According to the woman’s testimony on Monday, a retired Oregon City veterinarian who is accused of killing his ex-lover’s husband harassed and stalked her and her husband so much that they put security cameras on their property, routinely checked their cars for tracking devices, and were afraid to leave their house.
Tanya Fandrich, who worked for Steven Milner and had a brief affair with him, gave dramatic testimony as the 57-year-old Steven Milner murder trial got underway in Washington County Circuit Court on Monday.
Prosecutors claim that Milner’s long history of tormenting the couple culminated in her killing her husband, Kenneth Fandrich, 56, on January 27, 2023, in the Intel parking lot.
Milner was accused by the prosecution of carrying out a planned murder of Fandrich, who was discovered with a broken neck in his automobile.
Attorneys for Milner contended that he acted in self-defense and that his intention was to save Tanya Fandrich from harm.
In her opening statement, defense attorney Amanda Alvarez Thibeault informed jurors that Milner had documented Tanya Fandrich’s severe bruises from her husband’s abuse and that Milner was aware of Kenneth Fandrich’s overt threats against his wife.
Thibeault informed jurors that Mr. Milner thought Tanya Fandrich was in imminent danger from Kenneth Fandrich.
Tanya Fandrich testified that she and Milner had an affair spanning several months in 2017 and that she suffered from domestic violence at the hands of her 30-year spouse, which included large welts on her backside and bruising on her arm.
She stated in her testimony that she spent almost twenty years working at Milner’s clinic in Oregon City as a veterinary technician.
She claimed that even after she ended the relationship, Milner persisted in his relentless pursuit of her. She told jurors that she left his company in order to escape his attempts to manipulate her.
Milner would not leave the pair alone, she testified. In order to incite disagreement between the couple, Milner left a condom wrapper in their pickup and sneaked onto their Oregon City property to install tracking devices on their vehicles, she testified.
She said that Milner had installed eight trackers on their vehicles and that home security cameras had repeatedly captured him on their property.
She claimed that we were always locating trackers.
Milner allegedly followed her about, waiting for her at work and writing her letters. He was constantly attempting to prove to me that he was superior to Kenny, she claimed.
She claimed that she could not stand the amount of violence and retaliation he displayed in an attempt to separate her from her spouse.
Judge Erik Buchr urged her to move her chair closer to the microphone so that her testimony could be properly captured because she talked so softly.
According to Tanya Fandrich, the pair kept in close contact with one another because they were afraid of Milner. At the end of their workdays, she added, they talked on their phones and communicated their locations before leaving for their automobiles.
I’m safe in my car, she said, and her husband will text her.
She claimed that without going out together, we didn’t even feel secure enough to let the dogs out via our own back door.
Tanya Fandrich testified that she became anxious on the day of Kenneth Fandrich’s passing when she was unable to get in touch with him after work.
She claimed to have driven through the neighboring streets and the parking garage on her way to Intel from the couple’s house. Her husband was still on the Intel campus, according to the tracking on her phone. She dialed 911.
Tanya Fandrich and an officer were seen waiting together as another officer looked on her husband’s car, according to body-worn camera evidence from Hillsboro police that the prosecutors played.
The footage showed her falling to her knees in distress at one point.
She said, “There is no way this could be real, that this could be happening.”
One of the officers inquired as to whether he had been experiencing any problems recently.
No, however based on the video, she claimed that he has a stalker.
She was approached by an officer who verified that her husband had been discovered dead in his Honda Civic.
Photographs given to jurors during Monday’s hearings showed Kenneth Fandrich sitting in the front seat of his automobile, with his hands on his lap, a wedding band on his ring finger, and a little bloodstain on the collar of his Grateful Dead T-shirt.
According to an autopsy, blunt compression injuries to the neck was the cause of death.
Wearing a black suit, Milner sat between his attorneys, Thibeault and Benjamin Kim, during the trial.
Washington County sheriff’s deputies took the chains from Milner’s wrists and waist before escorting him to his seat before the jury was brought into the crowded courtroom for the day. While awaiting trial, he has been detained in the Washington County Jail.
It is not anticipated that he will testify on his own behalf.
On Tuesday, Tanya Fandrich’s testimony is anticipated to resume. Two weeks are allotted for the experiment.
Criminal justice is the area of expertise for enterprise reporter Noelle Crombie. You can reach her at [email protected] or 503-276-7184.
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