Brooke Wilberger
Encyclopedia
Brooke Carol Wilberger was a student from the state of Oregon
who was abducted and later murdered. Her disappearance was covered by the national media, and hers was one of the most publicized murder investigations in Oregon history.
on February 20, 1985 to Greg and Cammy Wilberger. She had three sisters and two brothers. Described as a devout Mormon
, Wilberger was a graduate of Elmira High School
near Eugene, Oregon
. She had just completed her freshman
year at Brigham Young University
in Provo, Utah
at the time of her abduction. At the time of her abduction, her boyfriend, Justin Blake, was serving as a Mormon missionary in Venezuela
.
on the morning of May 24, 2004 by Joel Patrick Courtney. He drove her into the woods outside of town. He returned to town to buy food while he still had Brooke bound in his van. He kept her alive throughout the night before raping her the next morning. He bludgeoned her to death when she tried to fight off the rape. At the time of her disappearance she was on summer break, visiting and working for one of her sisters in Corvallis. She was last seen cleaning lamp posts in the parking lot of the Oak Park Apartments on the edge of the Oregon State University
campus, which her sister and brother-in-law managed.
When Wilberger disappeared, the police began investigating immediately – against normal procedure, which would typically allow a few days in case the person vanished by their own choice. The Wilbergers' church organized a search by citizens of Corvallis.
Wilberger's remains were found on September 21, 2009, more than five years after she disappeared. The man accused of her murder, Joel Courtney, revealed the location of her remains as part of a plea agreement. He pleaded guilty to aggravated murder (the only crime subject to capital punishment in Oregon) and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
The investigation initially centered on Sung Koo Kim, who was named as "person of interest
" in the disappearance. Kim was later dropped as a suspect, but received and is serving an 11-year prison sentence for multiple counts of burglary and theft of women's personal property in Yamhill County, Oregon
, crimes uncovered while he was being investigated for the Wilberger disappearance.
On November 30, 2004 a University of New Mexico
student was kidnapped and rape
d, before escaping and identifying Joel Patrick Courtney as her attacker. On September 12, 2007 Courtney pleaded guilty to the kidnapping and rape of the 22-year-old University of New Mexico foreign exchange student. Courtney's plea agreement called for a prison sentence of up to 18 years, plus five to 20 years on parole
. Courtney would also need to register as a sex offender
. Police eventually linked Courtney, a native of Beaverton, Oregon
, to the disappearance of Wilberger and in August 2005 he was charged on 19 counts of aggravated murder, kidnapping, sexual abuse
, rape and sodomy
. Court documents released in 2008 revealed details showing that Courtney was in Corvallis when Wilberger disappeared and that the green van he was driving was spotted by several people, including an OSU employee who identified him from a photo lineup. Officials said that Wilberger's DNA was found inside the van, along with her hair.
Courtney was extradited
to Benton County, Oregon
for the Wilberger case on April 8, 2008. He was scheduled for his first appearance on April 9, 2008 at the Benton County Courthouse, facing 14 counts including aggravated murder, two counts of kidnapping and single counts of rape, sodomy and sexual abuse in connection with Wilberger's disappearance. Charges were filed despite the absence of the body of the alleged victim at the time; the prosecutor in the case announced that he would seek the death penalty.
The FBI briefly considered Courtney a suspect in two to three disappearances under investigation but have since eliminated him as a suspect. The case was covered several times on the television program America's Most Wanted
.
On September 21, 2009 Joel Patrick Courtney pleaded guilty to aggravated murder and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for Wilberger's death. The deal spared Courtney from the death penalty, in exchange for providing information about the location of Wilberger's body. In addition, the deal also called for Courtney to be imprisoned in his home state, New Mexico, instead of Oregon where the crime was committed.
The Benton County District Attorney announced the recovery of Willberger's body (without specifics or its location) in a press conference the day of Courtney's confession. Wilberger's remains were found on private property in Benton County in the Oregon Coast Range
.
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
who was abducted and later murdered. Her disappearance was covered by the national media, and hers was one of the most publicized murder investigations in Oregon history.
Biography
Wilberger was born in Fresno, CaliforniaFresno, California
Fresno is a city in central California, United States, the county seat of Fresno County. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 510,365, making it the fifth largest city in California, the largest inland city in California, and the 34th largest in the nation...
on February 20, 1985 to Greg and Cammy Wilberger. She had three sisters and two brothers. Described as a devout Mormon
Mormon
The term Mormon most commonly denotes an adherent, practitioner, follower, or constituent of Mormonism, which is the largest branch of the Latter Day Saint movement in restorationist Christianity...
, Wilberger was a graduate of Elmira High School
Elmira High School
Elmira High School is a public high school in Elmira, Oregon, United States, located approximately 15 miles from Eugene, Oregon.-Academics:In 2008, 83% of the school's seniors received their high school diploma...
near Eugene, Oregon
Eugene, Oregon
Eugene is the second largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and the seat of Lane County. It is located at the south end of the Willamette Valley, at the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast.As of the 2010 U.S...
. She had just completed her freshman
Freshman
A freshman or fresher is a first-year student in secondary school, high school, or college. The term first year can also be used as a noun, to describe the students themselves A freshman (US) or fresher (UK, India) (or sometimes fish, freshie, fresher; slang plural frosh or freshmeat) is a...
year at Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
in Provo, Utah
Provo, Utah
Provo is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Utah, located about south of Salt Lake City along the Wasatch Front. Provo is the county seat of Utah County and lies between the cities of Orem to the north and Springville to the south...
at the time of her abduction. At the time of her abduction, her boyfriend, Justin Blake, was serving as a Mormon missionary in Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
.
Abduction
Wilberger was abducted from Corvallis, OregonCorvallis, Oregon
Corvallis is a city located in central western Oregon, United States. It is the county seat of Benton County and the principal city of the Corvallis, Oregon Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Benton County. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 54,462....
on the morning of May 24, 2004 by Joel Patrick Courtney. He drove her into the woods outside of town. He returned to town to buy food while he still had Brooke bound in his van. He kept her alive throughout the night before raping her the next morning. He bludgeoned her to death when she tried to fight off the rape. At the time of her disappearance she was on summer break, visiting and working for one of her sisters in Corvallis. She was last seen cleaning lamp posts in the parking lot of the Oak Park Apartments on the edge of the Oregon State University
Oregon State University
Oregon State University is a coeducational, public research university located in Corvallis, Oregon, United States. The university offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees and a multitude of research opportunities. There are more than 200 academic degree programs offered through the...
campus, which her sister and brother-in-law managed.
When Wilberger disappeared, the police began investigating immediately – against normal procedure, which would typically allow a few days in case the person vanished by their own choice. The Wilbergers' church organized a search by citizens of Corvallis.
Wilberger's remains were found on September 21, 2009, more than five years after she disappeared. The man accused of her murder, Joel Courtney, revealed the location of her remains as part of a plea agreement. He pleaded guilty to aggravated murder (the only crime subject to capital punishment in Oregon) and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Investigation
Person of interest
"Person of interest" is a phrase used by law enforcement when announcing the name of someone involved in a criminal investigation who has not been arrested or formally accused of a crime. The phrase was adopted by the media and widely disseminated, thus most law enforcement agencies have picked up...
" in the disappearance. Kim was later dropped as a suspect, but received and is serving an 11-year prison sentence for multiple counts of burglary and theft of women's personal property in Yamhill County, Oregon
Yamhill County, Oregon
-National protected areas:*Siuslaw National Forest *Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 84,992 people, 28,732 households, and 21,376 families residing in the county. The population density was 119 people per square mile . There were 30,270...
, crimes uncovered while he was being investigated for the Wilberger disappearance.
On November 30, 2004 a University of New Mexico
University of New Mexico
The University of New Mexico at Albuquerque is a public research university located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in the United States. It is the state's flagship research institution...
student was kidnapped and rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
d, before escaping and identifying Joel Patrick Courtney as her attacker. On September 12, 2007 Courtney pleaded guilty to the kidnapping and rape of the 22-year-old University of New Mexico foreign exchange student. Courtney's plea agreement called for a prison sentence of up to 18 years, plus five to 20 years on parole
Parole
Parole may have different meanings depending on the field and judiciary system. All of the meanings originated from the French parole . Following its use in late-resurrected Anglo-French chivalric practice, the term became associated with the release of prisoners based on prisoners giving their...
. Courtney would also need to register as a sex offender
Sex offender
A sex offender is a person who has committed a sex crime. What constitutes a sex crime differs by culture and by legal jurisdiction. Most jurisdictions compile their laws into sections such as traffic, assault, sexual, etc. The majority of convicted sex offenders have convictions for crimes of a...
. Police eventually linked Courtney, a native of Beaverton, Oregon
Beaverton, Oregon
Beaverton is a city in Washington County, Oregon, United States, seven miles west of Portland in the Tualatin River Valley.As of the 2010 census, the population is 90,267. This makes it the second-largest city in the county and Oregon's sixth-largest city...
, to the disappearance of Wilberger and in August 2005 he was charged on 19 counts of aggravated murder, kidnapping, sexual abuse
Sexual abuse
Sexual abuse, also referred to as molestation, is the forcing of undesired sexual behavior by one person upon another. When that force is immediate, of short duration, or infrequent, it is called sexual assault. The offender is referred to as a sexual abuser or molester...
, rape and sodomy
Sodomy
Sodomy is an anal or other copulation-like act, especially between male persons or between a man and animal, and one who practices sodomy is a "sodomite"...
. Court documents released in 2008 revealed details showing that Courtney was in Corvallis when Wilberger disappeared and that the green van he was driving was spotted by several people, including an OSU employee who identified him from a photo lineup. Officials said that Wilberger's DNA was found inside the van, along with her hair.
Courtney was extradited
Extradition
Extradition is the official process whereby one nation or state surrenders a suspected or convicted criminal to another nation or state. Between nation states, extradition is regulated by treaties...
to Benton County, Oregon
Benton County, Oregon
-National protected areas:*Siuslaw National Forest *William L. Finley National Wildlife Refuge-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 78,153 people, 30,145 households, and 18,237 families residing in the county. The population density was 116 people per square mile . There were 31,980...
for the Wilberger case on April 8, 2008. He was scheduled for his first appearance on April 9, 2008 at the Benton County Courthouse, facing 14 counts including aggravated murder, two counts of kidnapping and single counts of rape, sodomy and sexual abuse in connection with Wilberger's disappearance. Charges were filed despite the absence of the body of the alleged victim at the time; the prosecutor in the case announced that he would seek the death penalty.
The FBI briefly considered Courtney a suspect in two to three disappearances under investigation but have since eliminated him as a suspect. The case was covered several times on the television program America's Most Wanted
America's Most Wanted
America's Most Wanted is an American television program produced by 20th Television, and was the longest-running program of any kind in the history of the Fox Television Network until it was announced on May 16, 2011 that the series was canceled after twenty-three years, with the final episode...
.
Conviction
Courtney's attorneys worked towards a trial, as well as towards a speedier resolution. The trial was set for February 1, 2010. He was expected to be charged in connection with the unrelated kidnapping, attempted sexual assault, attempted rape, attempted sodomy and attempted murder of two Oregon State University students, the same day Wilberger went missing.On September 21, 2009 Joel Patrick Courtney pleaded guilty to aggravated murder and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for Wilberger's death. The deal spared Courtney from the death penalty, in exchange for providing information about the location of Wilberger's body. In addition, the deal also called for Courtney to be imprisoned in his home state, New Mexico, instead of Oregon where the crime was committed.
The Benton County District Attorney announced the recovery of Willberger's body (without specifics or its location) in a press conference the day of Courtney's confession. Wilberger's remains were found on private property in Benton County in the Oregon Coast Range
Central Oregon Coast Range
The Central Oregon Coast Range is the middle section of the Oregon Coast Range, in the Pacific Coast Ranges physiographic region, and located in the west-central portion of the state of Oregon, United States roughly between the Salmon River and the Umpqua River and the Willamette Valley and the...
.