On a late morning in the Centennial neighborhood of Southeast Portland, the life of Michael Scott Hoven, a 45-year-old Caucasian male, was brought to a violent end. On September 23, 2016, residents near a cul-de-sac on Southeast 162nd Avenue were startled by the sound of gunshots just before 11:00 a.m. and quickly alerted authorities. Police and medical personnel descended upon a residence in the 1700 block of the street, where they discovered Hoven inside, having succumbed to multiple gunshot
wounds. The Oregon State Medical Examiner would later confirm his cause of death.
As homicide detectives began their investigation, witnesses reported seeing a man and a woman fleeing from the house after the shooting. A suspicious vehicle, possibly connected to the crime, was later found abandoned several blocks away. The investigation into Hoven's death soon pointed to two individuals. Less than a month later, on October 21, 2016, police in Vancouver, Washington, responded to a prowler call and came into contact with 38-year-old Felauai Satele. A background check revealed he had an outstanding warrant for murder in connection with Hoven's death, and he was promptly arrested. A second suspect, Jessica Lynne Hutchinson, was also identified and taken into custody.
The subsequent investigation and court proceedings revealed the incident was a planned robbery that turned deadly. According to court documents, Satele and Hutchinson had plotted to rob Hoven, who they believed kept narcotics and money at his home. Surveillance footage showed Hutchinson driving a vehicle to Hoven's residence with Satele and a third individual. Hutchinson entered the house first, followed shortly by Satele, who concealed his face with a hood. Inside, Satele brandished a firearm, leading to an exchange of gunfire with Hoven. During the shootout, Hoven was fatally wounded, while Satele was hit in the hand, side, and leg, and Hutchinson was shot in the arm. The two suspects then fled the scene. In April 2019, Felauai Satele was sentenced to 276 months in prison after pleading guilty to charges including manslaughter in the first degree with a firearm.
