Police have now launched an investigation into the deaths of his sister and her husband after an Oregon man was charged with killing his mother while robbing her in November.
Theresa Hethron, 62, a beloved teacher and grandmother of six, was killed on November 9, 2022. Robin Hethorn, 30, of Monmouth, was apprehended on Friday.
Hethorn was listed as a person of interest by Monmouth police following the “suspicious” death of his mother during an alleged robbery attempt, according to court documents.
Police also charged Hethorn with stealing his mother’s car and using a false identity.
Theresa Hethorn, who worked for the Dallas School District as a director of migrant education and a teacher of English language learners, was reportedly well-known in the neighborhood. She received numerous honors for her achievements.
After her mother was killed, her 37-year-old daughter Kali Lou Roque was acting as the executor of her mother’s estate.
On March 30, she and her husband Juan Roque-Delaguarda, 37, were both discovered dead in their Salem, Oregon, home.
Police have not publicly stated whether or not there is a connection between the double homicide and the killing of Theresa Hethorn because the case is still being investigated.
Another of Theresa’s sons, Daniel Hethorn, expressed how devastated his family was by the deaths and demanded that Robin Hethorn be held in custody until the verdict of the case.
Daniel made a statement that was read aloud in court on Friday: “I must insist that you not release Robin from jail before the conclusion of his trial for the safety of my family, friends, and community.”
“Over the past five months, we have all experienced unimaginable stress because we have worried that Robin will be released and hurt one of us. With Robin finally being charged, the enormous weight around our necks has at last started to loosen just a little.
Hethorn was charged with second-degree murder, first-degree robbery, vehicle theft, first-degree theft, and identity theft in connection with the passing of his mother by the grand jury on Friday.
Hethorn was found guilty of fourth-degree assault and strangulation in February in a separate case involving an assault on a man in 2021.
His mental competency to proceed with the trial was contested in court documents.