A Washington County judge has sentenced a Beaverton man to 20 years in prison for killing his wife inside their apartment, a drug-fueled shooting that left a neighborhood stunned and a young family destroyed.
On Tuesday, Washington County Circuit Judge Theodore Sims handed down the 20-year term to 20-year-old Talon G. Mitchell after he pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter, according to OregonLive. Sims said Mitchell will receive credit for time he has already served in custody and could qualify for sentence reductions for good behavior during the second half of his term. The plea deal brought an end to earlier murder and weapons charges that stemmed from the February 2023 killing.
Beaverton police say officers were sent for a welfare check on the night of Feb. 23, 2023, to a third-floor apartment in the 1050 block of SW 160th Avenue. Inside, they found 24-year-old Oulaykham Mona Chopheng slumped over on a black leather couch with a shotgun wound to the face. Detectives arrested her husband, then 19-year-old Talon Gabriel Mitchell, early the next morning and initially booked him on charges of murder and unlawful use of a weapon, according to a Beaverton Police Department news release. Investigators later compiled an affidavit that prosecutors used as the backbone of the eventual manslaughter plea.
An affidavit reviewed by reporters shows Mitchell sent text messages to 911 that said "help me" and, in all caps, that he was "stuck in a dream" and "being controlled." He also told investigators he had taken LSD the day before and did not remember shooting his wife, according to OregonLive. Neighbors reported hearing a woman sobbing and a man speaking in short, abrupt sentences that night, details that later surfaced in court filings as prosecutors and defense attorneys worked toward a resolution.
What the law says
Under Oregon law, first-degree manslaughter is defined in ORS 163.118 and applies to killings committed recklessly or while the defendant is under extreme emotional disturbance. The statute classifies the crime as a serious felony that can result in lengthy prison terms, with judges weighing the statutory framework, sentencing guidelines and credit for time already served. The full language of the law is available at ORS 163.118.
The sentence in Washington County closes a case that began with a late-night welfare check in February 2023 and moved through arrest, charging decisions and months of plea negotiations. Court records and the reporting cited above form the public trail of what happened. With Tuesday’s hearing, the criminal case in Washington County Circuit Court is now officially closed.
