Oregon City man who killed girlfriend, dumped body in the woods gets life in prison

OREGON CITY, Or. -- An Oregon City man who killed his girlfriend and dumped her body in the woods pled guilty Wednesday to the murder.

William Glen Blake, 56, was convicted of Murder in the Second Degree in Clackamas County Circuit Court and sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 25 years. Other charges were dismissed as part of a plea agreement.

Blake shot Jennifer Ruth Stuart, 38, at his home on Aug. 14, 2025. Blake then drove to a Home Depot store and purchased a large tote, garbage bags and gloves.

On Sept. 1, a couple hunting on Forest Service land off Hillockborn Road noted the presence of turkey vultures swarming around an object and saw what appeared to be human remains. 

Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office investigators used fingerprints to identify the body as that of Stuart. An autopsy determined Stuart died from a gunshot and noted an apparent entry wound in the lower left side of her body.

Blake had a history of physical abusing Stuart. One of Blake’s neighbors told police Blake regularly assaulted Stuart. Investigators quickly identified Blake as a primary suspect.

Surveillance video from Home Depot and from the area near where Stuart’s body found captured Blake’s vehicle. Blake initially put Stuart’s body in the large tote but later retrieved the tote, fearing it could tie him to the body. Police discovered the tote during a second search of Blake’s property.

In an interview with detectives, Blake admitted to shooting Stuart and leaving her body in the woods.

In her victim impact statement, Elizabeth Stuart, Jennifer’s mother, called Blake “a rabid, savage beast.

“To end being shot, crammed into a plastic container … loaded up like an animal … (and) dumped out like trash … is unfathomable,” Elizabeth Stuart told the court.

The District Attorney’s Office thanks the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office and the Oregon City Police Department for their diligent work on this case.

Deputy District Attorney Jeremy Morrow and Senior Deputy District Attorneys Matt Semritc and Bryan Censoni prosecuted the case.

Clackamas County Circuit Court case 25CR59459