Bio

Michael James Hayward was born on June 27, 1975, and raised in Oregon. During his late adolescence, he gravitated toward counterculture groups in the Eugene area, particularly individuals associated with the subgenre of heavy metal known as "death metal." Although Hayward was not a musician himself, he spent significant time with local youth who ran a band and identified with extreme, morbid belief systems.

Interviews and court testimonies from his peers indicated that the group integrated graphic themes of violence and death into their daily philosophy. Accomplices described their shared mindset during this period as being deeply rooted in hostility, fixating extensively on macabre imagery and anti-social behavior. These dark thematic elements heavily influenced the group's interpersonal interactions and ultimately served as a psychological catalyst for real-world violence.

Murder Story

On April 10, 1994, Daniel Rabago, Jason Brumwell, Johl Brock, and Jason Brock met at Brumwell’s house and discussed committing a robbery. They decided to rob the Dari Mart on Royal Avenue in Eugene, Oregon. Their stated reason was to get money to buy marijuana.

The group first visited the store during the afternoon to see how many people were working and whether the store had surveillance cameras. Jason Brock later left for work and did not participate in the crimes that followed. Rabago, Brumwell, and Johl Brock then went to Michael James Hayward’s house and asked him if he wanted to join them. Hayward agreed.

The group drove around and discussed their plan. They listened to death metal music and talked about killing the people inside the store. Court records state that they also discussed whether they would carve satanic symbols on the victims’ bodies or leave a message written in blood on the wall.

Before going to the store, the group collected weapons from Rabago’s house. These included a dumbbell bar, a thin pointed metal bar, a chisel-type hammer, and a knife. They later returned to the Dari Mart close to closing time.

At about 10:35 p.m., Donna Ream, one of the clerks, saw Hayward standing outside the store window. He smiled and waved at her. A few minutes before 11:00 p.m., Hayward, Rabago, Brumwell, and Johl Brock entered the store.

Each person had an assigned role. Hayward and Johl Brock went toward the back of the store, where clerk Frances Wall was stocking the cooler. Brumwell and Rabago stayed near the front, where Donna Ream was working behind the check-out counter.

In the back of the store, Hayward struck Frances Wall in the back of the head with the pointed metal bar. She fell to the ground and tried to shield herself from further blows. Hayward struck her several more times with the bar. The blows shattered her skull. At some point, the pointed bar was pushed completely through Wall’s skull. She died at the scene.

At the front of the store, Brumwell threatened Ream and demanded money from the cash register. Ream handed over the money. She was then taken toward the back of the store. Hayward told the others to hit her. He said he had killed his victim and asked why Brumwell could not kill Ream.

Hayward and Brumwell attacked Ream with the metal bars. She tried to defend herself by raising her arms, but they continued striking her. She was hit more than 50 times, kicked, and stabbed. Both of her arms were broken in several places, a large part of her scalp was torn, she lost nearly half the blood in her body, and she suffered permanent damage to her arms and hands.

Ream escaped into the bathroom and tried to shut the door, but her injuries made it difficult. Hayward and Brumwell followed her and continued the attack. The assault stopped when the men heard the store bell indicating that someone had entered the front of the store. They fled.

Despite her injuries, Ream survived. She managed to call for help and ran across the street, where she collapsed inside a nearby home after the residents let her in. She later identified her attackers.

After the Dari Mart crimes, Hayward, Rabago, and Brumwell camped in the woods near Curtin, Oregon. While there, they discussed committing another crime and possibly another murder after Labor Day weekend. They were arrested at the camp shortly before Labor Day 1994. The uploaded source lists Hayward’s arrest date as September 2, 1994.

Hayward was charged in Lane County, Oregon. He was convicted of three counts of aggravated murder, one count of intentional murder, two counts of felony murder, two counts of attempted aggravated murder, one count of first-degree assault, one count of first-degree kidnapping, one count of first-degree robbery, and one count of first-degree burglary. The multiple murder counts related to the death of Frances Wall under different legal theories.

A jury sentenced Hayward to death in 1996. On July 24, 1998, the Oregon Supreme Court affirmed his convictions and death sentence. Later post-conviction challenges were also rejected.

Hayward remained under a death sentence for many years. However, in December 2022, Oregon Governor Kate Brown commuted the death sentences of all 17 people then on Oregon’s death row to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. Michael James Hayward was included in that group.