A Clark County jury convicted Richard “Cole” Vanderhoek, 49, of second-degree murder in the 2024 death of David Collins Sr. The jury rejected Vanderhoek’s self-defense argument, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported. Vanderhoek faces up to 18 years in prison, with his next hearing scheduled for Sept. 30.
The incident and investigation
The case began with a 911 call from Vanderhoek at about 6:45 a.m. on April 2, 2024. He reported that another man had assaulted him. Deputies then went to 3208 NE Petticoat Lane in Minnehaha and found Collins dead in a driveway with an arrow wound to his chest, according to The Oregonian/OregonLive and KGW. The medical examiner later identified the victim as David Joseph Collins Sr., KGW reported.
Vanderhoek initially gave deputies only Collins’ first name and described him as an acquaintance. He was taken to a hospital for treatment of minor injuries before his arrest, according to The Daily Chronicle. Reports based on the probable-cause affidavit described a facial injury, scrapes on his elbow and chest, and a complaint of mouth pain; investigators also documented his claim that Collins had assaulted him, according to KOIN.
What the eyewitness account established
A neighbor told investigators that a disturbance began around 6:05 a.m. and that two men fought near the home’s front gate. The neighbor said Collins then moved away and the other man appeared to follow him in a vehicle before another confrontation developed about 10 minutes later, according to accounts of the affidavit published by The Oregonian/OregonLive and KOIN.
The neighbor later saw Collins on one side of the home’s chain-link fence and Vanderhoek on the other side with a bow. After Collins was struck in the chest, the neighbor contacted authorities. The jury’s verdict rejected the claim that the shooting was legally justified as self-defense, according to The Oregonian/OregonLive.
