Veterinarian Had an Affair with a Married Woman. When She Cut Ties, He Became Obsessed and Murdered Her Husband
Steven N. Milner followed Kenneth Fandrich to his home and his job more than a dozen times, prosecutors said
Washington County Distric Attorney's Office
Steven N. MilnerAn Oregon veterinarian accused of stalking and killing the husband of a woman with whom he'd had an affair has been found guilty of his murder.
On Jan. 22, Steven N. Milner was convicted of seven counts including second-degree murder, stalking and violating a court’s stalking protective order in connection with the 2023 death of Kenneth Fandrich, according to a press release from the Washington County District Attorney’s Office.
Prosecutors said Milner, a licensed veterinarian with a practice in Oregon City, Ore., had an affair with Fandrich’s wife, who was also Milner’s longtime employee. In time, Fandrich learned of the affair and his wife cut ties with Milner. After this, Milner became "obsessed" with Fandrich and his wife and began stalking both of them for years, prosecutors said.
A spokesperson for the Washington County District Attorney’s Office confirmed to PEOPLE that Milner is 58 years old and Fandrich was 57 at the time of his death.
In March 2022, Fandrich was granted a stalking protective order (SPO) against Milner after finding “numerous GPS tracking devices” on the couple’s cars and surveillance video showing Milner sneaking onto their property, according to the district attorney’s office.
However, the order didn’t stop Milner’s behavior. Prosecutors said Milner installed another GPS tracking device on Fandrich’s cars and followed him to his home in Oregon City and to his job at Intel in Hillsboro, Ore., more than a dozen times.
Using a fake identity, Milner even bought two cars on Craigslist and used those vehicles to watch Fandrich from the parking lot as he came and went from work, according to the district attorney’s office.
Then on Jan. 27, 2023, Milner, wearing a disguise, watched Fandrich park his car and walk into the building, before spray painting nearby security cameras, according to prosecutors. Milner left and then returned to the scene, waiting for Fandrich in a minivan parked next to the victim’s car.
Once Frandrich got off work and got to his car, prosecutors said Milner ambushed him from behind and put him in a chokehold, killing him.
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“After killing the victim, the defendant staged the victim’s body and belongings back in his car in an attempt to make it appear that the victim died of natural causes,” the release states.
According to prosecutors, Fandrich was later found dead in his car, but an autopsy revealed injuries to his neck and spine.
Milner testified during his trial that he acted in self-defense after he was attacked by Fandrich. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 18.
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