Benton County jury finds love triangle murderer guilty

A 35-year-old man

accused of killing

his Russian fiancée eight years ago in the woods near Alsea was found guilty of murder for the second time.

A Benton County jury returned a guilty verdict for

William Chase Hargrove

at 2 p.m. Friday, June 6. Deliberations began around 2 p.m. the day before.

Hargrove was previously sentenced to life in prison for killing Anna Repkina, 27, on Easter in 2017. He was granted an appeal in 2023 that sent his case back to court. The hard-fought retrial was set for 24 days in court and was initially scheduled to wrap up last week.

The prosecution argued that Hargrove was caught in a love triangle and took Repkina to a remote area he used for shooting and camping, killing her with a shotgun blast to the back of the head after his girlfriend, Michelle Chavez, made him choose between the two women.

Hargrove said it was Chavez who killed Repkina, testifying that the two women were going to have a fist fight that day, but Chavez unexpectedly shot Repkina with a shotgun Hargrove borrowed from a friend and had ready in the back of his Nissan Xterra to defend against dangerous wildlife.

Chavez was not charged with any crimes in connection with Repkina’s murder.

Reacting to the verdict, defense attorney S. Amanda Marshall was critical of the investigation that led to Hargrove’s arrest, saying as she did during the trial that evidence potentially implicating Chavez in the murder was ignored as authorities focused on Hargrove from the get-go.

Marshall said the guilty verdict was the result of biased decision-making by law enforcement within hours of determining who was involved in the case.

“(They) ignored every single lead concerning the other suspect of this case, collected no evidence related to her, looked at her and helped her and coached her in all of her statements to the police,” she said.

“I understand that we want to punish somebody for a murder, and that at this point there’s no way that we can punish Michelle Chavez because the state has not done their job to investigate her, so the evidence is not preserved.

“This isn’t justice, and I think the citizens of Benton County should be wary if this is the type of evidence that convicts a person of murder beyond a reasonable doubt.”

Marshall also acknowledged her respect for prosecutor Amie Matusko in what was a back-and-forth legal battle over virtually every aspect of the case.

“I think that you saw a very evenly matched fight,” Marshall said. “I’m giving myself a compliment when I say that because I definitely respect the skill and experience of Miss Matusko.”

Marshall added that the prolific fights over evidence and testimony in the case will likely form the basis of a forthcoming appeal.

After the verdict, Matusko said twice now juries have made the right decision regarding Hargrove’s guilt. She said the seemingly endless stream of objections coming from both sides was an example of what happens when attorneys are doing their best to protect their case and make a strong record.

Matusko said she anticipated and expected an appeal from Hargrove if found guilty. She also acknowledged the marathon-like nature of the case, which is the longest she has tried. She said it went as smoothly as possible and everything that needed to come out did.

“Trials are tiring, and you’re putting in 14-to-16-hour days every day and on weekends because you want to do the best work and hold those guilty accountable,” Matusko said.