In the quiet town of Albany, Oregon, the morning of June 2, 2021, was shattered by the discovery of a local man's untimely death. Charles Thomas Mooney, a 38-year-old White/Caucasian male, was found deceased in his home on Willoway Drive. The initial call to dispatch came in at 8:49 a.m., and when deputies from the Linn County Sheriff's Office arrived, they confirmed the tragic scene.
It soon became clear that this was no accident; an investigation into a homicide was promptly initiated.
As detectives from the Linn County Major Crimes Team delved into the case, details began to emerge about the final moments of Charles Mooney's life. The investigation would later reveal that he had been shot while he was asleep in his own home. The focus of the investigation soon turned towards those closest to him, leading them to his ex-girlfriend, Tennisha Quin Bourne, who was 34 at the time. Investigators determined that she was involved in his death, and a warrant was issued for her arrest on a charge of second-degree murder. On July 20, 2021, Bourne was located and apprehended in Tacoma, Washington, by the Pierce County Sheriff's Office, who were responding to an unrelated call.
The investigation did not end with Bourne's arrest. Detectives continued to piece together the events that led to Mooney's death, and their persistence uncovered the involvement of a second individual. Billy Jack Robinson, then 41, was identified as another suspect in the murder. Investigators with the Linn County Sheriff's Office, working alongside the U.S. Marshals Service and local Washington State police departments, located Robinson in Port Orchard, Washington. He was arrested without incident on March 1, 2022, on a warrant for Murder in the Second Degree.
With both suspects in custody, the case proceeded through the legal system. Tennisha Quin Bourne and Billy Jack Robinson were tried for their roles in the death of Charles Mooney. On August 2, 2024, a Linn County jury found both individuals guilty of second-degree murder and criminal conspiracy. The successful prosecution was the result of extensive and collaborative efforts by the Linn County Sheriff's Office and the Linn County District Attorney's Office, bringing a measure of justice to a case that began with a quiet morning in Albany. Sentencing for both Bourne and Robinson was scheduled for August 6, 2024.
