Insets (from left to right): Jennifer Ruth Stuart and William Glen Blake (Clackamas County Sheriff”s Office’s). Background: Mount Hood National Forest in Clackamas County, Oregon, where Stuart’s body was found (KPTV/YouTube).
An Oregon man has admitted to killing his girlfriend during an argument at their home, stuffing her remains into a plastic container, and then dumping them in the forest.
William Glen Blake, 56, pleaded guilty this week in Clackamas County Circuit Court to second-degree murder in the death of 38-year-old Jennifer Ruth Stuart. He was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 25 years.
As part of a plea agreement with prosecutors, other charges that Blake faced were dismissed, the Clackamas County District Attorney’s Office said. As Law&Crime previously reported, he had also been charged with abuse of a corpse, unlawful use of a weapon with domestic intent, and tampering with evidence.
On Aug. 14, Blake and Stuart were at their home on the 600 block of Hilltop Lane in Oregon City. The couple were arguing before Blake shot her and “then drove to a Home Depot store and purchased a large tote, garbage bags and gloves,” authorities recounted.
Law enforcement believed Blake’s son, who was 15 years old at the time, helped his father move the body, possibly with a 2002 red and gray Chevrolet Avalanche pickup truck. Deputies also sought out the defendant’s 17-year-old son for questioning.
Investigators suspect Blake brought Stuart’s body to Mount Hood National Forest, citing surveillance footage from Home Depot and the area near where her body was found. “Blake initially put Stuart’s body in the large tote but later retrieved the tote, fearing it could tie him to the body,” prosecutors said.
About two weeks later, a couple were hunting off Hillockborn Road in the forest when they “noted the presence of turkey vultures swarming around an object and saw what appeared to be human remains.” The Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office used fingerprints to identify the body as Stuart’s, and an autopsy determined she died from a gunshot wound to the lower left side of her body.
According to investigators, “Blake had a history of physical[ly] abusing Stuart,” with one of their neighbors telling police he “regularly” hurt her. He was identified as a “primary suspect,” and law enforcement searched his home. The second time they did so, they reportedly found the tote.
Blake was arrested, and in an interview with detectives, he “admitted to shooting Stuart and leaving her body in the woods,” authorities said.
Stuart’s mother — Elizabeth Stuart — expressed grief over what Blake did.
“To end being shot, crammed into a plastic container … loaded up like an animal … dumped out like trash … is unfathomable,” Elizabeth Stuart said in her victim impact statement, also calling Blake a “rabid, savage beast.”
Blake’s 15-year-old son, who was not named, was arrested and placed in the Clackamas County Juvenile Intake and Assessment Center on charges of abuse of a corpse and tampering with physical evidence, the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office said on Oct. 23. It is unclear if he still faces charges. The sheriff’s office did not announce arresting Blake’s 17-year-old son, though it noted deputies spoke with him.
Law&Crime reached out to the Clackamas County District Attorney’s Office for more information.
