Jury returns guilty verdict in La Grande murder case

Published 12:00 pm Friday, August 5, 2022

LA GRANDE — A Union County jury Thursday, Aug. 4, convicted a La Grande man of second-degree murder for slaying his wife.

Ronald Lee, 74, now faces a life sentence after the jury found him guilty of killing Loretta Williams in November 2018 at her home in Cove. The two were in the process of divorcing.

The jury took about three hours of deliberation to return its verdict after the prosecution and defense each presented closing arguments earlier in the day.

“I’m very grateful that the jury saw the evidence for what it was and held the defendant accountable. This has been a long journey, not only for my team, but especially for the family. I hope that the conclusion of the trial brings them some peace and closure,” said Union County District Attorney Kelsie McDaniel.

According to McDaniel, the murder charge comes with a mandatory sentence of life in prison. Lee will, however, be eligible for parole in 25 years.

Lee takes the stand

Lee took the stand Aug. 3, and his attorney, Dean Gushwa, only asked three questions: Did you know Steve Hamilton, did he perform sexual acts upon you and was he afraid your wife would find out? Lee answered yes to each question.

On cross examination, McDaniel asked the defendant for more details about the relationship. Lee explained the relationship progressed through their work on Hamilton’s trailer and Hamilton was the one who turned things sexual.

McDaniel asked Lee why he never mentioned his relationship with Hamilton during the last four years. Lee said that he did not talk about sex. McDaniel then referenced the video recordings of Lee’s interviews with law enforcement after Williams death — where Lee spoke to officers about his sex life — or lack thereof — with his wife and denied being in any other relationships.

McDaniel then changed her line of questioning, inquiring into why exactly Hamilton was worried about Williams finding out about their relationship when he testified that he had never met her. Lee responded he thought Hamilton knew Williams a lot more than he said and he was going out to the Conley property to look at her. Just a few minutes earlier, Lee told McDaniel he was not sure if Hamilton knew Williams.

When Hamilton was on the stand he denied having a sexual relationship with Lee.

Throughout his testimony, the defendant could not recall Hamilton’s name. Lee did suffer a series of strokes while in custody, which has affected his memory.

Closing Arguments

McDaniel during her closing once more took members of the jury through the timeline of events that led to Williams’ death. She highlighted key pieces of evidence and witness testimony that supported the state’s theory that Lee murdered Williams to avoid paying spousal support and having his finances exposed.

The district attorney started in April 2018 when law enforcement were dispatched to Conley Road for a domestic disturbance, progressed through Lee’s “stalking” behavior and need to control his soon-to-be ex-wife and culminated in Williams’ murder.

According to McDaniel, Lee seemingly got what he wanted. The divorce deposition and proceeding were canceled, but then the assets were moved into an estate and Peggy Titus — Williams’ sister — was named the personal representative. Lee objected to this, tried to get homeowners insurance payouts for damage to the property during the murder deposited into his account and sued Titus.

McDaniels closed by saying that Williams’ dedicated her life to being Lee’s wife and he killed her. She asked the jury to find the defendant guilty.

Gushwa in his closing said the state had not provided sufficient evidence to prove to the jurors that Lee committed the murder beyond a reasonable doubt. He told members of the jury that his client was in the unlucky 5% — referencing his opening statements where he admitted 95% of the time when a spouse is killed it is the other spouse who did it.

According to Gushwa, Lee stood to gain nothing from killing his wife, whereas Hamilton had to get rid of Williams to keep his relationship with Lee a secret. The defense told the jury that Hamilton planted key evidence — a work glove, an unfired bullet, the .22-caliber revolver and glock accessories — as insurance that law enforcement would pursue Lee.

Gushwa wrapped his closing arguments by saying the state had mischaracterized evidence and had not pursued evidence to the fullest degree.

During rebuttal, McDaniel reminded jurors that anything she or Gushwa said was not considered evidence. She went on to elaborate that Gushwa had not provided any evidence for the claims he made in closing and no evidence submitted by either the state or the defense pointed to Hamilton. McDaniel wrapped up by asking the jury to hold the defendant accountable by finding him guilty.

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