Oregon City man sentenced to life, pleads guilty to killing girlfriend, hiding body in woods

CLACKAMAS COUNTY Ore. (KPTV) - An Oregon City man was sentenced to life in prison Wednesday after pleading guilty to murdering his girlfriend, the Clackamas County District Attorney’s Office announced Thursday.

According to the district attorney’s office, 56-year-old William Glen Blake shot and killed 38-year-old Jennifer Ruth Stuart on Aug. 14, 2025. Detectives believe the shooting occurred during an argument at the home the couple shared on Hilltop Lane in Oregon City.

After the shooting, Blake drove to a Home Depot store and purchased a large tote, garbage bags and gloves, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors said Blake initially placed Stuart’s body in the large tote but later retrieved it after becoming concerned the container could be traced back to him. During a search of his property, police found the tote he had first used to conceal her body.

Stuart’s remains were discovered Sept. 1 by a couple hunting in the Mount Hood National Forest off Forest Service Road 45 near South Hillockburn Road.

An autopsy confirmed Stuart died from a gunshot wound to the lower left side of her body.

“It hurts. Why do we gotta lose the good ones when there are so many bad guys out there?” said Mike Chaney, who knew Stuart.

Blake was identified as a primary suspect after investigators learned he had a history of domestic violence. Neighbors told police Blake regularly assaulted Stuart.

He was arrested Oct. 24, 2025, and initially pleaded not guilty. As part of a plea agreement entered Wednesday, he pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, and other charges related to disposing of Stuart’s body and tampering with evidence were dropped, the DA’s office said.

Blake was sentenced in Clackamas County Circuit Court to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 25 years.

A victim impact statement from Stuart’s mother, Elizabeth Stuart, was read in court. She described Blake as “a rabid, savage beast.”

“To end being shot, crammed into a plastic container … loaded up like an animal … dumped out like trash … is unfathomable,” Stuart said.

When Blake was arrested in October, Clackamas County deputies also arrested his 15-year-old son on charges of second-degree abuse of a corpse and tampering with evidence for allegedly helping his father hide the body.

FOX 12 asked the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office and the District Attorney’s Office about the status of the charges against Blake’s son. The sheriff’s office referred questions to the DA’s office, which said it does not comment on juvenile cases.