In the early morning hours of February 16, 2014, the quiet town of Canby, Oregon, was disturbed by the sound of a crashing SUV. Inside the vehicle, which had careened through a parking lot before striking a power pole, was the body of 43-year-old Edward Kelly Spangler, a male from Grants Pass. It was quickly apparent that this was no ordinary car accident; Spangler had been shot, and what initially looked like a hit-and-run was soon revealed to be a homicide.
Investigators would uncover a tangled plot of drugs, robbery, and a connection to a family with a dark history of violence.
The investigation into Spangler's death led detectives to a nearby apartment complex on South Locust Street, where they believe he had been involved in a drug deal. It was there that a plan to rob him of 15 pounds of marijuana went horribly wrong. Three main suspects were soon identified and arrested in connection with the murder and robbery: Michael A. Orren, then 27, Shannon Bettencourt, 32, and Francis Weaver, 31.
Police identified Michael A. Orren as the gunman who pulled the trigger, fatally wounding Spangler in the face and shoulder. Orren later pleaded guilty to aggravated murder. Francis Weaver, the stepson of the notorious child killer Ward Weaver, was found to have provided the gun used in the killing. Though not the shooter, his involvement in the robbery plot led to a murder conviction, and he was sentenced to life in prison. Weaver expressed remorse, stating that Spangler's death was not intended. Shannon Bettencourt was also convicted of robbery for her role in the scheme and was sentenced to more than seven years in prison. The investigation revealed that the suspects had been tracking Spangler for hours, with Weaver and Orren exchanging text messages just before the deadly confrontation in the apartment building's back parking lot.
