Bio 

Ronald Howard Moen was born on February 23, 1937. By 1986, Moen had been married to Judith Ann Moen, though sources differ in wording on whether she was his wife or ex-wife at the time of the killings. The case centered on the breakdown of that relationship and the fatal shooting of Judith and her mother, Elizabeth Hazel Chatfield, inside Chatfield’s home in Marion County, Oregon.

Available court summaries indicate that the prosecution’s theory was that Moen killed Judith during a domestic dispute and then killed Hazel Chatfield when she became involved. Before the killings, court summaries also describe earlier conflict involving Judith, including an incident in which Moen allegedly threatened Judith and her son with a shotgun during an argument.

Murder Story

On March 14, 1986, Elizabeth Hazel Chatfield and Judith Ann Moen were found dead inside Chatfield’s home south of Salem, Oregon. Judith was Ronald Howard Moen’s ex-wife, and Elizabeth was Judith’s mother. Both women had been shot in the head.

Investigators found some signs that the house had been disturbed, but they did not believe burglary was the main motive because valuable items were left behind. The evidence pointed to a personal attack rather than a random break-in.

Prosecutors argued that Moen killed Judith during a domestic dispute and then killed Elizabeth when she became involved or tried to intervene. Judith also had other injuries, including a gunshot wound to the chest that was believed to have happened after she had already died.

Moen was arrested and charged with the killings. A Marion County jury convicted him of aggravated murder. On April 24, 1987, he was sentenced to death.

In 1990, the Oregon Supreme Court upheld Moen’s murder conviction but overturned his death sentence because of changes in death-penalty sentencing rules. Instead of facing a new death-penalty hearing, Moen was later resentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 30 years.