Murder-suicide rocks Forest Grove

Steven England shoots his wife and stepson, then turns gun on himself

By Christian Gaston

The Forest Grove News-Times, Dec 2, 2009, Updated Dec 2, 2009 (1 Reader comment)

Chase Allgood / News-Times

Police established a crime scene at 2535 21st Avenue Friday following an apparent murder-suicide.

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Around 6:30 p.m. Friday night, 28-year-old Kevin Coleman called 9-1-1.

He told the dispatcher that he and his mother, 52-year-old Cindy England, had just been shot in her Forest Grove home, at 2535 21st Ave.

Police rushed to the house, fearing a gunman was on the loose.

Inside, they discovered Coleman, shot twice in the back and lying over his mother, who was dead from two gunshot wounds.

“Steve England did this,” Coleman told police.

The officers drew their weapons and after a quick search of the house, told paramedics they could enter and prepare Coleman for a trip by helicopter to Oregon Health & Science University in Portland.

Police started a tenuous search of the property, looking for the shooter.

Inside a shed in the backyard, police found Steven Ray England, 56, dead from a gunshot to the head, the .357 revolver he used to shoot his stepson and kill his wife and himself by his side.

Hours later, Coleman died from his wounds. The shooting was the latest in a string of November murders in western Washington County and left neighbors perplexed.

“We couldn’t tell anything was wrong,” said Danette McLean, who lives across the street. “It’s going to be hard not seeing them in the yard and knowing what happened,” McLean said. “I can’t imagine what it will be like for the girls.”

Cindy’s two daughters, Kayla Coleman, 21, and Shelby Johnson, 18, both lived in the house, but were away when the shooting occurred.

“My life ended when theirs did,” Kayla Coleman wrote on her MySpace page Sunday night.

Kind and soft-spoken

Neighbors, friends and acquaintances described Cindy England as kind and soft-spoken.

Bob Browning, an attorney who represented the Englands in a land-use issue, said Cindy England was a stunning saleswoman who enjoyed working with customers at Fred Meyer Jewelers in Cornelius.

“She just absolutely clicked,” Browning said. “She said it was the most fun she’d ever had in her whole life as far as dealing with the people.”

Browning said he was stunned by the news.

“I knew that Cindy was having some problems with [Steven] but I had no idea they were of this nature,” Browning said.

A history of violence

Steve England, by all accounts, was a hard-working carpenter who’d been with Cindy for about 20 years. But friends and officials say England had a drinking problem that got him into trouble.

He also had a long criminal history, dating back to a 1973 conviction on kidnapping and assault charges as well as a conviction in 1985 of DUII and Manslaughter II.

At the time of the shooting, England was on probation following his conviction last year of assaulting Cindy after an argument turned into a shoving match.

Cindy fell down, bumping her head and possibly injuring her ribs, according to police reports from the January 2008 incident. But as police took Steven England away in a patrol car, Cindy England refused medical care, saying she’d go to the doctor the next day.

The two were apparently fighting over family expenses as Steven struggled with a downturn in the economy that left him out of work in the construction industry.

In February of last year, Steven England pleaded guilty to Assault IV, a misdemeanor, and agreed to attend domestic violence and substance abuse classes.

Because of his criminal record, England also spent 10 days in the Washington County Jail, said Bob Hermann, Washington County District Attorney.

“He wasn’t eligible for our deferred sentencing program,” Hermann said.

He was also supposed to stay away from Cindy until he’d completed 12 weeks of domestic violence classes. But shortly after his probation began, he violated the terms of his release by meeting up with his wife.

On Feb. 12, his probation officer had him arrested. He spent a night in jail and was released again.

Susan Ranger, supervisor of the domestic violence unit at the Washington County Probation and Parole office, said it’s not uncommon for those on probation for domestic violence offenses to want to reconnect with their victims.

It’s also common for the victims to plead with parole officers to let their spouses return home.

Ranger said Cindy contacted her shortly after Steve was released.

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