Murder cases pile up in Southern Oregon; 2 men, 2 teens face fresh charges within past week

Published 12:49 pm Wednesday, June 11, 2025

By BUFFY POLLOCK and TROY HEIE / Rogue Valley Times

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Chad Allen McPherson, 32, of Prospect, is charged with second-degree murder and felon in possession of a firearm and is lodged in the Jackson County Jail without bail in connection to a murder investigation outside Prospect. (Oregon State Police)

Authorities, grand jury have brought charges, indictments in 5 murder cases since the end of 2024

Two Southern Oregon men and a pair of teenagers have been arrested since Friday on murder charges involving three deaths.

Since the beginning of 2025, there have been four investigations that resulted in murder charges being filed and Jackson County Grand Jury indictments from cases in Medford, Phoenix and rural Prospect, according to police and Jackson County Circuit Court records, with a fifth case making headlines in Central Point on Veterans Day late in 2024.

Prospect man faces 2nd-degree murder charge

Jackson County Sheriff’s Office detectives are investigating a suspicious shooting death that occurred Thursday, June 5, outside Prospect, according to a news release issued Tuesday night.

Patrol deputies responded to a call for a victim with a gunshot wound at 1:27 a.m. at a residence in the 2000 block of Shelly Drive, the sheriff’s office said, and deputies detained a suspect when they arrived on scene.

“A Mercy Flights ambulance transported the victim to a local hospital where he succumbed to his injuries,” according to the release.

The victim has been identified as JR Anthony Monteleone III, 47, of Prospect.

The suspect, Chad Allen McPherson, 32, of Prospect, is charged with second-degree murder and felon in possession of a firearm and is lodged in the Jackson County Jail without bail. The Jackson County Grand Jury indicted McPherson Tuesday on all charges.

The Oregon State Police Crime Lab, OSP detectives, JCSO Search and Rescue personnel and the Jackson County District Attorney’s Office responded to assist with the investigation, according to the sheriff’s office.

“The timing of this release was delayed so JCSO Search and Rescue volunteers could conduct an evidence search,” the release said. “The SAR team searched the area on Monday, June 9, and successfully located critical evidence.”

McPherson has an extensive criminal record dating back to 2009, according to Jackson County Circuit Court records. He amassed more than a dozen wildlife and hunting violations between 2009 and 2018. Non-hunting-related charges include multiple first-, second- and third-degree theft charges in 2017 and 2018; various traffic crimes including unauthorized use of a vehicle and driving while suspended between 2015 and 2020; five felon in possession of firearm charges since 2018; possession of methamphetamine in 2017, 2018 and 2020; and unlawful manufacture of marijuana in 2023.

A pair of scheduled court dates for McPherson on June 13 and 18 — pending court-appointed counsel — are shown as canceled in court records. No other dates have been set.

William Irvin Hastings, 60, was arrested Friday morning after he was pulled over on Highway 62 near Vilas Road in Medford. Hastings is charged with second-degree murder and first-degree abuse of a corpse in connection to a suspicious death near Phoenix on June 2. He did not enter a plea Monday during a video link from the Jackson County Jail because of a lack of legal counsel. His next court appearance is set for Monday, June 16. (KDRV pool photo)

Man charged with 2nd-degree murder in Phoenix case

An Eagle Point man facing a second-degree murder charge will appear in circuit court next week.

William Irvin Hastings, 60, was arrested Friday morning after he was pulled over on Highway 62 near Vilas Road in Medford. Hastings is charged with second-degree murder and first-degree abuse of a corpse in connection to a suspicious death near Phoenix on June 4.
Hastings, appearing Monday via video link from the Jackson County Jail where he remains held without bail, did not enter a plea due to a lack of legal counsel. He is scheduled for a hearing at 4 p.m. Monday.

The victim has been identified as 60-year-old Julie Renee Hastings who, according to court records, married Hastings in September 2023. Julie Hastings petitioned for divorce from Hastings in May and had an active restraining order in place, records show.

“The investigation began after JCSO Patrol deputies responded to a welfare check (on the evening of June 4) at a residence in the 4000 block of South Pacific Highway outside of Phoenix,” according to the sheriff’s office. “JCSO deputies forced entry into the residence, found the victim deceased, and identified suspicious circumstances at the scene.”
Prior to the weekend, Hastings only charges listed in Jackson County court records included a pair of traffic infractions in 1992 and 1999.

Family members of Julie Preston Hastings have set up a GoFundMe account to help with funeral and related expenses.

Teens face 2nd-degree murder charges in Medford school parking lot homicide
Medford police arrested two teens on Tuesday — a 15-year-old female and a 17-year-old male — in connection to the death of a 26-year-old Medford man who was found deceased with what appeared to be multiple gunshot wounds Sunday morning in the Wilson Elementary School parking lot on Johnson Street in east Medford.

According to police reports, officers responded at 6:21 a.m. Sunday to a report of a man down in the school parking lot. Detectives obtained surveillance video from nearby residences and the school, showing that the shooting occurred around 11:30 p.m. Saturday. No calls for service related to suspicious activity or gunshots were received during that time, according to police. The Southern Oregon High Tech Crimes Task Force collaborated with Medford School District personnel and school resource officers to identify both teen suspects, who will not be identified due to their age. Police declined to identify the victim at the request of the family.

A makeshift memorial had appeared in the school parking lot on Tuesday.

Homeless Medford man killed in Lowe’s parking lot; suspect indicted
Earlier this year, Medford resident Rory Pomeroy, 36, was found dead with a head injury on April 25 in the Lowe’s Home Improvement store parking lot off Crater Lake Avenue in north Medford.

Christopher Shane Boyce, 34, was indicted May 2 by the Jackson County Grand Jury on charges of second-degree murder and first-degree manslaughter. Boyce is set for a pretrial hearing Nov. 24.

Central Point man faces 2nd-degree murder charge for Veteran’s Day killing

In late 2024, Medford resident William Carl Fromback, 46, was arrested by Central Point police on Nov. 8, accused of fatally shooting Central Point resident Devery Allen Bynum, 42, in his home on South 4th Street. Frombach fled the scene and then, police say, critically injured Central Point Elizabeth Hadley, who suffered gunshot wounds. Family members say Hadley still faces a long recovery.

Frombach was arrested less than an hour following the alleged crimes and was indicted Nov. 14.
Due in court on Monday, Frombach faces charges of second-degree murder, attempted second-degree murder, first-degree assault, first-degree aggravated animal abuse with a firearm, and felon in possession of a firearm.

Reach reporter Buffy Pollock at 458-488-2029 or buffy.pollock@rv-times.com. Follow her on Twitter @orwritergal. Reach Rogue Valley Times Editor Troy Heie at 458-488-2038 or troy.heie@rv-times.com.