A wealthy veterinarian's years-long, dangerous obsession culminated in a brutal car park murder, a court has heard, after he could not accept the end of an affair with his employee.
A Chilling Discovery in the Car Park
On a cold Friday in January 2023, a woman named Tanya reported her husband, 56-year-old Kenneth "Kenny" Fandrich, missing. He had not returned home from his job as a contract fitter at a tech company near Portland, Oregon. Tanya told police his phone was still pinging from the multi-storey car park at his workplace and expressed her fear that a stalker was involved.
Officers, accompanied by Tanya, rushed to the location. They found Kenny slumped in the driver's seat of his black Honda Civic, appearing asleep. Tragically, he was dead. The scene showed little sign of violence; his lunch box, keys, and phone were neatly placed on the passenger seat. An autopsy later revealed the grim truth: Kenny died from blunt and compressive trauma to the neck on 27 January 2023.
The Masked Man and a Campaign of Terror
Security footage unlocked the sequence of events. At 7am on the day of the murder, a masked man wearing red mirror-tinted glasses and a hard hat was seen spray-painting multiple cameras blue. Later, a maroon Dodge van with no front licence plate was captured parking next to Kenny's space. At 3.21pm, as Kenny approached his car, his headlights flashed—police believe this was the moment he was ambushed, dragged into the van, and killed.
Tanya identified the prime suspect immediately: her former boss and ex-lover, Dr Steven Milner, a 58-year-old veterinarian. She revealed a long-running affair that began in 2017 and ended when Kenny discovered it. After the breakup, Milner's fixation turned sinister. He began a relentless stalking campaign against Kenny, which included:
- Threatening phone calls and following him.
- Installing tracking devices on Kenny's car, caught on home security footage.
- Making a chilling threat: "Hey, I’m a veterinarian. I’ve done surgeries and I have the tools to chop you up into little pieces."
Despite Kenny obtaining protection orders and Milner facing stalking charges, the harassment escalated. In March 2022, Milner followed Kenny on a 45-minute drive, leading to a police intervention where Milner claimed he was "protecting" Tanya.
Justice Served After a Calculated Killing
When police brought Milner in for questioning, they noted a scratch on his nose concealed with makeup and a distinctive forehead crease matching the masked assailant. His vehicle's GPS data placed him at a Home Depot in Oregon City on the day of the murder, where he accessed a maroon minivan purchased under a fake identity—his "burner" car for surveillance.
During his trial, which began on 13 January 2025, the prosecution argued Milner had executed a calculated plan. He had conducted a "dummy run" a month earlier, spray-painting cameras to test security, and studied Kenny's routines. Milner's DNA was found on Kenny's hands. While Milner claimed Kenny attacked him first, leading to an accidental death during a fight, the jury was unconvinced.
Tanya testified to Milner's possessive obsession, describing how he made her and Kenny prisoners in their own home. On 18 February 2025, Steven Milner was sentenced to life in prison, with the possibility of parole after 25 years, for second-degree murder and stalking.
Once known for his compassion towards animals, Milner will now be remembered for a fatal obsession that destroyed multiple lives.
