Woman was found dead in Oregon 27 years ago. Man accused in her death convicted again
A 60-year-old man has been convicted for the second time in the death of a woman who was killed 27 years ago in Oregon, officials said.
Billy Lee Oatney was sentenced to life in prison on charges of first-degree murder and sexual assault on Tuesday, Feb. 7, the Washington County District Attorney’s Office said in a news release.
Oatney met with 34-year-old Susi Larsen in 1996 to discuss making jewelry for her wedding, officials said in the release.
Larsen told friends she was meeting Oatney, then she disappeared, officials said. Her body was found two weeks later near Champoeg State Park in Marion County, officials said.
Oatney was charged and convicted in her death in 1998, but he was granted a new trial in 2015 after an appeals court determined his attorney had not provided “adequate representation at trial” in 1998 KGW reported.
Following his new three-week trial, the jury learned Oatney had been convicted of attempted murder in the 1980’s, officials said.
He was accused of stabbing a service member in the chest and slitting their throat while he was in the U.S. Navy, officials said. He served 12 years and six months in prison out of the 22 years he had been sentenced.
He was released from prison months before Larsen was killed, officials said.
Now 27 years later, Oatney was convicted for a second time in her death, and the judge used this past history to sentence him to life in prison without parole.
“Mr. Oatney is one of the most dangerous predators our office has prosecuted,” Chief Deputy District Attorney Bracken McKey said in the release. “Ensuring public safety and upholding justice for victims like Susi Larsen to the fullest extent is a top priority in Washington County — and our county is a safer place because of this conviction.
This story was originally published February 8, 2023 at 12:29 PM with the headline "Woman was found dead in Oregon 27 years ago. Man accused in her death convicted again."
