Second Suspect in Fatal Oregon Bank Explosion Faces New Charges

The suspect is now charged with Manufacture of a Destructive Device, Possession of Destructive Device, 1st degree Assault, 2nd degree Assault, Conspiracy to Commit Aggravated Murder, 2 counts of Attempted Aggravated Murder, and 6 counts of Aggravated Murder.

(SALEM, Ore.) - A second man in custody for Friday's fatal bank bombing in Woodburn, 57-year old Bruce Turnidge of rural Salem, now faces additional charges, according to Marion County District Attorney Courtland Geyer.

The explosion killed OSP Senior Trooper Bill Hakim and Woodburn Police Captain Tom Tennant. Woodburn Police Chief Scott Russell was seriously injured in the blast, and one bank employee was also injured.

Geyer says Turnidge, the father of the other suspect, Joshua Turnidge, was arrested Sunday night. It was announced earlier today that Bruce Turnidge was arrested for Conspiracy to Manufacture an Explosive Device and Conspiracy to Possess an Explosive Device.

Bruce Turnidge, now lodged at the Marion County Correctional Facility, faces these new charges: Manufacture of a Destructive Device, Possession of Destructive Device, first-degree Assault, second-degree Assault, Conspiracy to Commit Aggravated Murder, two counts of Attempted Aggravated Murder, and six counts of Aggravated Murder.

The change from earlier is the result of a careful review by the interagency team of the totality of evidence in the case, according to Geyer.

He told Salem-News.com that the law enforcement community really came together for this investigation and the subsequent arrests.

"The response to this has just been overwhelming; the number of agencies that have lent a hand and the number of investigators is exactly what we had ideally hoped for."

Geyer continued, "Beyond that, the excellence, it is outstanding in light of such a tragedy, to see such a response to it. Everyone is honored to be a part of trying to solve this thing. It is just a hive of investigative talent. There is also a considerable amount of federal assistance involved with this. It is what you would hope for under tragic circumstances such as these."

Geyer is not commenting on motive at this point. The father and son are both in custody and while he didn't answer specifically, the District Attorney Spokesman did not deny the possibility that more suspects could be tied to the case.

Many people may wonder how two defendants and two slain police officers, could lead to a total of six Murder charges. Geyer explained that under Oregon law, the crimes are committed simultaneously.

"Specific crimes under Oregon law may be violated in several different ways. That is true of Aggravated Murder. There are more than five different ways a person can commit the crime of Aggravated Murder," Geyer said.

"Sometimes, in the scope of what someone has done, they hit more than one of the forms of Aggravated Murder." Geyer says the state believes Turnidge committed three different forms of the Aggravated Murder.

Hypothetically, a person could be charged with Aggravated Murder if they kill someone intentionally to cover up the commission of a crime. If at the same time, the person kills a policeman intentionally, they commit Aggravated Murder. If a person kills a policeman to cover up a crime, they again face a charge of Aggravated Murder.

This example is not specific to the charges against either of these defendants, but it explains in part, a complex set of laws that allow a prosecutor different options when creating a Murder case.

Bruce Turnidge will be arraigned on Thursday, December 18th at 8:00 AM at the Marion County Court Annex in Salem, Oregon.

Investigators remain very interested in any information the public can provide. Anyone who may have knowledge about these crimes should call the new tip line at 1-888-780-5678.

The offer of a $35,000 reward for information leading to the conviction of the person or persons responsible for this crime remains open.
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Vic December 17, 2008 5:59 pm (Pacific time)

So how many times can you kill one person? Like I have said before, if you kill a policeman, even a POLICE DOG, you will serve more time than if you kill a child. Think about that...killing a police dog will get you more jail time than killing a child.

Neo December 17, 2008 5:48 pm (Pacific time)

Sorry...I've read so much about this in various locations I glanced over that section. Kudos for addressing that.

Neo December 17, 2008 2:20 pm (Pacific time)

So...every paper is reporting this (and AP) and they even verbally said this on the news...what gives?

"Conspiracy to Commit Aggravated Murder, 2 counts of Attempted Aggravated Murder, and 6 counts of Aggravated Murder."

Where are they getting 6 murder charges from?? That can't be correct. 2 makes sense.

Tim King: Neo, I had the same question and tried to address it in the article. Basically, a person can commit different types of Aggravated Murder at the same time. I know it sounds unusual, but it is apparently how Oregon law is structured.

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