An Oregon man has been charged with killing his mother in November as he tried to rob her – and police have now launched an investigation into the deaths of his sister and her husband.
Robin Hethorn, 30, of Monmouth, was taken into police custody on Friday for the November 9, 2022 murder of his mother, Theresa Hethron, 62, a beloved educator and grandmother of six.
According to court documents, Monmouth Police have named Hethorn a person of interest after his mother’s “suspicious” death in an alleged robbery attempt.
Police also charged Hethorn with stealing his mother’s car and committing identity theft.
Theresa Hethorn would have been a fixture in the community, working in the Dallas School District as an English teacher and director of migrant education, winning several accolades for her work.
Her daughter, Kali Lou Roque, 37, was the representative of her mother’s estate after her murder.
She and her husband Juan Roque-Delaguarda, 37, were found dead inside their home in Salem, Oregon on March 30.
The double murder case is still under investigation and police have not publicly stated whether it is linked to Theresa Hethorn’s homicide.
Daniel Hethorn, another of Theresa’s sons, said the death had devastated his family, who are demanding that Robin Hethorn be kept in prison until the end of the trial.
“I must insist for the safety of my family, my friends and my community that you do not release Robin from prison before his trial is complete,” Daniel said in a statement read during Friday’s court proceedings.
“Our whole family has been under incredible stress for the past five months fearing that Robin will be released and hurt one of us. That giant weight around our necks finally got a little lighter with Robin finally loaded up.
Friday’s grand jury charged Hethorn with second-degree murder, first-degree auto theft, first-degree larceny and impersonation in connection with his mother’s death.
In February, Hethorn was found guilty in an unrelated case of fourth-degree strangulation and assault for an attack on a man in 2021.
Court documents questioned his mental fitness to continue his trial.
