Anna Repkina, a 27-year-old White woman from Moscow, Russia, had her life tragically cut short in a remote, wooded area of Alsea, Oregon. Her body was discovered on April 17, 2017, by a caretaker walking his dog on a logging road. She had been killed by a single shotgun blast to the back of the head. Investigators found various pieces of trash scattered near her body, including a crucial clue: a KFC receipt that would lead them to her killer.
The receipt belonged to a man named Kevin Thomas, who told police he had recently shared a meal with his friend, William Hargrove. Thomas also informed them that Hargrove had borrowed a shotgun and never returned it. This information immediately made William Hargrove the prime suspect. The investigation soon unraveled a complicated love triangle. Repkina had met Hargrove on a dating website and moved to Oregon to marry him, unaware that he was simultaneously involved in a long-term relationship with a married woman named Michelle Chavez.
The motive for the murder, as presented by prosecutors, was an ultimatum given to Hargrove by Chavez: choose between her or Repkina. Hargrove allegedly made his choice on April 16, 2017, when he drove Repkina to the secluded logging road and shot her. In the days following her death, Hargrove used Repkina's bank card to withdraw money, making purchases that included LEGOs and cigars. He also sent text messages to Repkina's phone, feigning concern for her whereabouts, and bizarrely researched time travel online in an apparent attempt to "correct a horrible mistake."
William Hargrove was arrested and charged with Anna Repkina's murder. During his trial in October 2019, his defense attorney attempted to shift the blame to Michelle Chavez, suggesting she was the one who killed Repkina out of jealousy. However, a jury found Hargrove guilty of murder, identity theft, and two counts of second-degree theft. He was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 25 years. Although his conviction was later overturned on appeal due to a flawed search warrant, he was reconvicted in a new trial in June 2025 and received the same sentence.
