PORTLAND — An Oregon man accused of fatally shooting his wife has been indicted on a murder charge.
The previously secret indictment was announced Thursday, more than six weeks after Clayton Stanfill, 53, of Turner walked into his local fire department to receive treatment for what authorities say was a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Stanfill said he attempted to kill himself — with a bullet to the face — because he was distraught that his wife had just committed suicide, Jeff Olson, a Marion County probation deputy, wrote in court papers.
Deputies went to Stanfill’s home and found the body of 52-year-old Judy Stanfill.
Authorities have not said what evidence leads them believe Stanfill killed his wife. He pleaded guilty in a domestic violence case involving his wife last year and was on probation.
A judge last December approved an agreement allowing the couple to renew contact. Judy Stanfill, who worked at Marion County Circuit Court, signed the document in which she agreed to not hold the state, sheriff’s office or district attorney liable for any resulting injury or property damage.
Stanfill’s history of domestic violence also includes a 2002 arrest for menacing and endangering the welfare of a minor. As part of that plea agreement, he agreed to abstain from alcohol and forfeit a baseball bat and shotgun.
Stanfill was arraigned Thursday and assigned a court-appointed attorney, John Rich. He is being held without bail.
Rich said in an email Friday he hopes to have the police reports by sometime next week.
“These cases generally take a lot of time and we are just getting started,” he said.
Turner is a city of about 2,000 people. It’s an hour drive south of Portland.
