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Leathers Oil Company murders

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Leathers Oil Company murders
Leathers Oil Company gas station c. 1994
DateJanuary 17, 1994 (1994-01-17)
LocationGresham, Oregon, U.S.
Coordinates45°29′14″N 122°23′56″W / 45.487357°N 122.398940°W / 45.487357; -122.398940
TypeMass murder
Deaths
  • Virginia Kay Endecott
  • Rosealie Fey-Girtz
  • Mary Beth Carey
AccusedTyrom Walter Thies
Convicted
  • Lawrence Benjamin Scherf
  • Lori Ann Stephens

The Leathers Oil Company murders refers to an unsolved mass murder that occurred in Gresham, Oregon, United States, on January 17, 1994. The victims were Virginia Kay Endecott (born July 15, 1946);[1] Rosealie Fey-Girtz (born September 17, 1942);[2] and Mary Beth Carey (born May 16, 1968),[3] each of whom were employed at the Leathers Oil Company gas station. Their bodies were discovered in a storage room on the premises, each having been shot to death. The station was also robbed of approximately US$9,000.

Tyrom Walter Thies (born April 14, 1973), a former employee at the gas station who had been terminated for stealing in August 1993, was charged with three counts of aggravated murder, but disappeared a few weeks after the victims' bodies were discovered. Thies' cousin, Lawrence Benjamin Scherf, as well as his friend, Lori Ann Stephens, were both convicted and served ten years in prison for their roles as accessories to the murders.

The case received national attention, and was profiled on the NBC documentary series Unsolved Mysteries and Fox Broadcasting Company series America's Most Wanted. The crime was branded one of the most notorious murders in the Pacific Northwest by The Oregonian in 2016.[4] As of 2021, the whereabouts of Thies remain unknown.[5]

Background

Tyrom Thies, a 20-year-old station manager of the Leathers Oil Company gas station in Gresham, Oregon, was suspended from his position on August 31, 1993, after allegedly stealing US$30 from the station.[5][6][7] Thies had begun working at the station on April 9, 1992.[8] After being terminated by the company's supervisor, Harry Staten, Thies returned the stolen money and formally apologized.[8]

Murders

Tyrom Thies
Thies c. 1993
Born
Tyrom Walter Thies

(1973-04-14)April 14, 1973
Oregon, U.S.[9]
DisappearedFebruary 9, 1994[10]
Portland, Oregon, U.S.
StatusMissing for 30 years, 9 months and 10 days
Height6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)[6]
Criminal chargeAggravated murder
Wanted since1994

On the morning of January 17, 1994, a customer entered the Leathers Oil Company gas station and discovered the bodies of three employees: Virginia Kay Endecott, Rosealie Fey-Girtz, and Mary Beth Carey.[11] Fey-Girtz was the mother-in-law of Carey.[6][12]

Approximately US$9,000 was taken from the station's safe and cash register.[6] Law enforcement determined that the victims had been taken into the storage garage of the station at gunpoint and ordered to lie face-down on the floor before each was shot in the back of the head, execution-style.[13]

A break in the case came on February 10, 1994, when an informant called law enforcement with a lead. Law enforcement received Thies' name the next day.[7] His Southeast Portland, Oregon, apartment was searched by law enforcement two days later.[10]

On February 16, 1994, a Multnomah County judge signed an arrest warrant accusing Thies of three counts of aggravated murder, but law enforcement were unable to locate him. A federal warrant was issued the following day, claiming Thies fled to Idaho to avoid prosecution. Thies disappeared on February 9, according to the federal warrant's supporting complaint.[10] His friend, 23-year-old Lori Stephens, and cousin, 20-year-old Lawrence Scherf, were questioned by law enforcement in early February.[14] In an effort to locate Thies, notable physical details about his appearance were released to the public, specifically a distinctive tattoo of a black panther on his abdomen.[13] In a flyer published by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in 1994, it was noted that Thies may have used the alias Tyrom Walter Crozier.[9]

Arrests and convictions

Stephens was arrested on April 13, 1994, and charged with felony murder for driving the getaway vehicle from the crime scene.[15][16] Scherf, who was also in the vehicle, was arrested two days later.[5][14] Stephens and Scherf remained in the vehicle while Thies entered and exited the station.[17] According to Stephens's husband, she had driven both men to the gas station on the morning of the murders, but was unaware that Thies intended to rob the station.[11] Despite this, Stephens pleaded guilty to her charges on October 18, 1994.[18][19]

Both Stephens and Scherf were convicted and served ten years in prison for their roles in the murders. As part of a plea-bargained agreement for their reduced prison sentences, both Stephens and Scherf agreed to testify against Thies when he is brought to trial.[5][19][20] As of 2021, the whereabouts of Thies remain unknown. According to a 2011 profile of the case by America's Most Wanted, law enforcement assumed Thies was still alive and possibly still residing in the United States under a false identity.[13]

Publicity

The case was profiled on the NBC documentary series Unsolved Mysteries on January 13, 1995,[6] and also received attention on the Fox Broadcasting Company series America's Most Wanted.[13]

The crime was branded one of the most notorious murders in the Pacific Northwest by The Oregonian in 2016.[4]

References

  1. ^ State of Oregon. "Virginia Kay Endecott, 17 Jan 1994". Oregon Death Index, 1898-2008. Multnomah County, Oregon. Certificate number 94-01207 – via Oregon State Archives and Records Center, Salem. Closed access icon
  2. ^ State of Oregon. "Rosealie Fey-Girtz, 17 Jan 1994". Oregon Death Index, 1898-2008. Multnomah County, Oregon. Certificate number 94-01772 – via Oregon State Archives and Records Center, Salem. Closed access icon
  3. ^ State of Oregon. "Mary Beth Wheeler-Carey, 17 Jan 1994". Oregon Death Index, 1898-2008. Multnomah County, Oregon. Certificate number 94-01779 – via Oregon State Archives and Records Center, Salem. Closed access icon
  4. ^ a b Williams, Kale (September 13, 2016). "The notorious northwest: 39 crimes that rocked the region". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on February 12, 2021.
  5. ^ a b c d Button, Hannah (February 17, 2016). "Cold Case: Gresham's most gruesome murder". KOIN. Archived from the original on February 12, 2021.
  6. ^ a b c d e "Fugitive Hotline". Unsolved Mysteries. Season 7. Episode 13. January 13, 1995. NBC.
  7. ^ a b McCarthy, Nancy (February 18, 1994). "Police Sift Through 40 New Tips on Suspect in Gresham Killings". The Oregonian. p. C06.
  8. ^ a b "Former employee charged in killings". Albany Democrat-Herald. February 17, 1994. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ a b "Wanted by the FBI: Tyrom Walter Thies" (Wanted Flyer #562). Federal Bureau of Investigation. May 24, 1994. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
  10. ^ a b c McCarthy, Nancy (March 1, 1994). "Search for Thies Expanded". The Oregonian. p. B08.
  11. ^ a b "Man held in 3 slayings at gas station". Statesman Journal. April 16, 1994. p. 15 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ Hortsch, Dan; McCarthy, Nancy (January 19, 1994). "Gresham Police Narrow Time of Triple Homicide". The Oregonian. p. B03.
  13. ^ a b c d Brown, Robert (December 17, 2011). "Tyrom Walter Theis: An All-American Murder In Oregon". America's Most Wanted. Archived from the original on April 30, 2012.
  14. ^ a b McCarthy, Nancy (April 16, 1994). "Police Hold 2nd Suspect". The Oregonian. p. D01.
  15. ^ Seattle Times Staff (April 14, 1994). "Woman Held In Three Slayings". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on February 12, 2021.
  16. ^ McCarthy, Nancy; Hoover, Erin; Swensen, Julie (April 14, 1994). "Portlander Held in Leathers Oil Killings". The Oregonian. p. E01.
  17. ^ McCarthy, Nancy (June 21, 1994). "Police Say Suspect in Killings May be Dead". The Oregonian. p. B02.
  18. ^ "Drivers' sentence is 10 years". The World. October 19, 1994. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ^ a b McCarthy, Nancy (October 19, 1994). "Woman Draws 10 Years". The Oregonian. p. B01.
  20. ^ McCarthy, Nancy (October 6, 1994). "Retiring Gresham Police Captain Predicts Thies Will Surface". The Oregonian. p. D02.
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