A Polk County jury on Friday, June 26, 2026, found a 52-year-old former Oregon State Penitentiary guard guilty of second-degree murder in the shooting death of his brother outside a Dallas home on Nov. 9, 2024. The conviction capped a trial that revisited a brief standoff at the Salem prison where the defendant once worked. Sentencing is set for July 24 in Polk County Circuit Court.
According to the Polk County District Attorney's Office, jurors convicted Alonzo Rowell of second-degree murder for killing his 54-year-old brother, Tony Miller, on Nov. 9, 2024. Prosecutors said Rowell shot Miller at a residence in Dallas, then drove to the Oregon State Penitentiary in Salem, where he "engaged in a short standoff" with Salem police and other officers, as reported by KPTV.
Standoff at a former workplace
The Oregon State Penitentiary in Salem is the state's maximum-security prison, with special housing units, an infirmary and statewide prison industries on its campus. The facility's public issue brief outlines those operations and identifies the prison as Rowell's former employer, according to the Oregon Department of Corrections.
Court timeline and legal stakes
Rowell is scheduled to appear for sentencing July 24 before Polk County Circuit Judge Rafael Caso. Under Oregon law, a second-degree murder conviction carries a life sentence, and the state's criminal code indicates parole eligibility for that offense typically does not come before roughly 25 years, with the exact term to be set by the sentencing court, according to the Oregon Revised Statutes. Jurors also returned guilty verdicts on assault and unlawful use of a weapon, convictions that could influence the judge's ultimate sentence.
How the case began
Rowell was first arrested in November 2024, when he was charged with second-degree murder, first-degree assault, unlawful use of a weapon and reckless endangering. Authorities alleged that he shot his brother at a Dallas residence, then drove to the Oregon State Penitentiary, where officers took him into custody. Those initial charges and the early timeline of the case were detailed at the time by KPTV.
No motive for the killing was disclosed in court on Friday, and the Polk County District Attorney's Office did not immediately release further public comment. For now, the July 24 sentencing stands as the next key date in the case.
