Ronald Joseph Kirk, 38, has been sentenced to life in prison with a minimum of 25 years for the murder of his 61-year-old mother, Rosa Leyva, whom he shot believing she was possessed by a demon. Leyva's body was found draped in pillowcases at the home they shared in Oregon.
Kirk was found guilty of second-degree murder and being a felon in possession of a firearm at Clackamas County Court on Tuesday. He intends to appeal the conviction.
Family Confrontation and Impact Statements
Tensions rose during the sentencing hearing when Kirk's two sons confronted him from the gallery. Andre Leyva told the court: "I forgive you. I love you because that's what God does, and I hope prison and God have mercy on your soul."
His older brother Antonio declined to offer forgiveness, stating: "I know others have already forgiven you, but I am very far from that. And my Grandma Leyva, I don't just miss her; it's more than that."
Rosa's sister, Michelle Guzman, delivered an emotional impact statement, saying: "These past two years have been the hardest years of our lives. Having to grieve and deal with the loss of our sister – a daughter, a grandmother, a friend – has broken, shattered, changed and impacted our lives forever."
Background and Fatal Shooting
The trial revealed that Kirk had become fixated on exorcisms and dark entities amid heavy drug and alcohol binges. Rosa had tried to intervene after years of angry meltdowns and erratic behaviour.
Video footage recorded weeks before the killing showed her pleading: "You're higher than a kite. Get some help, please." After repeatedly contacting police for protection, she tried to evict Kirk on November 7, 2024, texting him: "You need to leave. I don't want anyone in my own house."
On November 25, Kirk shot Rosa through the head with a single bullet as she sat at her laptop sipping wine. It remains unconfirmed whether he had taken drugs at the time of the attack. A month earlier, Kirk had left a voice message for his son claiming Rosa was "possessed" and admitting he had "almost" put a bullet through her head the previous day.
Discovery and Aftermath
After the shooting, Kirk remained in the property with the body until Rosa's absence from her clinic job raised concern the next morning. When police arrived for a welfare check, Kirk answered the door and told officers his mother had been dead inside "for about a day."
Officers found Rosa's body slumped over in a chair by the dining room table. Prosecutor Rusty Amos told the jury: "He sat there with his mother's dead body for a full day." Kirk will serve at least 25 years in jail.
