. Keep listening. If you don't and you're like, kara's really annoying. I hate the husband, blah, blah, blah, blah, then you can fast forward a few minutes. Okay, if you haven't fast forwarded. What?

[Peyton Moreland]

I'm pretty sure, like, our last couple of episodes, you've been in your work uniform.

[Garrett Moreland]

I'm sure I have.

[Peyton Moreland]

Look at the flower on his pants. From bagels.

[Garrett Moreland]

I have been working from 4am to like, 6pm every single day. My head's going to explode. But I'm here.

[Peyton Moreland]

Okay, go ahead.

[Garrett Moreland]

Because I love true crime. Oh, what?

[Peyton Moreland]

No, you don't.

[Garrett Moreland]

Okay, I have a couple rants. Couple hot takes, couple rants. So if you're ready for this, let's get into it. Number one, I'm gonna preface this with I am from the West Coast. I grew up on the West Coast. Okay? Number one, the west coast is very soft compared to the East Coast.

[Peyton Moreland]

I think that, like, Southern hospitality, we kind of have it, but it's just like, we are.

[Garrett Moreland]

Look, and I'm just gonna. The only reason I say this is because if you're sick of the bagel shop, just give me a second. I won't. There's other stuff I'm going to talk about, but we get some customers that get. I guess. Okay, like, we're a bagel shop. We're. We're trying to get people in and out fast. We're trying to make good bagels. We're trying, obviously, not to be mean to people, but we're just like, hey, what can you get for your order? Awesome. Thank you so much. We'll call your name in a second. Right? I don't know how many people have ever been to the east coast and gotten bagels in, like, New York, Boston, just anywhere. I'll just say New York because I feel like that's a good starting point. You go in a bagel shop, what do you want? Cool buy. Like, it's very boom, boom, boom, boom. And you're waiting a second. Depending on what bagel shop it is. I've been to a lot of bagel shops in New York. Anyways, all I'm saying is that the west coast is a little soft, and that's okay. But it seems like we. I'll use we because I'm included. Expect a lot more hospitality and have a lot more entitlement when it comes to walking into establishments, which is totally fine. That's okay. But people in the east coast are just like, give me my food. Done. You know what I'm saying I.

[Peyton Moreland]

You're saying it's totally fine, and I think it's okay to, like, want to chat and stuff. I think that wanting to be talkative and. And, you know, have that hospitality is fine. I think what's not fine is not having an understanding that, like, the food industry is hard already is insane.

[Garrett Moreland]

It's ins. It's. I didn't know until I started working into it. Okay, so I'm sure I'm at fault for this. It is the craziest industry.

[Peyton Moreland]

See, I worked at a movie theater growing up when I was young.

[Garrett Moreland]

Nice.

[Peyton Moreland]

And.

[Garrett Moreland]

Yeah. Equal.

[Peyton Moreland]

No, I just feel like it sucks to get yelled at. Yeah, it sucks to get yelled at when, like, you're just trying to do your job.

[Garrett Moreland]

We're just trying our best. And we had 100 and, like, 30 customers in 50 minutes today, and it was insane. That's like, a customer every 30 seconds that we're trying to get bagels to. And it was just crazy. And I'm sure there's probably a couple people maybe that felt like we were being rude. I don't know. I'm sorry. We're just. We're trying our hardest. We're trying to make good bagels. We're trying to get people their food fast. They're not waiting. And I think between the loudness and waiting, sometimes 10 minutes for your bagels, which we try not to, obviously, but sometimes we run out and we bake them fresh. I think people just get offended, and they're like, bad customer service. And you know what? I don't know what to tell you. Sorry.

[Peyton Moreland]

I do think it's just the speed at which you guys try to move people in and out, but that's my thing. I'm like, well, when a line is wrapped around.

[Garrett Moreland]

Yeah. There's like, 80 people, and it's wrapped around the corner. We're just trying to move.

[Peyton Moreland]

You gotta move them in and out. You don't want to wait in line for 50 minutes.

[Garrett Moreland]

Yeah. And so anyways, it's been crazy. Thank you for supporting. If you've come.

[Peyton Moreland]

It's good.

[Garrett Moreland]

Problem also, I'm sorry to those. Someone tried to take a picture with me the other day, and I was in the ovens because it was just absolutely crazy. And I think they ended up leaving. And I'm sorry. Come back. I'll take a picture. Today was just the craziest it's been since we opened. I'm rambling. I'm exhausted. But thank you for coming. Thank you for supporting. And we're going to keep making bagels and we hope it's a great experience for everyone who comes because obviously that's the goal. We just want it, we want it to be a good experience. We want you to get great bagels. We want it to be fun in there. If it's not fun in there, it's probably because there's so many people right now.

[Peyton Moreland]

But I mean, I've worked two Saturdays and I've had a ball.

[Garrett Moreland]

It is fun. It just gets insane.

[Peyton Moreland]

I get to. It is like very fast moving.

[Garrett Moreland]

It's very fast moving. It can get loud in there, but if you're okay, just kind of relaxing,

[Peyton Moreland]

just enjoying the vibe.

[Garrett Moreland]

Enjoying the vibe. Not being stressed. It's amazing. I promise.

[Peyton Moreland]

I get to talk to people, I take pictures with people and it's still like moving pretty fast.

[Garrett Moreland]

I think it's just when people are in a hurry, then that's when it can get frustrating.

[Peyton Moreland]

And I get that too. I mean, there's validity to not wanting to wait 10 minutes for a bagel,

[Garrett Moreland]

but usually most people don't. Most people were like, we try to go like two to four minutes max.

[Peyton Moreland]

Well, it's also like, you know, there's other bagel shops that have frozen bagels so they can pop them in the toaster real quick.

[Garrett Moreland]

We don't do frozen bagels. Yeah.

[Peyton Moreland]

And so ours have to like boil and go in the oven.

[Garrett Moreland]

Yeah. It's crazy.

[Peyton Moreland]

I mean, we also have got to lot meet a lot of listeners coming into the bagel shop and it's always been just like an amazing, fun experience. So thank you to those who have come in and supported and that we've got to meet. It has been like unreal and always such a fun experience with you guys.

[Garrett Moreland]

She's right. Thank you for helping us. Thank you for watching and supporting. Another. It's not really a hot take, I don't think, but another. Something else I want to say. I think pizza is the best food in the world. Like, I truly, besides bagels, I truly think I could eat pizza every day for the rest of my life. I think I was born in the wrong state.

[Peyton Moreland]

It does sound like you were probably.

[Garrett Moreland]

I think I should have grown up in New York. All I love is pizza and bagels

[Peyton Moreland]

and fast and just in and out

[Garrett Moreland]

and fast moving craziness. Like I, I, I thrive off of it.

[Peyton Moreland]

Yeah.

[Garrett Moreland]

Anyways, if you are from New York or you live in New York. I think I was supposed to be born in New York, but I'm not. I was born in California. So opposite ends of the earth. I think they messed up. I think they flip flopped an accident.

[Peyton Moreland]

You know, your family's very fast moving, though, so it's not that shocking that you're, you're similar.

[Garrett Moreland]

That's true. I'm wired because I'm so tired. So let's get into this week's case.

[Peyton Moreland]

Our sources for this episode are CBS news.com, mirror.co.uk kptv.com medium.com organlife.com sacb.com coin.com moviedelic.com people.com holmansfuneralservice.com washingtoncountyda.org and wweek.com we're all human. We all make mistakes from time to time. Some of them might be bigger than others, but mistakes can also be character building. It's how we learn and grow, especially when we take ownership and accountability for those mistakes and we accept the challenge to do better, learn from it, just be better. In the future, can those mistakes still have a profound impact on us? Can they keep us up at night? Sure. But sometimes it's not even the mistake itself that haunts us. It's who we made those mistakes with. And today I want you to meet 56 year old Kenneth Kenny Vandrich. Well, we're going to call him Kenny, who in 2023, so a little more recently is living with his wife of 30 years, Tanya Fandrich, just outside of Portland, Oregon. Now, Kenny had spent much of his life in Oregon. He was born in 1967 and grew up in what was described as a loving household with his parents and two brothers. Now, everyone said that Kenny had an incredible sense of humor, but also had this really kind and gentle nature about him. This is something that showed from a young age. He loved animals, but Kenny also had some skills and qualities that a lot of other people don't. He had this unique desire for adventure. So after graduating from high school, Kenny moved to Alaska where he got his diving certification and began working as an underwater welder.

[Garrett Moreland]

Oh, I've heard, I've heard so much about underwater welders and I'm sure you guys all have, too. It's like a popular, it's pretty, it's pretty amazing, honestly.

[Peyton Moreland]

He worked on commercial fishing boats as an underwater welder, which I do, again, thinks that, you know, this does explain someone very well. It was an incredibly difficult job, not just because of the skills needed to do it, but Kenny was braving freezing cold temperatures in those Alaskan waters to get the job done. But being outdoors was Kenny's calling. He loved anything that connected him more with nature, whether that was fishing, skiing, snowboarding, hunting, or even just sitting out by the fire on a cold night next to his pets, which this is important to get to know. Kenny, he fostered and adopted a lot of pets. He had six dogs at one point. But then life in Alaska brought Kenny another unexpected surprise. It was where a friend introduced him to Tanya, his eventual wife. She worked at his local bank in Dutch harbor. For their first date, they met up in Tanya's hometown for ice cream over a thousand miles away in Anchorage, Alaska. Now, the two bonded over how much they loved animals and the great outdoors. And after that, the rest was history. Okay, Kenny and Tanya fell in love, and they got married in 1993. And then three years later, in 1996, that was when the couple decided to pick up and move back to Kenny's home state of Oregon. Now, the plan was for Kenny to move home and start a piping business with his father. So the couple bought a house along the Willamette river. This is about 12 miles south of Portland. Now, they never had kids, but out in the country, they were happy just raising their dogs. Two cats, a pair of goats, and even for a brief period, a baby raccoon. Now, Tanya, she got a job working at a local veterinarian's office. And Kenny built his business and eventually joined the union as more and more work came in. And this is kind of how things carried on for the next 27 years for this couple. And by 2023, Kenny was working on a giant project for intel, who was building a 2.5 million square foot campus nearby in Hillsboro, Oregon. Now, Kenny was installing the piping that kept the heavy machinery cool. So it was a long contract that he had been committed to for some time, and by then, he'd built a solid reputation as being reliable and hardworking. Now, on the morning of January 27, 2023, Kenny took off for another day on the job. And he spent the day toiling away. And since it was a Friday, he was probably looking forward to the weekend. A few days of rest back home with his wife and their animals. Now, that afternoon, he clocked out a little after 3pm he grabbed his things and headed back for his Honda Civic in the parking lot, a few security cameras actually catch glimpses of him leaving work and walking to his car around 3:21pm okay. But then a few hours passed and Kenny still hadn't made it home from work. And that was when Tonya began to worry Now, Tanya had tried to call Kenny a few times that day with no answer. She was really starting to think something was wrong. Her first instinct was to track Kenny on her Find my app. And as soon as she did, she saw Kenny was still at work. And remember, this is a very large site that he is working at. So she notices his dot is particularly in the parking garage of this work site. And when she realized that his dot hadn't moved for quite a while, Tanya contacted the Hillsborough police and asked them to do a welfare check. And at the same time, she began making the drive over to the intel campus herself. Now, by the time police get there, it's about 9pm and when police arrived at the second level of the parking structure, just like Tanya had said, you know, I'm tracking my husband. His dot hasn't moved. Can you please meet me there? They found Kenny's black Honda Civic still parked in its parking spot. And when they walk up to the car, they see someone slumped over in the driver's seat. Now, at first, the detectives are like, oh, you know, her husband's probably just taking a nap, probably just passed out, forgot to call his wife. His lunch bag, his keys, his phone are all sitting in the seat next to him, the passenger seat. But as police get closer and they knock on the window trying to wake him up, they realize there is some discoloration around his neck. And they think his head is sort of twisted at an angle and his hands are kind of folded weirdly in his lap.

[Garrett Moreland]

Okay.

[Peyton Moreland]

And he's not waking up to them knocking on the window. So instead of opening the car door right then and there, they call for backup. And the backup arrived around the same time as Tanya did. And if you're like, why didn't she just drive over her over there herself? It might be because as it seems like she didn't even arrive until the backup arrived. So she was probably farther away from the campus than police were. Yeah, she was worried, so she wanted them to get there faster. Now, once backup arrives, they examine the vehicle, and they get the door open to examine her husband.

[Garrett Moreland]

Oh, could having to see that.

[Peyton Moreland]

Yeah.

[Garrett Moreland]

Horrible.

[Peyton Moreland]

And they determined that Kenny was actually dead in his driver's seat. All right, you guys, I don't know about you, but organizing finances is incredibly overwhelming for me. I hate it. I usually just try to leave it up to Garrett, but I do try to do my best to stay informed and involved. And that is where Rocket Money steps in, because Rocket Money has made it easy for me to follow our finances, organize them and then even also like be involved and help. Not to mention they cancel unwanted subscriptions, which is just the best aspect of it. There's also automatic transaction categorization across accounts, plus customizable categories and tags to reveal like spending patterns. And then like I said, it is a financial app so it helps you set budgets and goals. You can get personalized insights and regular reports. So it's way more than just canceling those unwanted subscriptions. Rocket Money is a personal finance app that helps find and cancel unwanted subscriptions, monitors your spending and helps lower your bills so you can grow your savings. Let Rocket Money help you reach your financial goals faster. [e-mail] husband that's RocketMoney.com husband RocketMoney.com husband all right you guys, I have an update. I am back on my I am eight habit. I started Daily Ultimate Essentials to just kind of help with energy, my focus and now it has become something I rely on. I don't want to go without it. I love Imate because it is just again easy. One place they use clean ingredients. It's vegan, gluten free, non GMO. The drink is loaded with 92 nutrient rich ingredients. Vitamins, minerals, adaptogens, pre pro and postbiotics. It's NSF certified which means all the ingredients are third party tested for purity. It's just like you feel confident about what you're putting into your body. It just makes the choice a lot easier.

[Garrett Moreland]

Big fan of ima. It's been everywhere. I'm sure you've seen it. If not now you're hearing about it. I love it. I'm a big fan of healthy clean Daily ultimate essentials.

[Peyton Moreland]

Give your body what it deserves with IMA. Go to IMA health.com/husband and use code husband for a free welcome kit. Five free travel sachets plus 10% off your first order. That's a really big good deal. Go check it out. That's I am number eight health h e a l t h.com husband code husband for a free welcome kit. Five free travel sachets plus 10% off your order. Im eight health.com husband code husband these statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, street, cure or prevent any disease. Now of course, Tanya, his wife of over 30 years, was absolutely devastated. But the question now was what had happened to him? There was no blood inside Kenny's car and to be fair, he's a pretty big tough guy. He was like 6ft tall 195 pounds. So police are like, this solo man is leaving work and gets attacked and killed in his car. Which was why the police's first instinct was actually to see if he died of natural causes in the car. So was this a heart attack? Now, the following day, detectives had the results of Kenny's autopsy, and the results were actually way more shocking. It appeared Kenny was a victim of foul play after all. The coroner wrote that he had died from, quote, blunt compression trauma to his neck.

[Garrett Moreland]

Blunt compression? Is that just strangulation? What is.

[Peyton Moreland]

Yeah.

[Garrett Moreland]

Okay.

[Peyton Moreland]

But it's a little bit more extreme. His neck had been broken with so much force that it severed his spine. So it was extreme pressure on his neck, which meant, obviously this was not a natural death. The discoloration on the neck that they had originally seen was real. Kenny was attacked violently at his place of work. Investigators, they obviously begin looking for clues around the crime scene. One of the first things they do is examine that CCTV footage that I told you existed around the parking garage. Now, it turns out earlier that day at 7am Something unusual was happening around the parking deck. A man with a hard hat, a mask, and these red tinted sunglasses was seen walking around spray painting the security cameras. He did this to about 6 to 8 of the cameras, to be exact. And the only thing that can really be made out about the person is that they're white, they are masculine presenting, and they have a distinct crease or wrinkle in their forehead, which is like.

[Garrett Moreland]

I mean, it's kind of me. I did a video the other day on Instagram. The whole time I was talking like this. I have. I think I have a distinct crease.

[Peyton Moreland]

Anyways, I'm just like. That's what they noticed.

[Garrett Moreland]

Yeah. Of all things.

[Peyton Moreland]

I don't know.

[Garrett Moreland]

It's got some forehead wrinkles.

[Peyton Moreland]

Yeah. Now, this person would move around the garage strategically hiding behind pillars, shielding their face before spray painting another camera. It's literally like Ocean's eleven up in here.

[Garrett Moreland]

Okay.

[Peyton Moreland]

This, this, this guy walking around. So to the detectives, it looked like this person was familiar with the parking deck and where all the cameras were located. But there's something else seen on the footage before Kenny was killed. Between some of the blue spray paint, the cameras show a maroon minivan parked right next to Kenny's car.

[Garrett Moreland]

Of course, it's some a maroon minivan.

[Peyton Moreland]

So they notice this minivan parked next to his car right before Kenny was spotted entering the garage at 3:21pm which might I say, like, whoever is spray painting these cameras isn't doing a very good job because we're still seeing through the spray paint and kind of getting a glimpse of what's happening. So at 3:21, Kenny's walking from work into the garage, and there is a maroon minivan parked right next to his Honda Civic. And then a few minutes later, the lights on Kenny's car start flashing, almost like he's hitting the fob, like, the lock button, maybe, over and over again. And then shortly after this, the maroon van pulls out of the parking spot and leaves the parking garage. Okay, so we obviously don't see, like, what's happening. We just see the cars parked in, the lights going off. So police wonder, did the person pull Kenny into the maroon car and attack him and then maybe put him back into his Honda Civic once he was dead? Did the attack happen in the Honda Civic? Except there was no blood, so they're like, I don't know who would even want to hurt Kenny? Well, it turns out Tanya already knew the answer to that question. So as soon as, like, police are investigating this as foul play, she offers up something. And she had given detectives her theory during an interview the night of Kenny's murder, like, right after they found him.

[Garrett Moreland]

If I, like, got killed, would you even. Would there be any thoughts on, like, who wanted to kill Garrett? Like, there's no one that wants to kill me. I could be wrong. Maybe the guy that I kicked out of the bagel shop today. I did. I kicked someone out of the bagel shop. It's a story for another time. I'm sorry.

[Peyton Moreland]

I don't. I wouldn't think, like, a listener or, like, someone from the bagel shop. I would try to think of someone, like, more connected to you, but I don't think anyone has a reason to kill you.

[Garrett Moreland]

That's what I'm saying.

[Peyton Moreland]

Like, I don't know if I could, like, I think it's a good point. A person.

[Garrett Moreland]

Yeah. I don't think I know anyone that wants.

[Peyton Moreland]

But I could be, like, he has a couple ex girlfriends who blocked me for no reason.

[Garrett Moreland]

Okay, but, like, don't. It doesn't warrant a kill, babe. It doesn't warrant someone killing.

[Peyton Moreland]

I immediately throw them under the bus

[Garrett Moreland]

from, like, 16 years ago. That's crazy.

[Peyton Moreland]

I'd be, like, the elementary school girlfriend. Yeah, her name.

[Garrett Moreland]

Like, I really. I don't know. I don't think I know anyone that would want to kill you, too.

[Peyton Moreland]

Oh, kill me?

[Garrett Moreland]

Yeah. No, I don't know anyone. That's a good thing.

[Peyton Moreland]

I'll make a list for you okay? So she reveals something pretty huge to the Hillsborough police. She says, hey, Kenny actually had a stalker, a very dangerous one, that had been following him for years. And this person had been harassing and threatening Kenny. He had even placed a tracker on Kenny's car. He had snuck around their property under the COVID of night. And Tanya told police, this stalker is all because of her.

[Garrett Moreland]

Oh, okay. No, keep going.

[Peyton Moreland]

So she's like, this person isn't stalking Kenny because of him. It's. It's my fault. So let me rewind the clock a bit back to the year 2000. This is 23 years earlier. This is about four years after Kenny and Tanya moved to Oregon. That was when Tanya accepted a new job working at the Milner Veterinary Hospital in Oregon City. Now, at this time, this clinic was brand new, so there was a lot of room to grow. And the opportunity was perfect for Tanya, who, like Kenny, was a huge animal lover and its main veterinarian. The owner of the company, Stephen Milner, quickly became this celebrated person in the community. Once he opened this place, his animal hospital was seen as one of the best in the area. And Steven's bedside manner was unmatched. Not only would he sit with and console those who had lost or were losing a pet, he would send them thoughtful, handwritten notes after the fact. That one woman said that on the fourth of July, she ran into Steven, who offered to run to his office to get a sedative for her dog, who was freaked out by the fireworks. Another client said Stephen made a donation in her late pet's name to Oregon State University. It was just these little details that really made the locals fall in love with Steven. Even his receptionist said he was the best boss she ever had. He was professional. He was kind and generous, and. And for the next two decades, he continued to run one of the best animal hospitals in town with Tanya by his side. Okay, so technically, if you knew Steven, you definitely knew tanya. But in 2017, things got a little more complicated between the two of them, because after all these years of working together, Tanya and Steven go from co workers to something more romantic. That year, Tanya and Kenny were apparently going through some difficult times. Tanya said Kenny was often away at job sites for days or weeks at a time. And when they were together, they were drinking a lot. She said Kenny had struggled with infidelity through their relationship a few times, too. And by 2017, she reached a point where she was lonely. She was seeking attention from someone else. And coincidentally, her boss, Steven Milner, was newly separated from his wife. Okay, so earlier that year, Tanya and Steven started sneaking around together. Steven even had a nickname for Tanya, one of those. Your dog's first name and then your street name, which for her equaled Kiki Essex, which is who he start. Like, he starts referring to Tanya as Kiki, his girlfriend Kiki, to keep things under the radar. Now, a few people at the office obviously start catching on. They're like, sensing that something is going on between the two of them. But that got confirmed when many of them attended a wedding together that summer. Tanya went alone that night. She told people, kenny's out of town again. And after a few drinks and a couple of slow dances, Steven and Tanya in public are getting a little too cozy. Now, before the night was over, it was clear to everyone that they were definitely hooking up. Apparently, it was even clear to Kenny, who wasn't even at the wedding this night. Now, I don't know who tipped him off or if he just had a hunch, but as the hours ticked by and Tanya didn't come home from the wedding, Kenny suspected that she was at Steven's. So he drove over there and basically caught them mid affair.

[Garrett Moreland]

Also, this is crazy. So you're telling me he then goes and kills Kenny?

[Peyton Moreland]

No, I'm just telling you how he got a stalker.

[Garrett Moreland]

No, I know, but I'm just jumping ahead because I assume he kills Kenny, and that's nuts.

[Peyton Moreland]

Yeah. So Kenny catches them. Okay. But rather than make it this huge deal, he kind of leaves. Like, he leaves it pretty calm. He doesn't say much. And then afterwards, as he's talking to Tanya and they're talking about their relationship, what they want to do moving forward, Tanya says she realized that she had made a huge mistake. She ended this five month fling. She and Kenny tried hard to work through this. They didn't want to lose each other. But little did she know, this was the beginning of something much, much worse. Okay, so in late 2017, after calling it quits with Steven, the couple received a strange letter. It read, quote, I should do everyone a favor and go back to drinking myself into my own demise.

[Garrett Moreland]

H. It's like, why?

[Peyton Moreland]

Okay, Shakespeare.

[Garrett Moreland]

Uhhuh.

[Peyton Moreland]

Like, that's just a little dramatic. Now, while the letter was anonymous, Tanya was pretty certain that Stephen was behind it. Now, at this point, Tanya talks to Kenny about quitting. She's like, this just seems weird. I'm gonna leave. But after putting in nearly two decades at this job, she just didn't want to walk away so easily. But unfortunately, things only escalated from there. She was Hoping that they could both just, like, call it quits, continue back at work. But over the next year or so, more threatening letters came. And then those turned into mysteriously weird phone. And one day, Tanya even got a call from Steven's sister. She said she was concerned about the domestic violence Tanya was experiencing in her marriage to Kenny. And Steven's sister is like, steven told me everything. And not only was Tanya completely confused about this because there was no domestic violence, it also is starting to really freak her out that he just can't leave her alone. Stephen was making up lies about her and getting other people, even his own family, involved. So that is when she was like, enough is enough. Tanya left the animal hospital, realizing that might be the only solution to get Stephen to leave her and Kenny alone. But that wasn't the case. The letters, the threats, they kept coming. And In September of 2018, things got even spookier.

[Garrett Moreland]

I think we talk about this a lot. Do you really never just know somebody?

[Peyton Moreland]

No.

[Garrett Moreland]

Like, do you just truly never know who someone actually is?

[Peyton Moreland]

Yeah.

[Garrett Moreland]

Like the fact that she can be sleeping with him, and then also.

[Peyton Moreland]

And he just is being this weird.

[Garrett Moreland]

Is this being this insane? Because I'm sure if you were to ask her, she'd be like, I had no idea. Like, he was well and insane.

[Peyton Moreland]

She had been working with him for years. For years.

[Garrett Moreland]

Like, saying, do you just never truly know somebody?

[Peyton Moreland]

No.

[Garrett Moreland]

Guess not.

[Peyton Moreland]

I also think going back to love makes people do weirdo things sometimes. So at this point, it has been over a year since she had ended their affair. But one evening, when Tanya and Kenny got back to their house, they pulled into the driveway to see Steven Milner there. It has been over a year since she ended things. She has quit her job. He was wearing a blue hoodie and lying underneath Kenny's Dodge Ram, which was parked in the driveway. And when they pulled in, they could see he was attaching a small black box to the bottom of Kenny's truck. Now, the second Stephen saw them pull up, he runs away. Obviously, the couple is terrified. They call the local bomb squad. They're like, did this guy just put a bomb underneath my husband's truck?

[Garrett Moreland]

Insane.

[Peyton Moreland]

But it wasn't a bomb. It was a GPS tracking device, which, still crazy is still creepy. Now, after that, Steven was called in to speak with the police, because when Tanya and Kenny explained the situation, they're like, no. Like, it's been a year. We want absolutely nothing to do with him. So the police call him, and they're like, hey, you've got to Leave this couple alone. And he's like, no, no, no. She's still. She's lying. We're still having an affair. And I'm just trying to keep tabs on Kenny so we don't get caught.

[Garrett Moreland]

Okay.

[Peyton Moreland]

Now Tanya's like, no, it's a lie. Like, that's not true. But the problem was everyone who knew Steven, which, this is so ironic since you just said this, had a hard time believing that he would be this crazy.

[Garrett Moreland]

Speaking of this. Yeah. Nah. Story for another time. Another story for another time. But again, the amount of people that pretend to be nice and innocent and sweet out there when they're really not, there's a lot.

[Peyton Moreland]

Like, in secret, there is a lot

[Garrett Moreland]

of people who are secretly not good people crazy.

[Peyton Moreland]

But do make an effort, whether that's manipulation or coping mechanisms or personality disorders to come off a certain.

[Garrett Moreland]

But on the outside, they make themselves seem like these saints. I've seen it firsthand multiple times happen to me recently.

[Peyton Moreland]

I mean, here's the thing. Like, I can name someone from growing up who I'm like, that person around town would have been known as, like, a really good person, but, like, it was all a facade.

[Garrett Moreland]

Oh, yeah.

[Peyton Moreland]

Like, when you truly get to know them, you start to see the mask slip a little bit.

[Garrett Moreland]

Yeah.

[Peyton Moreland]

And I feel like maybe everyone kind of has that, has seen that in someone. I mean, now this is what's happening with Stephen. As I mentioned, Stephen had an incredible reputation in the area. Everyone who knew him loved him, whether they sent their pets to him or not. Because not only was he a vet, he was a dad to two kids from his first marriage. He was an active member of the community. He sponsored fundraisers, charity runs. He even once set up a hygiene station for the unhoused. But the truth was, Stephen was really good at masking his dark side. Turns out he actually did have a history. He had been investigated back in 1996 by the Oregon Veterinary Medical Examining Board for, quote, unprofessional or dishonorable conduct. And why? Well, he had put down two dogs without their owner's consent. So he just decided the dogs were too sick and did it without talking to the owners. Now, there was another incident in 2019 where Steven also showed his true colors. He was collecting bottles and cans through his clinic plan to use those proceeds from the bottle drop to donate to charity. But when he showed up at the drop spot, they told him he had exceeded the allowed size for a bottle deposit. He not only lost his temper, he ended up shoving one of their employees and then went on local television to rant about it. He also doxed one of the employees by posting her information online and encouraging everyone he knew to harass and threaten her. So again, he's coming off as a nice person. But even in the times of going to a charity, his real true colors do show. Yeah, like, it's very obvious this charity is just for looks. If this is how you're acting when you're going there. A few episodes ago, I love. I just, I snuck in a Simply safe code. But that's because I love simply safe guys. Okay, I'm gonna tell you about it right now.

[Garrett Moreland]

Wait, I was just somewhere. Oh, I was at the bagel shop and everyone I was with was like, I use SimpliSafe for my security. What do you use? And I was like, let me tell you something.

[Peyton Moreland]

Use my code.

[Garrett Moreland]

Let me tell you something. SimpliSafe sponsors my podcast.

[Peyton Moreland]

Traditional security locks you in long term, multi year contracts with huge cancellation fees. You know me, you know I love flexibility and having a sense of freedom, which is why I love SimpliSafe. They're extremely effective. 24. 7 Professional monitoring is affordable and has no long term contracts. One thing about SimpliSafe that is amazing is they stop the terror before it's happened. Most, you know, security companies alert you once someone's already in your house. SimpliSafe has 24. 7 monitoring that is stopping them before they can even get into your house. They have so much floodlights, motion sensors, cameras, everything you need. You've been looking for a security system. I highly recommend SimpliSafe. I don't put my name behind many brands, but I trust Simply Safe our listeners will get 50 off a new system. You guys 50 off when you sign up for professional monitoring. And your first month is free by visiting simplisafe.com husband if you have ever wanted a security system, do it now. 50 off with our code that is half [e-mail] husband there is no safe like simply safe.

[Garrett Moreland]

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[Peyton Moreland]

And with Chime, members can earn up to $1,150 in rewards each year at no added cost cost. Enabling direct deposit unlocks the fullest set of these benefits. And USA Today gives Chime top marks for customer service. Live Support is available 24 7. So switching isn't just a new bank account. It's an upgrade to a highly rated banking option for Americans.

[Garrett Moreland]

Cardholders get premium travel perks like airport lounge access and around the clock travel concierge. We actually have a few, a lot of friends that use Chime and they're always talking about how much they love it. It seems like there's so many like perks, perks that they can get. And honestly, it was funny when Chime sponsored us because we were like, oh my gosh, we have a ton of friends that use this.

[Peyton Moreland]

Yeah.

[Garrett Moreland]

And they love it.

[Peyton Moreland]

Chime is not just smarter banking. It is the most rewarding way to bank. Join the millions who are already banking fee free today. Head to chime.comhusband that is chime.com husband. It only takes a few minutes to sign up. Chime is a fintech, not a bank. Banking services for MyPay and Chime Card provided by Chime's bank partners. Optional products and services may have fees or charges. Stated annual percentage yield and cash back for Chime prime only. No minimum balance required. Checking account ranking based on the J.D. power survey published October 20, 2025. For more information on APY rates, MyPay Spot Me and travel perks, go to Chime.com disclosures now that same year, 2019 again. This stalking and stuff has been going on for over a year now. Steven sold his hospital to a national chain and finally retired. But now all of that free time he had was then used for something else. It was to obsess further over his former lover, Tanya.

[Garrett Moreland]

Bro, go get a life, man.

[Peyton Moreland]

I know it's been years.

[Garrett Moreland]

He sold the hospital, he's retired. Like, go, go play golf. Go do something.

[Peyton Moreland]

Like, has he never been broken up with?

[Garrett Moreland]

I don't know. I don't understand how this happens to so many people.

[Peyton Moreland]

Like, it sucks. I know that probably sucked, but like, move on.

[Garrett Moreland]

That some people have crazy. It's great. It's also embarrassing, but it's crazy. Yeah, like, dude, go do something, man.

[Peyton Moreland]

I don't know. There. There's a podcast right now about Clayton the Bachelor who was accused of he went through a paternity case. This woman was like, oh, I'm pregnant with his twins. She was never actually pregnant, but took it so far. And there's a podcast on it right now. It's insane.

[Garrett Moreland]

Like, some people are nuts.

[Peyton Moreland]

And it's like, not just nuts in like private.

[Garrett Moreland]

Yes.

[Peyton Moreland]

But nuts like in Public, Like, I

[Garrett Moreland]

don't, I don't get it. Like, I truly like lying or.

[Peyton Moreland]

And genuinely delusionally believing it.

[Garrett Moreland]

I truly can't comprehend it.

[Peyton Moreland]

It anyway, also, it's like, do all of us have that potential?

[Garrett Moreland]

No.

[Peyton Moreland]

Or is that just like a weird thing?

[Garrett Moreland]

I think it's a weird thing. I hope so.

[Peyton Moreland]

No, this girl's done it to like five other guys, so it's just a hobby for her.

[Garrett Moreland]

Yeah.

[Peyton Moreland]

Now he's in love with Tanya still. He's obsessed with her, and he's decided to make her husband Kenny's life a living hell. He absolutely hates this guy now. While Tanya was receiving endless love letters from Stephen, Penny was getting scarier threats. So at the same time, he's like writing Tanya being like, I love you, come back to me. He's also threatening her husband. In June of 2019, Kenny found Stephen outside his house again. This time screaming and saying he was going to destroy his work tools. Now, by August, Kenny was applying for an order of protection against Stephen. Kenny told the police that Stephen was getting more aggressive, terrifying each day, showing up to his house. And this time, the police take it a little more seriously. A sheriff's deputy personally served Stephen with the the restraining order. But two months later, Kenny doesn't try to renew the order. You actually, like have to go in and actively do this, and he doesn't. And it's not because the threats had stopped. It's because they had actually gotten worse. And so he was like, okay, maybe if I drop it, it'll get better. Steven actually told the couple if they didn't drop the restraining order, he would bankrupt them with legal fees. And Tanya discouraged Kenny from going to the police again because she was terrified that Steven's threats weren't idle. She was scared of him. And meanwhile, Tanya got a job at another animal hospital. But then Steven started showing up there too. He would leave her notes on her car. He would hang around in the parking lot waiting for her to get off her shift and leave. And at one point, he even showed up with a dog to the animal clinic and is like, oh, Tanya needs to treat this dog. Now cut to December 2020. It has been three years since Tanya called off their six month fling. And Steven is still at the restaurant. He is still obsessing over her. By this point, Kenny and Tanya had set up security cameras outside their home. That month, one of them caught Steven army crawling around in their yard.

[Garrett Moreland]

Oh, my gosh, dude.

[Peyton Moreland]

Tanya called 91 1.

[Garrett Moreland]

What? The actual Stephen left.

[Peyton Moreland]

But this time, the deputies don't even take a report because he's gone. Which, like, okay, I'm sorry.

[Garrett Moreland]

But yeah, it's almost a comical.

[Peyton Moreland]

It's not because we know where this story is going.

[Garrett Moreland]

The fact that someone's army crawling around.

[Peyton Moreland]

At this point, I call.

[Garrett Moreland]

I would. I'm not gonna say anything. I would do bad. Like, nah, I don't do that at my house.

[Peyton Moreland]

I would literally be like, this guy is so unwell.

[Garrett Moreland]

I'd be in jail.

[Peyton Moreland]

Like, this is so far beyond.

[Garrett Moreland]

Like, I'm pretty sure if I caught someone army crawling in my yard session.

[Peyton Moreland]

This is stalking.

[Garrett Moreland]

They'd be buried currently in one of the holes in our side yards. We have these huge eight foot holes right now because we're planting some trees.

[Peyton Moreland]

I actually went out there the other day and I was like, is there

[Garrett Moreland]

a body in here? No. You could put a body in there. You have no idea.

[Peyton Moreland]

I know. I just brought up holes. The movie. But I went out there the other day and thought about it again. I was like, those poor boys had to dig holes like this.

[Garrett Moreland]

Don't come army crawling in my yard. You will end up in one of those.

[Peyton Moreland]

Dude. Army crawling through someone's yard. What are those things called? Those suits? Gil.

[Garrett Moreland]

Guillotine.

[Peyton Moreland]

No. Oh, ghillie suits.

[Garrett Moreland]

Yes. I don't know why he said, imagine

[Peyton Moreland]

if he had a ghillie suit on. That would have been even worse.

[Garrett Moreland]

Guillotine. Oh, my gosh. I need.

[Peyton Moreland]

The guillotine's the thing. They cut their head off.

[Garrett Moreland]

Cut your head off. I need to go to sleep.

[Peyton Moreland]

Okay. So Steven's army crawling through the yard. Tanya's calling 91 1. Police are not. I mean, it's just not good. Again, we've talked about it before. Stalking is one of the most dangerous things because there's not much police do now. Of course, all of this is definitely starting to take a toll on Kenny and Tanya's marriage. I mean, things weren't even perfect to begin with, considering the infidelity. And then add on, like they're trying to heal from this and trying to stay together and move on, but then he's just constantly still around. That makes it really, really hard to heal and put things, you know, in the past from the past in the past. So for Kenny, the stress of all of this led to drinking. The fights between Kenny and Tanya get a little more intense. And In August of 2021, it led to one really out of control event between the couple that month. During a fight, Tanya slashed Kenny's ear and Kenny called the Police. Tanya was arrested for assault. She spent the night in jail. But the next day, she learned someone had paid her bail. $25,000 bail, by the way. By who? Not Kenny, not her husband. Stephen Milner had learned about her arrest and bailed her out. And he was waiting for her outside in the parking lot once she was released. Now, this is surprising to Tanya because she's like, how did he even know? How did he even know I got arrested? Well, this led them to believe that Stephen had definitely installed trail cameras around their property. The same kind.

[Garrett Moreland]

It doesn't stop. It gets worse and worse.

[Peyton Moreland]

That's how he learned she'd been arrested and Steven had been watching everything going on around their home. And what's even more disturbing is Tanya actually ends up staying with Steven for a couple of days after she was released. Now, I know this is like everyone's screaming right now. Everyone's throwing their hands up and you're valid. You're valid. Okay? Outside looking in, this is crazy. Inside looking in, this is crazy. I'm assuming that Tanya and Kenny's marriage was in a really rough spot right now. Her ex affair partner bails her out, becomes her knight in shining armor, rescuing her out of jail. Tanya has just spent the night in jail, and her brain, twisted brain, in the absolute nuance of this complicated situation is like, yeah, I'll just stay with him for a couple days.

[Garrett Moreland]

I wonder.

[Peyton Moreland]

And I know that sounds crazy. I just think it's. It's probably not as crazy when you're the one living it, but it's still crazy.

[Garrett Moreland]

It is pretty nuts. I'm not gonna lie. It's pretty crazy. Not the judge, but that's.

[Peyton Moreland]

No, I do think it's.

[Garrett Moreland]

It's.

[Peyton Moreland]

It's judge worthy. Like, I think it's judge worthy, but I also think the human psyche, especially when you're dealing with something as complicated as an affair, doesn't make much sense. Like, I think people do very odd things.

[Garrett Moreland]

Okay?

[Peyton Moreland]

In that name, I'm not justifying it. I'm just saying that I can see the. I can see a world where she stayed with him for a couple days. Now, obviously, she insists a few days later when she goes home to Kenny. Keep in mind, Kenny called the cops on her and got her arrested.

[Garrett Moreland]

Okay?

[Peyton Moreland]

Valid. Valid. Now, when she goes home a few days later, she's like, I've been at Steven's. Nothing romantic happened. He just paid my bill, got me out of jail. And I'm sure Kenny's like, Stephen, the one in the ghillie. Suit. Army crawling around our home. Not a ghillie suit, but army crawling around our home. She had to explain that. But when she goes home to Kenny, like a few days after getting out of jail, Stephen has just paid 25, 000 to bail her out of jail.

[Garrett Moreland]

Oh, no.

[Peyton Moreland]

And then she's like.

[Garrett Moreland]

We realized it was only like 10. So it was like $2500 maybe, but it was a 25, 000 bill.

[Peyton Moreland]

You can pay 25. I mean, you can pay the.

[Garrett Moreland]

Yeah, I mean, I guess maybe he did.

[Peyton Moreland]

Yeah, he probably did. It's just an act of getting his girl back.

[Garrett Moreland]

Could have. He very well could have.

[Peyton Moreland]

Now when Steven's like, what, you're going back to Kenny? Like, you've been with me for a couple days. I've fought in his mind, fought so hard for this. And you're gonna go back to. You're gonna go back to Kenny. This makes him even more enraged. Like you've just taken a crazy person and lit a fire under them. Now in March of 2022, he takes things to a whole new level. The month before, Stephen had snuck around and installed another GPS tracker on Kenny's car, this time without getting caught. And then on March 1st, Stephen began following Kenny closely behind on a 45 minute drive from Oregon City to Hillsborough, where he worked. And this was after Stephen had recently threatened to, quote, chop Kenny into a million pieces and make sure it takes days to do it.

[Garrett Moreland]

Okay.

[Peyton Moreland]

So when Kenny realized Stephen was following him to work, he pulled over and called the police. Shockingly, this time, Stephen didn't flee. He was approached by an officer who caught their interaction on body cam footage. And in it, Stephen tells the officer he's just worried and following Kenny because he's been abusive towards Tanya. He's doing all of this for her safety. The police don't buy it. They're like, listen, this guy's taken a restraining order out on you before. Tanya herself has told us she wants nothing to do with you. They tell Steven, stay the heck out of this couple's business. But they don't arrest him. They give him a warning.

[Garrett Moreland]

My gosh, they should have cut his feet off or something.

[Peyton Moreland]

Kenny knows this is not enough. So immediately after that incident, Kenny goes back to the police and he's like, that's it. I'm following another protection. I'm. I'm filing another order of protection against Stephen. Now, by that point, Kenny was so afraid for his life, he could, like, it was less about the drama of all this. He was struggling on a Day to day basis, to the point where he even got into a car accident about two weeks after filing that order. And he tells people he's just distracted. Like, he's genuinely worried for his life.

[Garrett Moreland]

Honestly, it's so sad. It's horrible.

[Peyton Moreland]

None of this stops Steven Milner. In August of 2022, he puts another tracker on Kenny's car.

[Garrett Moreland]

I don't understand. Like, we talk about it so much, and it's so hard. Stalking is so hard with the justice system, like, proving it. And it's just. It's a difficult one. Do you just. You throw them in jail forever? Like, yeah, like, do you throw them in jail? I don't know. Probably. I've heard so many crazy stalking stories, and I'm like, look, if you're stalking

[Peyton Moreland]

someone, it's so scary.

[Garrett Moreland]

Like, they need to send them all to an island or something. Like, you just. You can't live in society being that nuts.

[Peyton Moreland]

It's like a. Like a hide and seek island. They just stalk each.

[Garrett Moreland]

Yeah, they can just all go stalking each other or something.

[Peyton Moreland]

So this time he actually is caught and he's criminally charged for violating the protective order. A month later, Kenny also files a civil suit against Stephen for invasion of privacy and emotional distress. Really, though, he just pokes the bear. Because In October of 2022, Steven's plotting his most nefarious plan yet. He buys a new car on Craigslist under a fake name, uses it to continue stalking kenny. And on December 13, he goes to Kenny's place of work, and he spray paints about a dozen or so cameras in the parking garage. And then In January of 2023, Steven buys a second car using a false identity. One of them happens to be a maroon Minivan. And by January 27th, Kenny is found dead in his car.

[Garrett Moreland]

So sad. So open and shut at this point.

[Peyton Moreland]

Let's go back to the night of the murder. Now Tanya's like, I know who did it. I know who did this. It's my fault. Like, obviously, Steven Milner is screaming guilty. Now it's just a matter of gathering more than circumstantial evidence confirming he's the man behind the mask on that surveillance footage.

[Garrett Moreland]

So what did he think he was gonna get back with her after killing him?

[Peyton Moreland]

Also, like, buying a car with a fake name is so easy to trace. A maroon minivan, you couldn't have gotten something a little less.

[Garrett Moreland]

That's what I said. I said, of course it's a maroon minivan.

[Peyton Moreland]

So just a few days after the murder, on January 31st police call Stephen in. They're like, hey, you need to sign some paperwork. They place a detective at the front desk. Their real goal is to see whether or not he has any injuries on his body. Now, one of the first things she sees is not only is Stephen extremely nervous when signing this paperwork, he shows up to the police station, to the front desk, wearing makeup. And he didn't do a very good job because they can see a huge scratch on his nose and a pretty gnarly black eye underneath that makeup. So just as he's about to walk out the front door of the station after thinking he was just signing paperwork, deputies stop him and they arrest him. And something else they notice about Steven. He needs Botox? No. But he has the same exact forehead crease as the masked man in that footage. Now, a few days later, Steven is formally charged with second degree murder and stalking. Second degree? Because in the state of Oregon, first degree only applies to crimes committed against someone under 14, a police officer, or another protected role.

[Garrett Moreland]

Is that currently true?

[Peyton Moreland]

Yeah. Or if it's committed to cover up another crime. So in Oregon, you can only get first degree murder if the crime is committed.

[Garrett Moreland]

What?

[Peyton Moreland]

Against somewhere under 14?

[Garrett Moreland]

Insane idiot made that law.

[Peyton Moreland]

A police officer, a protected role. Or if it is committed to cover up a different crime.

[Garrett Moreland]

Attorneys assemble. Because who made that? Who?

[Peyton Moreland]

Avengers.

[Garrett Moreland]

Hello?

[Peyton Moreland]

Ok, honestly, who's.

[Garrett Moreland]

Whose idea was that? If I get a DM from one of you guys and you try to justify it, justify this, I'm gonna be just absolutely distraught because there is no way you can explain to me why they did that. But there is no way that you agree with that. There's no way.

[Peyton Moreland]

No. I mean, I can see like where they were going with it. Like this is the worst of the worst.

[Garrett Moreland]

But I'm just in my mind, I'm like, you killed someone.

[Peyton Moreland]

Yeah. Granted, premeditated murder.

[Garrett Moreland]

Correct. If it's premeditated, if you planned it, I don't. You killed someone. I'm not talking about manslaughter. I'm not talking about other instances of passion like premeditated murder. If you planned it, it's also like game over.

[Peyton Moreland]

I probably should have looked this up, but, like, low key. You're telling me if there was a mass killing in Oregon and none of the victims were under the age of

[Garrett Moreland]

14, they would just be second degree murder? Yeah. I need explanation. Someone explain. Thank you.

[Peyton Moreland]

I'm sure that's happened. I'm sure there's an answer. I just didn't look it up. Yeah, but one thing about true crime. Like, one of the discoveries I've made while doing this podcast is that, holy cow, some states have some weird laws. Like, some specific states. You would think these laws are so outdated. They are. And you're just like, what? So police at this point, still build their case against him. Now, shortly after the charges are filed, police secure a search warrant for Steven's home. And when I tell you this search warrant, okay, you're. You're. You're entering a stalker's home, they find some pretty weird things. First of all, there is a framed picture of Tanya next to Steven's bed. There were a few keepsakes from the short time they were together. They find women's underwear, love notes he had written her. And even though their relationship had only lasted a few months, the letters made it seem like he and Tanya had been in this romantic relationship for years, like, love bombing. They also found a giant cardboard cutout of Steven himself. Well, actually, it was a cutout of his face pasted on to a very ripped and oiled male body with a dog paw tattoo over his heart, which, like. But what police really needed, obviously, was access to the maroon van. While doing this, they order a forensic analysis on his suv, like his other car. And it shows that he's made a lot of trips to Home Depot, of course. And those trips increased as it got closer to the time of Kenny's murder, including several trips on the day of the murder. So detectives take a little trip over to the store. They ask about any unusual activity, and shockingly, one of the security people is like, yeah, there were two cars in the lot that had been flagged after being left there for a while. One was a blue car and the other a maroon minivan. So they check the security footage, and sure enough, on the day of Kenny's murder, they see a white suv, identical to Steven's, pull into the Home Depot parking lot. A guy gets out of the driver's seat and into the maroon minivan and drives away. So this is where he was storing his getaway car. He bought a pair of safety glasses that was the same pair seen, like the red tint.

[Garrett Moreland]

Yeah.

[Peyton Moreland]

He also found the hard hat. Here's the problem, though. The cars, like the blue car and the maroon car, are no longer in the parking lot. They discover they've been sent to a scrapyard. They head over. Employees tell them it's too late. Exactly one week ago, the car was smashed to pieces.

[Garrett Moreland]

Okay?

[Peyton Moreland]

As was their one hope of maybe finding a crime scene. But the search for more evidence isn't a total wash. Turns out Kenny's hands were covered in DNA from fighting back. And all of the DNA on his hands belonged to Stephen Milner. So this is a pretty solid piece of evidence. So they go to trial. He pleads not guilty. He says he believed he was rescuing Tanya from an abusive marriage and that he went there to confront Kenny. And when he confronted him, Kenny attacked him. And so he killed him in self defense. I mean, despite the fact that they know for sure that he spray painted the camera. Yeah, and got a fake car to go confront him. He also said he eventually broke his neck. Steven Milner was found guilty of second degree murder, stalking, and violating his protective order. He was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 25 years. So he did get possibility of parole in November of 2025. Stephen also agreed to a 1.2 million dollar settlement with Kenny's estate. And while the harassment, threats and intimidation might have stopped, so did the life Tanya once knew. I mean, this was her husband, Someone who she had been with for decades. This is the only person who knew what she had been through. I mean, Tanya's paying for her mistakes at a very high price. And despite the mistakes she made, no one deserves that. We deserve a second chance, an opportunity to move on and grow. But sometimes it's not the mistake itself that sets us back. It's the person tied to that mistake that forces us to keep reliving it over and over and over again. Just ruining your life one day at a time. And that is the murder of Kenneth Vandrick.

[Garrett Moreland]

Poor guy. I mean, that sucks. I mean, I know it sucks for her too, but I mean, Kenny got killed, so, yeah, once again, affects so many people. And Steven's a freaking psycho.

[Peyton Moreland]

And I. I think the obvious way to go here is to feel a lot of anger and blame towards Tanya.

[Garrett Moreland]

I mean, she didn't come.

[Peyton Moreland]

And this is the thing. While I understand where that is coming from, again, like Garrett just said, one person killed Kenny, and that was Stephen Milner. So let's hold him responsible and acknowledge that everyone makes mistakes. And like I said, everyone deserves a second chance.

[Garrett Moreland]

Dude, Steven's nuts. He's probably loving prison.

[Peyton Moreland]

He has a chance of parole in 25 years.

[Garrett Moreland]

25 years?

[Peyton Moreland]

I mean, yeah, he'll be old.

[Garrett Moreland]

Yeah, he can't. He can't come after me. I got it. Oh, I can handle him.

[Peyton Moreland]

There's just an 89 year old crawling in Tanya's front lawn.

[Garrett Moreland]

Come get me anyways.

[Peyton Moreland]

All right, you guys, that was our episode. For this week, and we will see you next time with another one. I love it.

[Garrett Moreland]

I hate it.

[Peyton Moreland]

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