HILLSBORO, Ore- On January 22, 2025, a Washington County jury found Steven Neil Milner guilty of murder in the second degree, stalking, and violating a court’s stalking protective order (seven counts). Senior Deputy District Attorney John Gerhard and Deputy District Attorney Mahalee Streblow prosecuted this case before Judge Erik Buchér.
The defendant was a licensed veterinarian with a practice in Oregon City. He developed an intimate relationship with one of his longtime employees who was married to the victim in this case, Kenneth Fandrich. The victim learned of this affair which led to conflict with the defendant. When the woman ended her relationship with Mr. Milner, he became obsessed with her and began stalking her and the victim.
In March of 2022, the victim was granted a stalking protective order (SPO) after years of harassment from Mr. Milner, including the discovery of numerous GPS tracking devices that Mr. Milner attached to the victim’s and his wife’s vehicles. Home surveillance video also captured the defendant sneaking onto their property. Despite the SPO, the defendant continued to engage in stalking behavior. He installed another GPS tracking device on the Fandrich’s vehicles and followed the victim to his home in Oregon City and his workplace at Intel Ronler Acres in Hillsboro more than a dozen times. The defendant was criminally charged in Clackamas County (court case number 22CR41120) but continued the stalking behavior while on conditional release.
In October 2022, the defendant purchased an additional vehicle on Craigslist to begin stalking the victim at his workplace in Hillsboro more covertly. On December 13, 2022, the defendant was captured on Intel’s surveillance cameras as he arrived at a parking structure in the afternoon. While wearing a disguise, Mr. Milner used spray paint to tamper with several security cameras, including those covering the area where the victim usually parked, all to test Intel’s security response. The defendant then repeatedly showed up in the Intel parking structure to observe the victim’s patterns as he came and went from work. In early January 2023, the defendant purchased another vehicle using a false identity. The defendant used this vehicle to continue his covert surveillance of the victim at the Intel parking structure.
On January 27, 2023, the defendant used both of his “burner” vehicles to execute his plan of murdering the victim. The defendant entered the parking structure while in disguise, waited for the victim to park his car and walk into the Intel campus, and again spray-painted the security cameras surrounding the victim’s vehicle. He left the scene and returned in a second vehicle, a minivan, which he parked next to the victim’s car. He waited in the van until the victim got off work and returned to his car. After the victim reached his car, the defendant ambushed him from behind and executed a chokehold on him. After killing the victim, the defendant staged the victim’s body and belongings back in his car in an attempt to make it appear that the victim died of natural causes. Mr. Fandrich was later found dead in his vehicle, but an autopsy revealed injury to his neck and spine.
At trial, the defendant testified in his own defense. The defendant claimed that he acted in self-defense after he was attacked by the victim. The jury rejected the defendant’s claim.
The Washington County District Attorney’s Office commends the work of the Hillsboro Police Department and partner agencies on this case.
A sentencing hearing is scheduled for February 18th, 2025.
