I would have asked “Who actually fell for that line of BS?” 🤔
OSP-elk poacher update
OSP got one out of Elgin:
On October 1, 2022, the opening day of the rifle deer season, deer hunters contacted Oregon State Troopers to advise they had located a deceased bull elk. The bull elk was located on private timber company lands off Kingsbury Lane north of Elgin, Oregon in the Wenaha Wildlife Management Unit. Fish and Wildlife Troopers responded to the scene and determined the bull elk had been shot from Kingsbury Lane with a rifle and had been left to waste. The elk had been shot a couple of days prior and no part of the elk had been removed or any attempt to salvage the meat had been taken.
With the public's assistance, Troopers developed a suspect in the case. Cody Murrill, (42) of Elgin, Oregon, was interviewed, cited, and released to appear in court for criminal charges of Unlawful Take of a Branch Antlered Bull Elk and Waste of Wildlife.
On January 20, 2023, Cody Murrill appeared in the Union County Circuit Court and plead guilty to the charges. He was sentenced to 10 days in jail; 12 months’ probation; forfeiture of the rifle used in the unlawful taking, and $440 in fines.
ORIGINAL on TWITTER
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Did you get that from the DA or ??the convicted poacher used “I needed the meat” as his actual defense...
Completely agree. Especially as you point out - he left it, total & complete waste....what a crock of &$&$
ODFW Press release - based on the additional information included here, I will not likely continue with reaching out to Union County DA [hadn't yet got my ducks in a row to do that]; I will most likely comment to the ODFW Commission. Also below the ODFW info is some more info I got from follow-up with OSP:
Poacher gets jail time, tipster gets reward
March 27, 2023
ELGIN, Ore. – A judge sentenced a poacher to ten days in jail, fines, probation, weapon forfeiture and license suspension for shooting a branch bull elk on opening day of deer season in the Wenaha unit last Fall, according to authorities.
Cody Murrill, 42, of Elgin, appeared in Union County Circuit Court on Jan. 20, 2023, and pleaded guilty to poaching charges after admitting to OSP Fish & Wildlife Troopers that he had intended to poach a cow elk for the meat, but mistakenly shot a bull as darkness set in on Oct. 1, 2022. He then left the bull to waste.
Hunters who came across the carcass on Oct. 3 notified OSP F&W Troopers of their discovery.
Troopers investigating the crime identified Murrill's truck after reviewing footage from area game cameras. When they interviewed him at his home, Murrill denied having anything to do with the incident. But later that evening he contacted OSP F&W Troopers to confess to the crimes.
Murrill told Troopers he intended to poach a cow elk, and mistakenly shot the large 5x6-point bull in near darkness. He said he abandoned the carcass, intending to recover the meat and antlers later that night. When he returned well after dark, the carcass was partially scavenged. Fearing wolves in the area, Murrill abandoned the carcass again. He said he returned the next day to remove the antlers but was unable to do so because he broke his saw. Leaving a game animal to waste is also a crime.
In addition to jail time and a one-year license suspension, Murrill received one-year probation, according to Union County District Attorney Kelsie McDaniel. He also forfeited his .308 rifle with scope, likely worth about $1,400 and paid $440 in fines.
OSP F&W Sergeant Chris Hawkins, who collected evidence in the case and confiscated the rifle for ballistics testing, said the jail time was appropriate.
"The ten days in jail is more jail time than we typically see in fish and wildlife cases, which is one positive outcome of this sentencing," Sgt. Hawkins said, citing shortages of both jail space and resources for prosecuting wildlife crimes. "It's a result of DA offices being overrun, which leads to fish and wildlife cases not taking a priority."
The person who reported the incident to OSP F&W had a choice of receiving either $500 cash or four hunter preference points. They chose the hunter preference points, which will allow them a better chance of drawing an opportunity to hunt in the future.
The Turn In Poachers (TIP) Line incentive program is successful, according to Oregon Hunters Association (OHA) President Steve Hagan. Sgt Hawkins and Hagan agree that when people pay attention to their surroundings and report suspicious incidents, it helps solve crime.
We agree that eyes in the woods are key to acquiring evidence in order to make cases and I'm glad preference points were given in this case," Hagan said, "That method of reward has proven to be very effective with regards to the gathering of evidence."
The incident happened on opening day of deer season, with bull elk season in the area yet to come. A poacher removed an animal that would have otherwise contributed to legal, legitimate uses of Oregon's natural resources according to ODFW Stop Poaching campaign coordinator Yvonne Shaw.
"Poachers steal from all Oregonians," Shaw said, "whether that is from a legitimate hunter who paid fees to hunt, or a hiker or photographer who missed the experience of seeing that animal."
Updated info from OSP regarding the actual charges they took to the DA; I had gone back and asked why no TROPHY charge since ORS specifically notes 6-points on ONE antler. Response [emphasis mine]:
Thanks for the follow-up, not sure why I had 6X6 stuck in my head. ODFW can ask for civil restitution but I am not aware of them doing that. Restitution is something we request in the form of a sentencing recommendation that is attached to the report that goes to the DA’s office. I reviewed the report in this case and the investigating Trooper requested the following: Three year hunting suspension, $15,000 trophy restitution and forfeiture of all items seized in the case (this would be in addition to the statute penalties listed for the crimes). These penalties/fines/restitution would be something the DA’s office would request from the judge during sentencing. In this case I don’t know who came up with the sentence, the judge, the DA, or if it was a plea deal between the DA and defense. Hope that helps.
I believe we have "talked" earlier in this thread how far a plea deal goes in sentences.....
Poacher gets jail time, tipster gets reward
March 27, 2023
ELGIN, Ore. – A judge sentenced a poacher to ten days in jail, fines, probation, weapon forfeiture and license suspension for shooting a branch bull elk on opening day of deer season in the Wenaha unit last Fall, according to authorities.
Cody Murrill, 42, of Elgin, appeared in Union County Circuit Court on Jan. 20, 2023, and pleaded guilty to poaching charges after admitting to OSP Fish & Wildlife Troopers that he had intended to poach a cow elk for the meat, but mistakenly shot a bull as darkness set in on Oct. 1, 2022. He then left the bull to waste.
Hunters who came across the carcass on Oct. 3 notified OSP F&W Troopers of their discovery.
Troopers investigating the crime identified Murrill's truck after reviewing footage from area game cameras. When they interviewed him at his home, Murrill denied having anything to do with the incident. But later that evening he contacted OSP F&W Troopers to confess to the crimes.
Murrill told Troopers he intended to poach a cow elk, and mistakenly shot the large 5x6-point bull in near darkness. He said he abandoned the carcass, intending to recover the meat and antlers later that night. When he returned well after dark, the carcass was partially scavenged. Fearing wolves in the area, Murrill abandoned the carcass again. He said he returned the next day to remove the antlers but was unable to do so because he broke his saw. Leaving a game animal to waste is also a crime.
In addition to jail time and a one-year license suspension, Murrill received one-year probation, according to Union County District Attorney Kelsie McDaniel. He also forfeited his .308 rifle with scope, likely worth about $1,400 and paid $440 in fines.
OSP F&W Sergeant Chris Hawkins, who collected evidence in the case and confiscated the rifle for ballistics testing, said the jail time was appropriate.
"The ten days in jail is more jail time than we typically see in fish and wildlife cases, which is one positive outcome of this sentencing," Sgt. Hawkins said, citing shortages of both jail space and resources for prosecuting wildlife crimes. "It's a result of DA offices being overrun, which leads to fish and wildlife cases not taking a priority."
The person who reported the incident to OSP F&W had a choice of receiving either $500 cash or four hunter preference points. They chose the hunter preference points, which will allow them a better chance of drawing an opportunity to hunt in the future.
The Turn In Poachers (TIP) Line incentive program is successful, according to Oregon Hunters Association (OHA) President Steve Hagan. Sgt Hawkins and Hagan agree that when people pay attention to their surroundings and report suspicious incidents, it helps solve crime.
We agree that eyes in the woods are key to acquiring evidence in order to make cases and I'm glad preference points were given in this case," Hagan said, "That method of reward has proven to be very effective with regards to the gathering of evidence."
The incident happened on opening day of deer season, with bull elk season in the area yet to come. A poacher removed an animal that would have otherwise contributed to legal, legitimate uses of Oregon's natural resources according to ODFW Stop Poaching campaign coordinator Yvonne Shaw.
"Poachers steal from all Oregonians," Shaw said, "whether that is from a legitimate hunter who paid fees to hunt, or a hiker or photographer who missed the experience of seeing that animal."
Updated info from OSP regarding the actual charges they took to the DA; I had gone back and asked why no TROPHY charge since ORS specifically notes 6-points on ONE antler. Response [emphasis mine]:
Thanks for the follow-up, not sure why I had 6X6 stuck in my head. ODFW can ask for civil restitution but I am not aware of them doing that. Restitution is something we request in the form of a sentencing recommendation that is attached to the report that goes to the DA’s office. I reviewed the report in this case and the investigating Trooper requested the following: Three year hunting suspension, $15,000 trophy restitution and forfeiture of all items seized in the case (this would be in addition to the statute penalties listed for the crimes). These penalties/fines/restitution would be something the DA’s office would request from the judge during sentencing. In this case I don’t know who came up with the sentence, the judge, the DA, or if it was a plea deal between the DA and defense. Hope that helps.
I believe we have "talked" earlier in this thread how far a plea deal goes in sentences.....
I really like the program they started to give points for turning in poachers. The sentence is weak for the crime. I also think 4 points is low... I remember a case locally in the last couple years they were offering 25 points for info. He should have had 10k+ in fines or serious jail time. A timber faller killed a trophy bull here with a legal tag on property that was closed for fire season and had a similar sentence plus 12k in restitution.
There was a case in benton county that ended up netting someone liken32points.. jusy depends i guess..I really like the program they started to give points for turning in poachers. The sentence is weak for the crime. I also think 4 points is low... I remember a case locally in the last couple years they were offering 25 points for info. He should have had 10k+ in fines or serious jail time. A timber faller killed a trophy bull here with a legal tag on property that was closed for fire season and had a similar sentence plus 12k in restitution.
Kasey
Has anyone seen a pic that looks like the elk was "partially scavenged"? I mean the whole thing is bs but did they actually believe he was coming back to get some meat and then was scared off....smh.
Well if that newest info is accurate, there was no “plea deal” because of a weak case. The guy called them back and admitted everything.
Sounds like he got a sweetheart deal for some unknown reason.
Sounds like he got a sweetheart deal for some unknown reason.
He must have a "connected" relative.
Sent from my SM-G986U using Tapatalk
Sent from my SM-G986U using Tapatalk
The Judiciary records show he plead guilty [post #52] ; sure it came after the fact which is often the case when one recognizes there is no out - thus, an agreement follows because the offender admits it. Based on the what OSP took to the DA and the reduced penalties, he was taken at his word but the fine levels currently allow for it. Certainly questionable when one looks at it from the bleachers unfortunately.Well if that newest info is accurate, there was no “plea deal” because of a weak case. The guy called them back and admitted everything.
Sounds like he got a sweetheart deal for some unknown reason.
I would still like to see the Commission get involved by pursuing restitution and lobbying the Oregon AG to push district DA's/Judges for stiffer penalties since they [the commission] has 'committed' to this increase awareness program on poaching. Working on letting them know this.
He also admitted he was coming back to saw off the antlers but his saw broke 🤬Has anyone seen a pic that looks like the elk was "partially scavenged"? I mean the whole thing is bs but did they actually believe he was coming back to get some meat and then was scared off....smh.
61 - 70 of 70 Posts
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