Post Mortem | Murder in a Parking Garage

Welcome back to Postmortem. I'm your host, Anne-Marie Green. And today we're discussing the mysterious death of Kenneth Vandridge. He was found murdered inside a parking garage on January 27th, 2023 in Hillsborough, Oregon. When police reviewed the security footage from that garage, they noticed a masked man spray painting the cameras, wearing a disguise to obscure his identity. But incredibly, as we're going to discuss, they were still able to find the killer. So joining me now to discuss this is 48 Hours correspondent Natalie Morales. It's a fascinating case. Thanks for joining us again, Natalie. Sure. It sure is fascinating. Good to be with you, Anne-Marie. As usual, a reminder to everyone, if you haven't already listened to this episode of 48 Hours, head on over to your podcast feed. You'll find it just below this one. Listen to the hour and then come on back for this conversation. All right, let's get into it. The victim here is Kenneth Vandridge. He also went by Kenny and investigators discovered his body in the driver's seat of his car in a parking garage run by the tech company Intel. The garage is located in this massive campus, very large campus of one of Intel's production facilities. This is where he's been working as a contract pipe fitter. Natalie, you actually went to the garage. And I just want to get a sense of just how big is the garage? What was it like there? How many cameras are we talking about? Was it like finding a needle in a haystack? You know, this was actually almost the opposite of a needle in a haystack. When you think about it, I mean, this is. And this is a huge tech company, Intel. We're talking the maker of all those incredible super speedy chips that we all use on our computers. But, you know, this is an area, the garage especially, where there are, you know, loads of security cameras all the way inside the garage, as well as on the campus. It's an area that is well covered. There is a lot of security. So obviously, the garage of a tech company like Intel is a very interesting choice and place to commit to. And so, you know, we're talking about a huge tech company, Intel. We're a murder. Intel security staff told investigators that a month earlier, the security cameras had been spray painted. It was investigated as just sort of criminal mischief. But do investigators think that maybe this was a dry run? And I'm also curious, I don't know if you know this or not, Natalie, but was it the same security cameras or different ones? I imagine there's, you know, there are many, probably hundreds. Well, you know, it seems that Stephen Milner had been plotting this for a while, according to investigators. I mean, they do believe it was a test run. And the cameras that he spray painted were the cameras that he then spray painted, you know, a month later in the act of killing Kenny Fandridge. They did notice it. They filed a suspicious activity report, as you said, but they couldn't pinpoint exactly who it was. You see in the hour, the security footage, I mean, almost all of it is blacked out, except for the probably the most crucial camera, right? There's one camera where he spray paints almost all of it. There's probably like one tenth at the top where you can actually see what's happening. And because of that little slip up, investigators were able to identify what they believe was the scene of the murder, right? It's the scene of the murder. And they were able to identify what they believe was this maroon minivan. Yeah, you know, that one tenth of a slip up, as you said, was huge for the investigators, because with that, they were able to see that maroon minivan just kind of making its way through the parking garage. Now, keep in mind as well, though, that they did have other security cameras all the way through. So as the minivan was making its way up, it was tracked throughout with other cameras that had not all been spray painted. That said, though, they were never really able to see the driver. Or to identify, you know, the killer in the garage. They needed to do all the police work to connect all those dots. So, you know, what was really fascinating about covering this case is you see this is a real police procedural. I mean, this shows you how well the police built their case from the minute they had just that little sliver of video that they could see. When you say connect all of the other dots, I guess when you have, it seems like you have a little bit to work with. Everything is incredibly important. And so in this video where you can like see the person just a little bit, but he's almost completely covered. The only bit of skin that you can really see is right above his forehead. And so they identify this crease. I had to tell you, looking at that was something that I did not notice. I didn't even like consider it as a like a defining feature. I just thought maybe like the mask was pushing his head. His skin down. That would not have jumped out at me, but it became crucial. Oh, it became huge. That forehead crease was such an identifying characteristic. Now, this was from the video from the security cameras a month before in that test run case that they were able to see a little bit more of that mysterious person behind the mask. And that crinkle in the forehead, it turns out that's a genetic trait. I don't know if, you know, since viewing the hour, if you've started looking at people, but I know when I'm in airports or when I'm, you know, out and about, I start noticing that. And it's very rare that you see that forehead crinkle. So it was definitely something that was a huge break in the case when it came to trying to identify the suspect. I had no idea that was a genetic trait. Now you're like making me think about my forehead, but it's a wee bit of Botox up there. So it's not crinkling the way it used to. My forehead creases the other way. Yeah, exactly. All right. So this turns out to be sort of a critical clue. And the Hillsborough police immediately focus on Kenny Fandrich's wife, Tanya. It's not completely surprising. I mean, if you are a 48 Hours fan, you know, often the spouse is sort of the person that investigators focus on. But it's also about access, knowing his schedule, knowing where he is. There's only going to be a handful of people who know that information. So inevitably, that's where investigators are going to start. Now, I think maybe some people might see the video of Tanya and think that her demeanor is maybe a little cool, maybe suspicious. I didn't get that. I thought she seemed adequately, you know, concerned. But why did police ultimately rule her out? That arouses some suspicion. However, as Tanya tells that officer, she said, my husband has a stalker. And Tanya revealed that she had had a relationship with Stephen Milner and they had had an affair that it had ended years prior, but that Stephen Milner was still actively stalking Kenneth Fandrich and also keeping track of her, even though she had said many times, leave us alone. And she had also reported that to police. I don't know if it kind of hooked other viewers, but that police body cam video where he's being pulled over. Right. And he tells the police officer that, you know, Tanya is in danger. Is he just sort of making this up or does he really believe this, that this is justifying his behavior when she wants nothing to do with him? You know, when he was pulled over for following Kenny, Milner told police, look, I'm the only one. Who really gives a blank, as he said to the officer at the time. And I'm not allowed to give, you know, a blank. At that point, there had been issues between Tanya and Kenny Fandrich of domestic abuse. Stephen Milner really felt like he was the one that could save Tanya from what he felt could be a dangerous situation for her. Now, one of the videos that we see in the hour that kind of really touched me was it's of. Kenny, he's sitting on the back deck. He's really distraught. He's crashed his car after an argument with his wife, and he just looks so sad and heartbroken. What more do we know about this marriage and the. problems they'd experienced. Tanya and Kenny, they had struggled over the years. Alcohol typically came into play, according to Tanya, when there were these instances of domestic violence. It became something of a he said, she said. Tanya acknowledged their issues. And as I said, she was, you know, very firm in saying this relationship with Stephen Milner happened years ago. It was in her past and that she and Kenny Fandridge were really trying to work through all those issues. And they were stronger than ever as a couple. Welcome back. So, Natalie, as you mentioned, investigators really didn't have a lot to go on linking Milner to Kenny's murder. So they really have to kind of dig in and find this evidence. They go to his house. So I want to ask you, what sort of thing, did they discover? And I definitely want to ask you, what was up with that cardboard cutout in his house? Yeah, that was a very odd clue. You know, Milner did have a male roommate who was living with him at the time of his arrest. But, you know, investigators, when they saw that cardboard cutout, they assumed, rightfully so, that that was Stephen Milner's room because then they open the drawers and they see he has this so-called shrine to Tanya with all the love notes and letters that he had kept. He even acknowledged in those notes and letters, you know, I know you don't want me, there's no future here in this relationship, that you want this to be over, but he couldn't get over it. So they felt that Stephen Milner seemed like the likely suspect based on all of that. But that said, they still had to make their case and they had to have solid proof to connect that this Stephen Milner, who had this stalking history and past, is the guy who was in the garage at the time of the murder. And so Stephen Milner, who was in the garage at the time of the murder, was the guy who was in the garage at the time when Kenny Fandrich was killed and to prove that he was the one who actually committed the murder. That's the thing, you know, all that extra stuff that perhaps goes to motive, but you need some sort of solid evidence. So then what ultimately allowed investigators to build their case against Milner? Well, it really came down to, you know, the good detective work, as we talked about, and following the maroon minivan trail. So Stephen Milner usually drove a white Toyota SUV. And once they seized the car, investigators were able to analyze the data on the computer within the car. And they noticed that he had been going to an Oregon City Home Depot. He had been there, in fact, on the day of the murder. So once detectives Rego and Winter went to that Home Depot, they asked security there if there had been any suspicious activity on the parking lots. Turns out the security did notice. There had been a couple of cars that had been parking and had gone in and out of the parking lot a couple of times. Local law enforcement was called, and local law enforcement then saw these vehicles. They were able to get the VIN numbers off of them, these so-called burner cars that Stephen Milner was using. Detectives Rego and Winter were able to then track down that maroon minivan to a scrapyard, which, as you saw in the hour, unfortunately, their biggest clue. I mean, they believed the minivan. The minivan was the murder scene just a week earlier had been crushed. So, unfortunately, that big clue that they were hoping for in the minivan was then gone right before their very eyes. It still amazes me just how much, how often we are all on camera, right? But this is the first time that I've seen video as investigators sort of watched a key piece of evidence being destroyed. I'm sure they wanted to kind of, like, reach into the screen. And just pluck that vehicle out. Unfortunately, they were a week too late, you know, to get that vehicle. Had they gotten there a week earlier, they probably could have had that and have gotten all the evidence they needed. That said, they were able to eventually get DNA that was the concrete proof that they needed. Yeah. And we're going to talk a little bit more about that later. But before we do that, I want to talk to you about the two lead detectives. What was your take on this pair? Oh, yeah. Detective Stephanie Winter and Devin Rigo. I mean, these are like the dynamic duo of an investigation team. I really, we all were saying they really need their own TV show. I mean, Stephanie is about six foot two or six foot three, former college basketball player. And this was actually her first homicide case that she worked on. So she was paired up with Devin Rigo, who had, you know, a real solid background in working. And it was a real breakthrough case for both of them because, you know, you don't see a lot of murders in that area of Hillsborough, Oregon. And here you have this mysterious, such a suspicious case. It really came down to to them chasing all the leads and knowing where to go. And so finally, on January 13th, 2025, Stephen Milner goes on trial for stalking and murdering Kenny. But as we pointed out, a ton of forensic evidence is lost because that maroon van is crushed. So the prosecution has to work around that. Was that sort of the I guess that was the biggest hurdle. So, of course, when the detectives see that key piece of evidence, that maroon minivan being crushed, they think, well, there goes our key evidence for trial. However, it really came down to the great police work in this case and being able to connect all the dots. And they had plenty of evidence. They had plenty of surveillance footage, not to mention past orders of protection that proved that Stephen Milner had been stalking Kenny Fandrich and Tanya and that there had been a history there between them. They did have DNA as well. You know, Stephen Milner's DNA was on Kenny Fandrich's hands. So that was was crucial as well. So, of course, Milner has an explanation for that. He did take the stand. There were no cameras in the courtroom, but there is audio. And so we're going to play. Some of what he had to say to explain why his DNA was there. This was not included in the one hour broadcast. He is speaking with defense attorney Amanda Thiebaud. He's under direct examination. And here's what he had to say. What happened next? I jumped out towards him. What happened next? Then we basically fought for a little bit. Can you describe that fight for me? Um, there was pushing and shoving and I was kind of trying to push him back into his car and he was punching at me. Did you punch Kenneth Fandrich? Me? I don't know. Did you kick him? I didn't kick him. Did you grab on to him? Yes. What happened next? Um, eventually I was able to kind of push him up against the car and. And then shoved him into the car. How much force were you using when you were pushing and shoving him, Mr. Milner? As much as I could. Why? I was scared. It was, it was, we were fighting. What were you scared of? Him, that he was going to hurt me. It's so interesting to hear. And first of all, even to just see him take the stand, um, you know, here, Steven Milner is, is not denying that he was there. He said, I was there. Yes. I was the one who spray painted the cameras. Um, but he claimed he did it all out of self-defense. And he said, when Milner confronted Kenny, he's like, Kenny is the one who attacked me. He says that he's defending Tanya. Um, I would think a self-defense claim is, is, is pretty tough when, I mean, it's not like Tanya's there. He's seeking out Kenny at his place of work. His whole, you know, self-defense. Defense really didn't make sense. Steven Milner said that his reasons for being there in the parking garage and for going after Kenny in that case was because he felt that Kenny Fandridge was a continued threat to Tanya because of the past abusive claims in their relationship. Now, the prosecutor, Mahaley Strieblo, said that in that testimony did not line up at all with the physical evidence at the scene. It goes against everything. It goes against everything that they were able to piece together. But, you know, I, I imagine that his defense attorney thought letting him take the stand, uh, and speak to his own defense and reasons for being there, perhaps, if he could convince one jury member that, you know, he was the guy who was really just there trying to do a good deed, trying to protect Tanya, and that it was, um, you know, Kenny Fandridge who came after him. And, you know, I think that, you know, I think that, you know, I think that, you know, I think that, you know, I think that he was the guy who convinced one juror. supposed to do, and they still were not protected. Yes. And that, in fact, is what is so tragic about the case is that there's such a clear history of stalking here. And, you know, previously, Milner had been criminally charged back in August of 2022 when he had planted another tracking device on Kenny's car. Then Kenny filed that civil suit where he was seeking hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages for infliction of emotional distress. Prosecutors brought all of this up. And Tanya even raised it herself in her victim impact statement. She looked at Stephen Milner and she said, all you had to do was stop. She said that she and her husband, Kenny Fandridge, are doing everything they possibly could to try to alert authorities to Stephen Milner's stalking behavior. Prosecutors acknowledged the only other thing they possibly could have done, because there had been multiple orders of protection already taken out, would be to track Stephen Milner himself. I mean, had authorities been tracking Stephen Milner, they would have seen. There's about a 45-minute drive where he's going back and forth from Oregon City to Hillsborough, tracking Kenny Fandridge and following him as he went to work. How is Tanya doing today? Well, you know, Tanya obviously has experienced a lot of loss in her life. Nothing, no amount of money will make up for that. But Kenny's estate has a wrongful death suit against Stephen Milner. If any money is won, Tanya would stand to benefit. Kenny's estate is seeking damages of several millions of dollars. And reportedly, Stephen Milner sold his veterinary clinic years ago and apparently has an estimated net worth of several million dollars. But you can imagine, she has to be shattered. She's a victim in this case. She was a stalking victim. And then her husband was murdered. So she is a victim on so many sides of this case. Yeah, absolutely. You know, you always sort of try to look for the lessons in all of these stories. I think if there is a lesson, it's that stalking behavior is not normal, right? It's not something to be dismissed. Right. You should take it seriously. Yeah. And certainly, Tanya and Kenny Fandrich did. And still, it was not enough in this case. No, absolutely not. Natalie, thank you very much. Thanks for having me, Anne-Marie. And to everyone else, follow and listen to Postmortem on the free Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts. Touchdown! 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