A 36-year-old Oregon man allegedly murdered his girlfriend, her family, two of her friends and some of her pets before taking his own life. Benjamin Charles Parker is believed to have carried out the quintuple homicide at the weekend, according to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office.
The deceased, all found on a rural Portland property, were Parker’s girlfriend Stella Jade Kimsey, 26, her mother Rowan Karla Kimsey, 60, and her grandmother Mary Elizabeth Kimsey, 85. Stella’s best friend Linsey Mae Haraldsen, 26, and her partner Alvin Raymond Chu, 27, were also discovered dead at the scene. Two cats and two dogs were found unresponsive, while a third cat was euthanised due to its injuries, the Daily Mail reported.
Discovery by firefighters
Firefighters first discovered the alleged murders after responding to a vehicle fire at the Portland property on Saturday morning, called in by neighbours. The emergency responders then called the authorities at around 5.27 am after finding the bodies and suspecting foul play.
According to dispatch audio obtained by local news outlet KATU, a firefighter said: ‘We do have a deceased victim here. We are going to need law enforcement.’ Later, another transmission said: ‘We need a police unit, or a sheriff’s office unit code 3 at the scene. Just in case, we have two victims here.’ A third transmission added: ‘This is some suspicious circumstances certainly. So we’re going to take our hoses and get out of here, and let the sheriff’s office clear this.’
Suspect found dead
It was later reported that deputies found Parker dead inside his car in Enumclaw, Washington, three hours from the murder scene, from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. The gun was reportedly still in Parker’s hand when police discovered his body. Authorities had tracked his mobile after honing in on Parker as a suspect.
‘It is believed he [Parker] died by suicide. Detectives do not believe there is a danger to the public,’ Sheriff Caprice Massey said in a press conference on Monday. In the conference, Sheriff Massey also said that in over two decades of working in the area, she has never seen such a ‘complex’ scene. ‘I will say that in my 22 years here, I have not been a part of, or witnessed, a scene quite this complex, involving this type of an investigation. And I’m just going to lead in and say that I recognise that this incident is deeply concerning to our community. Our investigators are working to determine what happened, and we have dedicated every available resource to this case.’
Background and investigation
According to KATU, Parker did not have a criminal record in the state of Oregon. However, the outlet confirmed that the alleged perpetrator had a minor criminal record in Rhode Island, for allegedly driving with a suspended license in 2025 and possessing a stolen motor vehicle or parts in 2013.
The Sheriff’s office said on Monday that the rural property was owned by Rowan Kimsey, Stella’s mother. Rowan reportedly lived there with her daughter Stella and the suspect, Parker. Detectives also said they do not believe the killings were a random act of violence. Via Fox News, lead investigator Detective Mark Pavoni suggested the events unfolded after Parker and Stella had an argument towards the end of last week. The outlet reported that the disagreement resulted in Stella allegedly telling Parker to leave.
Then, on Sunday, Parker’s mother reportedly contacted detectives to report that her son had called her on Saturday evening from Enumclaw to confess the murders. The outlet claims that Parker told his mother the attack was premeditated, but that he had not planned on killing five people. Rather, it was alleged he had originally wanted to kill three. It was then reported that Parker did not want to face the consequences of five first-degree murder charges, leading to claims that he turned the gun on himself. The investigation is ongoing.
