Did a love triangle ultimatum lead to murder?

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[This communicative primitively aired connected October 31, 2020.]

In April 2017, Moscow autochthonal Anna Repkina was recovered murdered connected a distant Oregon logging road. Fifty-five 100 miles from home, investigators were puzzled arsenic to what she was doing determination and who could perchance privation her dead.

Turns retired she'd met American Will Hargrove online and aft a whirlwind romance, the 2 became engaged. Anna relocated to the U.S. not knowing she was moving close into the mediate of a emotion triangle.

LOOKING FOR LOVE

Ryan Joslin and Amie Matusko, some lawman territory attorneys successful Benton County, Oregon, received an urgent telephone that a assemblage had been recovered connected April 17, 2017.

Ryan Joslin: This is extracurricular of Corvallis rather a ways retired successful the Alsea country … and up a distant logging road.

Amie Matusko: He and I were some connected country … to … instrumentality a look for ourselves. That's truthful important successful a prosecutor's role, that you recognize the scene. Not conscionable from photos but having been there.

Ryan Joslin: Not excessively galore radical are gonna beryllium up successful that area. So frankly, the information that the assemblage was discovered arsenic rapidly arsenic it was – was beauteous extraordinary.

Lead detective Lieutenant Chris Duffitt says a section caretaker happened to beryllium retired walking his canine that time erstwhile helium came crossed the body.

Lt. Chris Duffitt: The caller … was walking connected this roadworthy connected a time and a clip successful a spot that helium truly should've ne'er been. So, we were very, precise fortunate to find her body. If it would person been -- you know, immoderate much time, we mightiness person ne'er recovered her.

The unfortunate was identified arsenic 27-year-old Moscow native, Anna Repkina. She had been shot.

Amie Matusko: She was smart, intelligent. She had a job, an bureau occupation moving for Ikea. … She loved cats. … She loved to travel. … Anna had a batch going for her. … And a batch of radical liked her.

So however did a Russian woman, who had a seemingly blessed life, conscionable her extremity connected a distant logging roadworthy astir 5,500 miles from home?

Amie Matusko: She had breached up with her fellow of 7 years and was truly looking for that connection.

A twelvemonth earlier, recently azygous Anna started looking for emotion online and joined a Russian societal networking site. She recovered what she was looking for -- halfway crossed the satellite -- erstwhile she met 26-year-old Oregonian William Hargrove.

Amie Matusko: They started truly chatting. They chatted a batch implicit Facebook. Then -- they started videoconferencing. And that was happening connected an astir regular basis.

Anna and Will recovered that they had a batch successful common.

Amie Matusko: They truly bonded implicit music. She precise overmuch loved music. She liked to spell to stone concerts. They would person discussions astir bands. She had a bully consciousness of humor. She would perpetually nonstop comic memes, and she connected with her friends and her household that way.

Will and Anna exchanged thousands of messages, imagining their aboriginal unneurotic if Anna came to Oregon.

WILL HARGROVE [via Facebook]: You, are perfectly amazing.

WILL HARGROVE: We are going to person soooo overmuch amusive together..

ANNA REPKINA: (Smiley Face)

ANNA REPKINA: True)

WILL HARGROVE: Day dreaming yet?

ANNA REPKINA: Yes) its wonderful)

WILL HARGROVE: Tell me?

ANNA REPKINA: Difficult to imagine, but it should beryllium precise romanticist and beautiful

WILL HARGROVE: Snow covered evergreens, snowfall connected the ground, a structure hidden somewhat successful the trees of our clearing, a bully size occurrence roaring, and you successful my arms.

Jamie Klotz: He decidedly had the acquisition of gab.

Tracy Smith: The acquisition of gab. He could speech a bully game?

Jamie Klotz: He could. He could speech a precise bully game.

Will's person and erstwhile roommate, Jamie Klotz.

Jamie Klotz: He and I had things … successful common. Cars. He works connected cars. I enactment connected cars. … I'm much Harry Potter, he's much the Avengers benignant of, you know, genre. But -- we could nerd retired connected things similar that. He really took maine to spot my archetypal Avengers movie.

Jamie Klotz: He was a likeable guy. You know, a jokester. He conscionable similar to laughter and person fun. … I enjoyed being astir him.

Will worked arsenic a mechanic astatine a section car dealership. In his escaped time, helium would conscionable up with friends similar Joseph Thompson astatine the Peacock Bar and Grill.

Joseph Thompson: We would play excavation implicit determination connected Sunday nights, and conscionable fundamentally ended up hanging retired a lot, doing karaoke. … I don't cognize however galore times maine and him would beryllium sittin' determination playin' pool, and he'd conscionable person women locomotion up from the bar, conscionable beryllium determination speech to him. …He was precise charismatic. … He had the personality, the presence.

Tracy Smith: Was helium a player?

Joseph Thompson: No. Not necessarily.

Will was specified a bully person that Joseph called him his brother.

Joseph Thompson: We were some successful the military. … A batch of the grooming and worldly that we had went done was akin and it helped propulsion america together.

Tracy Smith: What subdivision of the work were you in?

Joseph Thompson: Army.

Tracy Smith: And Will?

Joseph Thompson: I judge helium was Marines. … He said that … helium utilized to beryllium stationed successful Russia.

Will seemed to person an affinity for each things Russian, and his online narration with Anna took off. Anna decided to alert to the states to walk the holidays with Will successful Oregon and spot if their virtual emotion would consciousness the aforesaid successful reality.

Lt. Chris Duffitt: December of 2016 … she traveled present and spent a mates weeks with William Hargrove.

But the roadworthy to romance had an unexpected detour.

Amie Matusko: There was a occupation erstwhile she archetypal came retired successful December to spot Mr. Hargrove. She mistakenly mixed up Portland, Maine for Portland, Oregon … and she was stranded successful Portland, Maine.

ANNA REPKINA [via Facebook]: Who knows you person 2 damn Portlands

WILL HARGROVE: Honestly, I didn't adjacent cognize that

Amidst the chaos of formation changes, Anna messaged Will, gathering the anticipation to yet beryllium together:

WILL HARGROVE [via Facebook]: That's wherever you beryllium baby. In the clouds. My Angel

ANNA REPKINA: Be ready, I volition cry.

WILL HARGROVE: ? When? When I suggest to you?

ANNA REPKINA: When I spot you.

Anna yet made it to the close Portland, and into the arms of Will Hargrove. During her visit, she posted highlights of their whirlwind romance, including photos of their trips to the coast, Will's cars, and adjacent a Christmas privation scrawled retired to her household backmost home.

Amie Matusko: She came present for love.

Lt. Chris Duffitt: At the decision of this travel she really became engaged to William Hargrove. And they had plans to get joined successful the future.

Anna returned location to Russia aft 10 days with a souvenir – an engagement ringing from Will – and plans to battalion up her beingness successful Russia and determination to Oregon with the committedness of marriage.

Amie Matusko: She was excited astir the wedding. She was talking astir each the antithetic benignant of dresses and what she truly wanted.

But determination was going to beryllium an obstacle successful Anna's way to love.

Michelle Chavez: I'm Michelle Chavez and I was Will Hargrove's girlfriend.

A LOVE TRIANGLE

In 2015, 33-year-old Michelle Chavez was surviving with her hubby and 2 children successful Albany, Oregon. Unfortunately, each was not close successful the marriage.

Michelle Chavez: Our relationship, astatine that constituent successful time, truly wasn't one. It was similar roommates that conscionable happened to beryllium married. Slept successful the aforesaid bed, but that was astir it. Didn't truly talk.

Michelle met Will Hargrove portion she was moving arsenic a cab driver.

Michelle Chavez: It was a benignant of dilatory clip successful the summer, and I was waiting astatine the barroom waiting for radical to telephone to spell prime radical up,

Tracy Smith: What was your archetypal content of him?

Michelle Chavez: God, he's short.

Tracy Smith: God, he's short?

Michelle Chavez: Yes. God, he's abbreviated [laughs]. Yeah. He is short.

But that archetypal content gave mode to thing overmuch much for Chavez who was truthful unhappy astatine home.

Michelle Chavez: He made you consciousness similar you were successful the prima erstwhile helium talked to you. … He had a mode of being capable to look astatine maine and I felt similar I was really seen. I felt beautiful. I felt similar I was wanted.

And so, Michelle and Will became overmuch much than friends.

Michelle Chavez: It wasn't a planned thing. It wasn't similar it went disconnected successful my caput and I was like, I'm going to person a narration with him. … It conscionable progressed that way.

Jamie Klotz | Friend of Will and Michelle: He was consenting to springiness her what she needed. Affection, attention.

The pursuing year, 2016, the narration grew to a caller and somewhat antithetic level with Will renting a spare chamber successful Michelle's location -- the aforesaid 1 she shared with her hubby and kids, though it's not wide what Michelle's hubby knew astir her narration with Will.

Michelle Chavez: He lone had to wage … $300 a period and his ain food, unless helium liked immoderate it was we were making astatine the time. Honestly, beauteous saccharine deal.

Michelle adjacent gave Will her wedding ringing – arsenic a committedness that she'd permission her hubby soon. But it wasn't capable for Will.

Tracy Smith: If Will had this narration with Michelle and was successful emotion with Michelle, wherefore was helium going connected net dating sites?

Jamie Klotz: I deliberation -- that it had to bash with jealousy. … Michelle was gonna permission her hubby connected her terms. And it wasn't going accelerated enough. … If helium could marque her jealous, past -- possibly it would velocity things up.

Which whitethorn explicate why, erstwhile Anna visited Will implicit Christmas, they stayed astatine Michelle's location -- nether Michelle's nose. It seems Anna knew thing of Will's other relationship.

Michelle Chavez: They were successful his country astir of the time. … On New Year's Eve, they were getting acceptable to spell retired … Will was similar … "Oh, possibly I should present you guys." … And she shook my manus and said her sanction was … Anna. I said it was bully to conscionable her.

But Michelle wouldn't beryllium rather that welcoming erstwhile Anna returned a fewer months aboriginal connected March 1, 2017, with the volition of becoming Will's wife.

Michelle Chavez: I was like, "well, she's not staying here. … She's not staying successful my house."

So, Will and Anna rented an flat successful Corvallis, a tiny assemblage municipality not acold from Michelle's home. With Will moving and without a occupation herself, Anna spent clip connected her own, adjacent joining the section gym. Life wasn't arsenic casual for Michelle.

Tracy Smith: What did you want?

Michelle Chavez: Simple -- conscionable to beryllium happy.

Tracy Smith: And you thought you'd recovered that with him?

Michelle Chavez: I thought I had. … But you person to really cognize idiosyncratic to find those things, I think.

Turns out, really knowing Will was going to beryllium a spot of situation for everyone. Even with his caller fiancée successful America, helium divided his nights betwixt his 2 emotion interests.

Ryan Joslin: | Deputy territory attorney: He truly continued to interval betwixt those 2 -- places, backmost astatine Michelle's spot and past backmost astatine the flat with Anna.

With nary hint arsenic to wherefore Will kept disappearing, Anna often had to edifice to contacting his friends to find her ain fiancé.

Amie Matusko | Deputy territory attorney: She's seeing him gone. … In the substance messages, she's reaching retired to his friends, "Do you cognize wherever helium is? What's going on?" … She's becoming suspicious. "Where is helium going? What is going connected with his time?"

АNNA REPKINA [via Facebook]: Do you cognize wherever Will is?

As it happened, Anna's instincts were close connected the money.

Ryan Joslin: This antheral was a fraud, and … relied heavy connected deception to person different radical helium was the benignant of idiosyncratic that helium wanted to beryllium perceived as.

Amie Matusko: He wanted to beryllium thing greater than helium was. … He told a fig of radical helium was successful the Armed Forces. He was ne'er successful the Armed Forces.

Then there's the substance of a definite engagement ring. Anna's ring. Or was it?

Michelle Chavez: Her and I had friended each different connected Facebook. And past I saw her wearing my wedding ring.

Tracy Smith: What?

Michelle Chavez: Yeah.

The ringing that had been Michelle's wedding ringing had been re-purposed erstwhile Will projected to Anna.

Lt. Chris Duffitt: Will told Anna that this ringing belonged to his … grandma and had sentimental worth to him.

Anna had nary thought she was wearing Michelle's ring. And connected March 22, she was shocked to get a Facebook connection from Michelle astir sharing Will.

MICHELLE CHAVEZ [via Facebook]: …if we are going to proceed to stock him…

Amie Matusko: At this point, each Anna knows is that Michelle Chavez is the brainsick ex-girlfriend, due to the fact that that's what Will Hargrove has told her. And so, Anna says, "No way. You get retired of our lives."

ANNA REPKINA [via Facebook]: …stop being a bitch.

Michelle Chavez: Something astir maine being a bitch, I believe. And I was like, I'm conscionable getting started astatine being one.

MICHELLE CHAVEZ [via Facebook]: …I americium blessed to amusement you conscionable however overmuch of 1 I tin be.

Tracy Smith: Were you threatening her?

Michelle Chavez: No. Just being mouthy. … I conscionable meant that if you deliberation I'm being bitchy now, like, conscionable watch.

Just 3 days later, Anna and Will headed to the Oregon seashore for their wedding ceremony.

Lt. Chris Duffitt: Anna brought a wedding formal with her from Russia. She had her … ringing that William projected to her with.

On the way, Will decided to halt astatine the section Walmart to bargain their wedding bands, leaving bride-to-be Anna successful the car.

Amie Matusko: While he's successful Walmart buying for his wedding ring, helium is connected the telephone with Michelle Chavez. And helium is discussing their narration and whether oregon not he's gonna travel spot her that night.

Tracy Smith: And you had nary hint erstwhile helium said helium was successful Walmart that helium was similar headed to a wedding?

Michelle Chavez: No, no, nary astatine all.

But arsenic it would crook out, Anna and Will were not headed to a wedding.

Amie Matusko: They spell to the beach, and the officiant doesn't amusement up. So, helium has a telephone telephone successful which helium relays to some the witnesses and to Anna that the officiant couldn't marque it, helium was ill, thing came up.

Lt. Chris Duffitt: William Hargrove was really calling a mates video crippled stores to … presumably unreal helium was talking to a wedding authoritative to amusement 'em however huffy helium was astir this day.

Amie Matusko: He ne'er arranged for an officiant. He ne'er got a matrimony license. He … didn't person thing acceptable up.

Sadly, there'd beryllium lone 1 representation of the bride that time … picking up immoderate accelerated food.

Lt. Chris Duffitt: The McDonald's drive-thru video is the lone video oregon photograph taken connected Anna Repkina's wedding day. …And you tin really spot Anna Repkina successful her wedding formal -- successful William Hargrove's vehicle.

Seemingly oblivious to Will's feelings for Michelle, Anna acceptable her bosom connected a rescheduled wedding date. But Michelle had different plans.

Tracy Smith: So, did you springiness him an ultimatum?

Michelle Chavez: At 1 constituent I did. I told him helium had to prime 1 … I didn't privation thing atrocious to hap to her. I conscionable didn't privation her here.

Tracy Smith: So, you pressured him to choose?

Michelle Chavez: I did.

AN ULTIMATUM

In April 2017, the narration betwixt Michelle Chavez and Will Hargrove deed a crossroads with Michelle insisting Will yet take betwixt her and Anna. Will told Michelle she was his choice.

Tracy Smith: So, April 19th was the deadline for some of you?

Michelle Chavez: Correct.

Tracy Smith: You were gonna beryllium done with your marriage. And helium was expected to ...

Michelle Chavez: She was expected to beryllium gone oregon whatever. … He was going to permission her.

Tracy Smith: How overmuch unit did Michelle enactment connected Will to get escaped of Anna?

Amie Matusko: A lot. There was a batch of pressure. … There's a batch of backmost and distant successful determination betwixt each the substance messages -- wherever 1 infinitesimal it's like, "Clean retired your worldly and get out," the adjacent infinitesimal is, "I emotion you, I wanna beryllium together, but we can't bash that if she's here."

Tracy Smith: There are texts betwixt the 2 of you with you pressuring him to choose, and astatine 1 constituent you told him to hole it. What'd you mean by that?

Michelle Chavez: In the wide sense. … Fix it successful the consciousness that you would instrumentality attraction of it, not instrumentality attraction of it similar instrumentality idiosyncratic out. … You would extremity the relationship, that you would beryllium done.

Will told Michelle he'd tried to nonstop Anna packing galore times, but she wouldn't go.

Lt. Chris Duffitt: So, Michelle perceived Anna arsenic this miss who kinda ne'er got the hint, that she was being told to permission and she kept coming backmost … though Anna ne'er knew immoderate of this was truly happening.

On Saturday night, April 15, conscionable 4 days shy of the deadline they'd set, Michelle was expected to person meal astatine Will's apartment.

Lt. Chris Duffitt: It wasn't until astir 8 p.m. that nighttime that William Hargrove tells Michelle Chavez that -- she really can't travel over, that Anna showed backmost up, that Anna's backmost again. He'll instrumentality attraction of it.

What followed was yet different heated substance conversation. Not a astonishment according to Detective Chris Dale, who says Michelle and Will exchanged much than 13,000 texts during their relationship.

Det. Chris Dale: Constant checking successful each greeting to marque definite that he's woken up connected clip -- to get to work. … It didn't look arsenic if determination was an hr successful a time that went by wherever they were not communicating.

But connected that day, determination was 1 captious text.

Amie Matusko: So, Will Hargrove sent a connection to Miss Chavez, "I volition person this permanently fixed by 18:00 tomorrow."

Lt. Chris Duffitt: So, he'll person the concern of Anna Repkina handled by 6:00 p.m. the pursuing day, which was Easter Sunday.

That assurance was not capable for Michelle. She contined texting and calling Will, who turned disconnected his phone. As the hours passed with nary reply, Michelle's anticipation that Will was genuinely "fixing" the occupation with Anna … vanished.

MICHELLE CHAVEZ [2:06 a.m. voicemail to Will]: I conjecture you made your choice. Ok.

MICHELLE CHAVEZ [3:10 a.m. voicemail to Will]: I'll fto you be. Why? I conscionable wanna cognize why. I'll fto you be. But I conscionable wanna cognize why.

The adjacent morning, Michelle headed to her mother's location for Easter. Jamie was determination arsenic well.

Jamie Klotz: She said that she'd spent the nighttime disfigured crying. And adjacent though I knew what the probable reply was going to be, I inactive asked her, like, "why?" And she looks astatine maine and she goes, "Why bash you think?" And I said, "Because of Will."

Meanwhile, backmost astatine his apartment, Will was dealing with a precise antithetic but urgent problem: his car security policy.

Amie Matusko: They've been sending him notices that if helium doesn't person it paid by midnight connected the 16th, they're gonna cancel his insurance.

Lt. Chris Duffitt: He tells them that helium knows his security lapses that evening, and helium needs to get it – extended -- for escaped -- due to the fact that if it doesn't he's gonna suffer his -- conveyance indebtedness and they're gonna repossess it immediately.

WILLIAM HARGROVE [phone call]: OK. Can you guys clasp disconnected until the 21st truthful I tin get you paid?

PROGRESSIVE INSURANCE AGENT: Um, unluckily erstwhile it is pending cancellation for nonpayment, we don't person the quality to determination the dates astatine each um, and this 1 … yeah, truthful it'll beryllium effect -- canceled effectual contiguous astatine midnight.

Just aft 4:30 p.m., Michelle's telephone rang. It was Will.

Tracy Smith: And what did helium say?

Michelle Chavez: That helium had been retired astatine the coast. … He was connected his mode backmost successful and … he'd astir deed a deer. He ran disconnected the roadworthy and had a level tyre and helium needed help.

Tracy Smith: How did helium sound?

Michelle Chavez: Shaken, sad.

And so, Michelle near her family's Easter solemnisation to spell conscionable Will successful the municipality of Alsea. He waited for her astatine a section convenience store.

Lt. Chris Duffitt: You tin spot him locomotion to the -- cooler wherever helium gets -- a Pepsi. He goes and gets his candy bar. And past helium yet gets a battalion of cigarettes.

About an hr later, Michelle arrived.

Lt. Chris Duffitt: She parks connected the broadside of that store. We spot her get retired of her Prius.

Michelle Chavez: I asked him, "what happened? Where person you been?" …

He told maine that helium -- aft we had talked to they had gotten to an statement and helium said horrible, mean things to her past that she had turned astir and taken her suitcases and had walked out.

Thinking Anna had yet near the flat for good, Michelle says she and Will got into his car.

Michelle Chavez: We drove for a small bit. … We'd pulled disconnected and we were talking for a few. And past honestly, we extremity up having enactment successful the beforehand seat.

Tracy Smith: So, you had constitution sex, essentially.

Michelle Chavez: Yeah, essentially. Makeup enactment successful the beforehand seat.

Michelle and Will past went their abstracted ways, with Michelle returning to her family's Easter celebration.

Jamie Klotz: She came back, she was successful a bully mood. She was smiling. She was -- you know, she was happy. She looked full 180 from what she looked similar successful the morning.

Will headed home, but helium made a fewer stops on the way. First, astatine an ATM wherever helium withdrew wealth from Anna's slope account.

Lt. Chris Duffitt: Made a $200 withdrawal from this machine, and past engaged successful immoderate speech with immoderate employees -- astatine that state station, wherever helium really ended up hugging 1 of them and crying astir the information that his girlfriend, Anna Repkina -- had near him.

Tracy Smith: His girlfriend, whose relationship helium conscionable took $200 from?

Lt. Chris Duffitt: Yes.

Will past headed to a 2nd ATM.

Amie Matusko: He goes to the Chase Bank and withdraws an further $600 of Anna Repkina's money.

Lt. Chris Duffitt: So present William Hargrove has $800 -- that helium stole from Anna Repkina's slope account. … At astir 9:00, 9:30 p.m. connected that aforesaid nighttime … helium drives to -- different slope and helium ends up depositing $160 of that currency into his slope account.

Will had conscionable 1 much chore to instrumentality attraction of that evening.

PROGRESSIVE INSURANCE AGENT [phone call]: Thank you for calling Progressive. …

WILL HARGROVE: Y'all should person a paper connected record for maine and I request to marque a outgo please.

Lt. Chris Duffitt: Several hours earlier helium has nary money.

WILL HARGROVE [phone call]: All good, then? Everything's done?

PROGRESSIVE INSURANCE AGENT: Yep. Everything is taken attraction of, you are insured arsenic we're speaking.

WILL HARGROVE: Excellent. Thank you precise overmuch ma'am.

PROGRESSIVE INSURANCE AGENT: My pleasure. Have a bully night, William.

Lt. Chris Duffitt: All of a sudden, helium has wealth and he's taking it retired of Anna Repkina's slope account, who's recovered dormant the adjacent day.

"A HORRIBLE MISTAKE"

On April 17, 2017 – the time aft Easter Sunday – Anna Repkina was recovered with a shotgun blast to the backmost of the head, her assemblage near similar 1 much portion of garbage.

Lt. Chris Duffitt: Anna was discarded successful this landing with the different trash.

Lt. Chris Duffitt: Fast nutrient bags, cigaret cartons, candy wrappers that were -- that were here. And astatine that point, we don't cognize what's grounds and what's not. Because that could either beryllium immense grounds successful this lawsuit oregon it could beryllium conscionable trash.

While investigators hoped to find a transportation to Anna's killer, Will was sending Anna texts, showing interest astir her whereabouts aft the combat helium said they'd had the time before.

WILL HARGROVE [text to Anna]: Just fto maine cognize you are safe?

Will besides launched a bizarre heavy dive online, researching time travel.

WILL HARGROVE [WhatsApp message]: I request to larn astir clip travel. I request to close a horrible mistake.

Det. Chris Dale: He is trying to inquire for assistance successful however to question backmost successful time, backmost to April 16th, successful bid to close a horrible mistake.

Tracy Smith: His words, "correct a horrible mistake"?

Det. Chris Dale: Yes.

He adjacent went truthful acold arsenic to connection strangers connected WhatsApp for proposal to assistance idiosyncratic helium called his "best friend."

WILL HARGROVE [WhatsApp message]: April 16th my champion person made a mistake. I privation to spell backmost to support from losing the women that should beryllium my wife.

Will was seemingly truthful hopeless for this accusation helium offered a reward -- his soul.

WILL HARGROVE'S WHATSAPP MESSAGE: I'd honestly merchantability my soul.

In summation to his unusual net search, Will went connected a buying spree, spending much of that currency helium stole from anna buying candy, video games and toys.

Lt. Chris Duffitt: He bought a hundred-and-something dollar acceptable of Legos from a Walmart.

Will reached retired to a person named Kevin Thomas.

Lt. Chris Duffitt: …saying that he's … spending wealth helium shouldn't, trying to distract himself.

WILL HARGROVE TEXT TO KEVIN THOMAS: Spending wealth I shouldn't due to the fact that I'm trying to distract myself.

On Wednesday, April 19, investigators struck a pb with the trash recovered adjacent to Anna's body: a KFC receipt from 3 days earlier with a important timestamp.

Tracy Smith: Was determination a sanction connected the receipt?

Lt. Chris Duffitt: So, connected the receipt determination was nary name. … KFC told america that determination was really a car that pulled up connected that Friday. And determination was 2 purchases made from that car. There was 1 made with a debit paper that came backmost to Kevin Thomas. And different acquisition that was made with cash.

Trash oregon treasure? The grounds that helped find Anna Repkina's slayer

With lone 1 sanction to enactment with, investigators headed to Kevin's Corvallis home.

LT. CHRIS DUFFITT [audio]: We're conscionable trying to enactment immoderate pieces unneurotic for our case. Um, the uh garbage we recovered was I deliberation thing that you bought past week from KFC.

KEVIN THOMAS: OK.

LT. CHRIS OFFICER: Do you cognize astir that?

KEVIN THOMAS: Yeah. Me and my member spell to KFC –

LT. CHRIS DUFFITT: Go to KFC –

KEVIN THOMAS: -- connected Fridays.

DET. ADAM MILLER: What's your brother's name, Kevin?

KEVIN THOMAS: Uh, Will Hargrove.

Kevin and volition became pals astatine the Peacock Bar and Grill. Kevin, similar Joseph Thompson, called volition his "brother." Police continued talking to Kevin astatine the sheriff's office, wherever helium offered a revelation. A fewer weeks earlier, volition had asked to get thing that belonged to Kevin: his shotgun.

DET. ADAM MILLER: Did helium accidental wherefore helium wanted to get it?

KEVIN THOMAS: Just that helium was gonna spell up and spell shooting successful the woods and conscionable benignant of stroke disconnected immoderate steam.

What's more, Kevin told constabulary that volition had yet to instrumentality the gun. With this caller information, investigators headed consecutive to Michelle's house, wherever Will was staying to question him. He answered the door.

LT. CHRIS DUFFITT [audio]: We're present followin' up connected a lawsuit we're workin' and uh, uh your name's travel crossed and we wanna speech to you.

WILL HARGROVE: OK.

Will past lied to investigators telling them that helium and Michelle drove up to Alsea unneurotic connected Easter Sunday.

WILL HARGROVE [audio]: Drove into Alsea, stopped astatine the small marketplace there, picked up a battalion of cigarettes and drove back.

LT: CHRIS DUFFITT: Did you dump immoderate trash determination erstwhile you were there?

WILL HARGROVE: Yeah, I did. On the broadside of the building. On the broadside of the wide store.

But that trash that volition claimed to person near astatine the store, was the precise aforesaid that was recovered adjacent to Anna's body. Investigators asked Will to travel to the sheriff's office. While Will was getting acceptable to leave, helium texted Michelle to guarantee their stories matched.

WILL HARGROVE'S TEXT TO MICHELLE CHAVEZ: Picked you up astatine your moms drove to alsea wide store and drove back.

At the sheriff's office, investigators got to the question of Anna.

DET. ADAM MILLER: What bash you cognize astir her?

WILL HARGROVE: Almost nothing.

DET. ADAM MILLER: How'd you -- how'd you guys meet?

WILL HARGROVE: I met her downtown Corvallis.

LT. CHRIS DUFFITT: Just walking around?

WILL: HARGROVE: Yeah.

Will played down their relationship, adjacent calling Anna "psychotic".

WILL HARGROVE: We went connected 2 dates and past decided – I – I told her it wasn't gonna beryllium thing much than that, and that I was blessed to support hanging retired with her but that was each it was gonna be.

LT. CHRIS DUFFITT: OK. How agelong agone was that?

WILL HARGROVE: Uh, past clip I saw her was mediate of March.

LT. CHRIS DUFFITT: Middle of March.

WILL HARGROVE: We chopped it disconnected due to the fact that she decided to enactment connected Facebook that we were engaged.

DET. ADAM MILLER: She posted that?

WILL HARGROVE: Yeah.

DET. ADAM MILLER: After 2 dates?

WILL HARGROVE: Oh, yeah. And it brought hellhole down upon me.

DET. ADAM MILLER: From who?

WILL HARGROVE: Michelle.

Lieutenant Duffitt turned up the vigor connected Will and got close to the point:

LT. CHRIS DUFFITT: So, Will, your trash was recovered wherever idiosyncratic was killed.

WILL HARGROVE: I'm sorry. What?

LT. CHRIS DUFFITT: Okay. That's what we're talking astir here.

WILL HARGROVE: You guys are looking astatine maine for this?

DET. ADAM MILLER: Your trash, similar my spouse said was recovered there.

LT. CHRIS DUFFITT: Your worldly was recovered astatine a country wherever idiosyncratic died.

DET. ADAM MILLER: Yeah.

LT. CHRIS DUFFITT: OK. Talking to you there's a batch of inconsistencies with your communicative astir what -- what happened.

That's erstwhile Will stopped talking and asked for a lawyer.

WILL HARGROVE: No offense, guys. You've been truly benignant and I similar you and I don't caput that, but the infinitesimal that you accidental idiosyncratic was killed retired determination past no, I – ju – ju - conscionable no.

LT. CHRIS DUFFITT: OK. So, uh William Hargrove, I request you to basal up and enactment your hands down your back. You're nether apprehension for the execution of Anna Repkina.

Will Hargrove was placed nether arrest, but did constabulary person the close idiosyncratic successful custody?

Tracy Smith [to prosecutors Ryan Joslin and Amie Matusko]: If anyone connected the look of it looks similar they person a motive to termination Anna, it's the different woman. It's Michelle. How tin you beryllium truthful definite that she had thing to bash with Anna's murder?

AN ALTERNATE THEORY

Just hours aft Will Hargrove was arrested for Anna Repkina's murder, Michelle Chavez was brought successful for questioning astir what she was doing Easter Sunday.

MICHELLE CHAVEZ: Can you archer maine what this is astir though?

She starts retired connected the incorrect foot, telling constabulary what Will had texted her to accidental that they'd driven to Alsea together.

DET. ERIC GLASS: And helium picked you up astatine your mom's location astatine that time?

MICHELLE CHAVEZ: He did.

DET. ERIC GLASS: OK.

Immediately, Michelle reverses herself, admitting what she had conscionable stated was false.

MICHELLE CHAVEZ: That's a small spot of a lie. He called me, helium was gonna prime maine up and past helium didn't.

Tracy Smith: Why did you prevarication to them?

Michelle Chavez: Honestly, I wasn't thinking. And I don't person a bully answer.

LT. CHRIS DUFFITT: I privation you to cognize close present that Will is nether apprehension for murder.

MICHELLE CHAVEZ: OK. OK.

Investigators accidental Michelle didn't look astatine each amazed erstwhile they told her Will had conscionable been arrested for sidesplitting Anna.

OFFICER: How are you not highly upset close now?

MICHELLE CHAVEZ: I – I …

LT. CHRIS DUFFITT: To cognize that the idiosyncratic who you were romantically progressive with –

MICHELLE CHAVEZ: I americium precise upset close now. I americium precise upset close now. I don't recognize however that tin beryllium a idiosyncratic that I person spent the past year-and-a-half with.

Michelle Chavez: I was numb. It didn't marque sense.

Over a twelvemonth later, successful July 2018, Will was formally indicted for Anna's murder. The defence would spell connected to rotation an wholly antithetic mentation of the crime, 1 that had Michelle pulling the trigger aft arriving from her family's Easter celebration. According to them:

Amie Matusko: The suspect had taken Michelle Chavez up to the determination -- to person a speech with Anna, and … Michelle had taken the weapon retired from him and changeable Anna.

A fewer pieces of grounds had fixed investigators origin for concern. For 1 thing, Michelle mysteriously ended up successful possession of Anna's phone. Michelle blames Will.

Michelle Chavez: I didn't recognize it was hers. He had fixed it to me, I guess, the nighttime earlier helium got arrested.

Michelle's ain cellphone records showed that a period earlier Anna's assemblage was found, Michelle had visited that nonstop spot connected the logging road. Michelle claims that's lone due to the fact that Will brought her there, but could she person been scouting the location?

Tracy Smith: The defence says that Will loved Anna, that helium was starting a beingness with her, that you're the 1 with each the reasons to termination her. What bash you accidental to that?

Michelle Chavez: I had nary crushed to privation her dead. No crushed to termination her.

Michelle Chavez: I bash get however it looks, but her being dormant is thing I ever wanted. I wanted her to spell home.

Tracy Smith: Did you ever archer Will to termination Anna?

Michelle Chavez: No.

Days aft Will's arrest, his person Kevin's shotgun was recovered from the backmost of Will's vehicle. Evidence supports there'd lone been one killer.

Amie Matusko: Will Hargrove's fingerprint was connected the shotgun. Michelle Chavez's DNA was ne'er connected that shotgun. Michelle Chavez's fingerprints were ne'er connected that shotgun.

Piecing unneurotic assorted information cameras, investigators tracked Will's thrust with Anna to Alsea.

Ryan Joslin: We spot the defendant's car that's chiseled for assorted reasons, traveling on a definite path. And it gave america determination arsenic good arsenic timeframes.

But it was GPS tracking that gave constabulary an adjacent bigger portion of the puzzle with Will's telephone pinging from the execution tract from 4:35 to 4:48 that afternoon.

Amie Matusko: The crushed we person that is due to the fact that helium called Michelle Chavez.

Michelle Chavez -- who was inactive astatine her mother's location astatine that Easter celebration.

Lt. Chris Duffitt: We don't person immoderate forensic information oregon accusation that was near astatine that transgression country to suggest that Michelle was astatine the transgression country connected that day.

And retrieve that video of Will buying astatine the Alsea convenience store arsenic helium waited for Michelle to arrive?

Lt. Chris Duffitt: Towards the apical of his bald head, you tin spot what appears to beryllium -- smaller achromatic -- dots.

Raising the question: could it person been humor spatter?

Amie Matusko: We can't archer you if that was blood. We can't archer you what that was. But we tin archer you it was determination earlier helium met Michelle Chavez. … Subsequent photograph examination afterwards amusement that those spots weren't moles. They weren't thing that was determination permanently.

There was 1 much heart-wrenching portion of grounds recovered successful the trash alongside Anna's assemblage from different accelerated nutrient drive-thru.

Lt. Chris Duffitt: A receipt from McDonald's -- successful Newport, Oregon. … Dated connected March 25th of 2017.

March 25, the time that should have been Anna's wedding day.

Will's proceedings got underway successful October 2019.

Amie Matusko: The archetypal witnesser database was 131 people. Eventually, I judge adjacent to 70 radical testified.

The proceedings took a month. Will Hargrove was recovered blameworthy of Anna's execution arsenic good arsenic individuality theft and 2 counts of second-degree theft for stealing that wealth from Anna's slope account.

AMIE MATUSKO [in court]: I wanna speech astir Anna Repkina for a minute. And I placed her photograph connected the witnesser basal to punctual everyone of a beingness that was lost.

Will's sentencing was held successful January 2020.

AMIE MATUSKO [in court]: She came present with hopes and dreams to find idiosyncratic that was loving her and commencement a family. She doesn't person that anymore. … The suspect precise astir got distant with this crime. It was his ain trash that betrayed him.

Will received a beingness condemnation with a anticipation of parole aft 25 years.

Michelle says surviving nether the scrutiny of radical successful municipality wondering what she knew oregon didn't cognize became each excessively much.

Tracy Smith: How atrocious did it get for you?

Michelle Chavez: Bad enough.

Tracy Smith: Bad.

Michelle Chavez: Bad.

Jamie Klotz: She had an incidental successful which she couldn't instrumentality the accent anymore. And-- astir didn't get the constabulary determination successful time.

Michelle says that successful June 2018, she tried to instrumentality her ain life.

Michelle Chavez: I tried to die. I'm inactive here. It didn't work.

As for the young Moscow autochthonal who flew to the U.S. with the committedness of emotion …

Amie Matusko: I deliberation you person to retrieve Anna arsenic the sweet, loving, caring idiosyncratic who enactment herself retired determination to beryllium loved. … Because Anna was loved. … She was loved alive, and she was loved after.

William Hargrove's execution condemnation was overturned connected entreaty successful 2023. The reversal was based connected a flawed hunt warrant and the improper postulation of immoderate evidence. In April 2025, a caller proceedings began and successful June 2025, Hargrove was reconvicted and resentenced to beingness successful situation with a anticipation of parole aft 25 years.

Produced by Susan Mallie and Jennifer Terker. Cindy Cesare is the improvement producer. Danielle Arman is the subordinate producer. Marcus Balsam, Michael Vele and Joan Adelman are the editors.  Lourdes Aguiar is the elder producer. Nancy Kramer is the enforcement communicative editor. Judy Tygard is the enforcement producer.

Tracy Smith

Tracy Smith is an award-winning analogous for "CBS News Sunday Morning" and "48 Hours," who joined CBS News successful 2000. Smith has covered a wide scope of subjects, producing revealing interviews with news-making artists to moving, in-depth reporting.

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