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A Jackson County man who shot and killed two people at an East Evans Creek Road hemp farm in Rogue River in 2020 pleaded guilty Friday to charges in the case and will spend 20 years in prison, plus post-prison supervision.

Joshua Robert Miller, 39, entered a plea of guilty to two counts of first-degree manslaughter and two counts of second-degree abuse of a corpse from an incident that occurred Nov. 4, 2020, according to a news release from the Jackson County District Attorney’s office Friday afternoon.

Jackson County sheriff’s deputies, along with officers from the Rogue River Police Department, responded to the scene at the hemp farm, and witnesses told law enforcement that Miller had shot victims Shane Roork and Duane Roork, and that Miller had left the scene with their bodies, according to the DA’s office.

Members of the Jackson County Major Assault and Death Investigation Unit (MADIU), comprising detectives from Oregon State Police, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, Medford Police Department, Central Point Police Department, Ashland Police Department and the Jackson County District Attorney’s Office, responded.

“Law enforcement started their investigation and activated SWAT to begin a manhunt for an armed suspect,” the release said. “The United States Marshals Service also responded to assist with the manhunt. Ultimately, Miller was taken into custody at a nearby residence in the early morning hours of November 6, 2020.”

The DA’s office said law enforcement located and interviewed numerous witnesses who were at the scene, and ultimately, learned that Duane and Shane Roork had arrived at the property in the afternoon of Nov. 4, 2020, to retrieve property belonging to Duane Roork.

“Joshua Miller was agitated at what he perceived as an unexpected arrival, and the arrival of a second unexpected vehicle shortly thereafter. Miller and Duane Roork engaged in a heated exchange regarding money and, according to witnesses, Miller then shot Duane and Shane,” the release said. “He also fired on the second vehicle as it fled the location. He then loaded the bodies into a side-by-side and left the scene without attempting to notify law enforcement of the shooting.

“Multiple witnesses stated that they did not believe that the victims were a threat to Miller. The victims’ bodies were located the next day approximately a half-mile from the scene on BLM land,” according to the DA’s office.

Authorities said that when Miller was interviewed, “he told investigators that his belief was that he was being threatened by Duane and Shane Roork, that he believed there were others present that were armed, and that he acted in self-defense.”

According to the DA’s office, evidence at the scene, as well as some conflicting witness statements regarding the identity of people who were present at the time of the shooting, the timeline of events, and other key details, complicated the ultimate issue of disproving self-defense in this case, which the state would be required to do at trial.

Miller’s sentence also includes three years of post-prison supervision. Additionally, he was ordered to pay restitution for funeral costs.

The victims’ family was consulted during the plea negotiations, the DA’s office said.