The man who killed five people at a rural property outside Forest Grove confessed to his mother in a phone call that the killings were premeditated, Washington County investigators revealed at a Tuesday, Aug. 25 press conference.

Detective Mark Povolny, lead investigator with the Washington County Sheriff's Office Violent Crimes Unit, reconstructed the sequence of killings at 47350 N.W. Otis Lane, where the bodies of five people were discovered Saturday, Aug. 22. The victims are Mary Elizabeth Kimsey, 85, of Portland; Rowan Karla Kimsey, 60, of Forest Grove; Stella Jade Kimsey, 26, of Forest Grove; Linsey Mae Haraldsen, 26, of Portland; and Alvin Raymond Chu, 27, of Portland.

The suspect, Benjamin Charles Parker, 36, was Stella Kimsey's boyfriend and lived at the property, which was owned by Rowan Kimsey.

Investigators believe the violence began Thursday evening or early Friday, Aug. 21, after Stella Kimsey and Parker got into what Mary Kimsey described in a text message as a "horrible fight," and Stella told Parker he had to leave.

Killing sequence

Povolny told reporters at the Aug. 25 press conference that investigators believe Parker killed Stella first, then Rowan when she came to check on her daughter. Haraldsen had been on the phone with Stella when the call dropped abruptly. Unable to reach Stella, she contacted Rowan, who said she would check on her daughter and call back. Rowan never did. Haraldsen drove from Portland to the property, where Parker killed her. Finally, Mary Kimsey and Chu arrived together and were killed.

All four women were shot multiple times with a .22-caliber firearm. Investigators believe Chu was killed the same way.

Confession and flight

Cellphone records show Parker's phone left the property at 4:42 a.m. Saturday and traveled through Forest Grove and Cornelius before being turned off at 5:15 a.m. The first 911 call came at 5:07 a.m. when a neighbor reported a fire. Parker told his mother he passed some of the first responding fire trucks as he fled.

Parker's phone was turned back on at 7:55 p.m. Saturday near Enumclaw, Washington, where he made a lengthy call to his mother that ended at 9:11 p.m. She contacted law enforcement more than 12 hours later, Povolny said.

At the press conference, Povolny relayed what Parker told his mother: "He said he had been planning this for a while and that it was premeditated. He said he planned to kill three people, but two more people were also killed. He confessed to killing the animals, setting the fires and trying to burn the property down … He did not identify who he killed or explain a motive."

Parker did not specify which three people he intended to kill. Investigators have not determined a motive.

Scene and suspect's death

Parker set two vehicles on fire and started fires at the bodies, the carport and the main home. He covered bodies on the ground with tarps before igniting them. Two dogs and two cats were found shot dead; a third cat was euthanized Monday, Aug. 24, due to a gunshot wound.

Enumclaw police used Flock license plate-reading cameras to locate a silver Toyota Tacoma registered to Rowan Kimsey that Parker regularly drove. He was found dead inside from a self-inflicted gunshot wound shortly before 3 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 23. A .22-caliber handgun recovered from the truck is believed to be the weapon used in all five killings.

No prior warnings

The only prior law enforcement contact involving Parker was a routine welfare check in January 2026, requested by an out-of-area family member. There had been no previous 911 calls to the property.

District Attorney Kevin Barton said domestic violence cases have accounted for about two-thirds of homicides in Washington County over the past three years. Amy Babcock, executive director of the Domestic Violence Resource Center, urged the community to recognize that domestic violence extends beyond physical abuse to include intimidation, isolation, financial control and coercion.

More than 100 people have worked on the investigation, which the Washington County Sheriff's Office said will continue for months. As we reported Wednesday, Stella's sister Alexis Callen asked the public to treat the Parker family with the same compassion being shown to the Kimsey family.

Residents experiencing domestic violence can contact the Family Peace Center at 503-430-8300 or the Domestic Violence Resource Center at 503-469-8620.

If you are having suicidal thoughts, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.