Shivangi Sinha
In December 1995, news broke that Roxanne Ellis and Michelle Abdill had been killed in Medford, Oregon. It came as a huge shock to the community, as they were an out and proud lesbian couple who were at the forefront of advocacy for the LGBTQIA+ community and had been very vocal about their efforts. In fact, they had moved to the area to live more openly and safely. As the investigation unfolded, the police theorized that the crime could have been motivated by their sexual orientation. ID’s ‘Evil Lives Here: My Child the Killer,’ particularly the episode ‘A Father’s Pain,’ provides detailed insight into the case and what transpired.
Roxanne Ellis and Michelle Abdill Had Been Together for 12 Years When They Passed Away
Roxanna Kay “Roxanne” Wagner Ellis was born on November 4, 1942, in Amarillo, Texas. Her father, Roy Wagner, and her mother raised her alongside her brother, Michael Wagner, and she grew into a woman who knew how to live her life truthfully and with confidence. She got married and had two children of her own, and her daughter, Lorri, was always very close to her. Eventually, Roxanne got divorced and settled in Colorado Springs, Colorado. There, she worked as an obstetrics nurse, which is where she first met Michelle Abdill. Michelle was born on July 8, 1953, to George and Annette Abdill. She and her brother, Dan Abdill, had always been very close and were each other’s true confidants.
When Roxanne and Michelle met, they were both working at the same doctor’s office, and over time, love grew between them. The rising homophobia in the early 1990s made them question where they wanted to settle down. They knew they wanted to live openly and with confidence, so they decided to move to Medford, Oregon. There, they started a property management business and primarily worked on restoring homes. Roxanne’s daughter also lived nearby, and her three-year-old granddaughter brought a lot of joy to their lives. During this time, they also became vocal advocates for their community, actively opposing Oregon’s Measure 9 in 1992 and 1993.
On December 4, 1995, Roxanne had an appointment with a client and left for it. Around 4 pm, she called her daughter and said she was going shopping, and no one heard from her after that. Around 5 pm, Michelle left the office after telling others that Roxanne needed help jump-starting her car. Neither woman was seen again after that. On December 8, 1995, a cable TV reporter contacted the police after spotting Roxanne’s car in a parking lot. In the bed of the truck, the police found the remains of both women. They had been bound, gagged, and shot in the head, and their bodies were covered with a blanket and cardboard boxes placed over them.
Roxanne and Michelle’s Killer Gave Differing Accounts of His Motivation for the Crimes
When the remains of Roxanne Ellis and Michelle Abdill were found, there was a lot of concern in the community. They had stood up for many groups and rights, and people began believing that they had been attacked because of their sexuality, alleging it to be a hate crime. The police received several tips, and one came from a man who claimed to have seen someone park Roxanne’s car in the parking lot. With his help, the police created a composite sketch, which was then circulated in the media. Not long after, a woman contacted the police and said she believed it was her son, Robert Acremant, who was responsible for the crime.
She told the police that they had moved to Medford just three weeks earlier, and the police were able to match the cardboard boxes found at the crime scene with those used during their move. In fact, when the police looked further, they found that Acremant had previously met Roxanne for an apartment showing, and she had gone to meet him for the appointment on December 4. He later admitted that he knew about her sexual orientation and had even asked her about her life. His mother said she knew she had to do the right thing, which is why she reported him to the police. At the time of his arrest, Acremant was also under investigation for the killing of Scott George of Visalia, California, on October 3, 1995.
On December 18, 1995, Acremant revealed that he had disposed of Scott’s remains in Stockton. At first, he claimed that he had killed Roxanne and Michelle during a robbery. He said he wanted to impress a Las Vegas stripper named Alla Kosova and win her back after they had allegedly broken up a few weeks earlier. However, items like Roxanne’s purse were found untouched at the apartment where she went missing, which raised doubts about his story. In August 1996, he wrote a letter in which he claimed that he had killed the two women after learning about their sexual orientation. He also said the same motive connected Scott’s case, as he was allegedly bisexual and had allegedly made a pass at him. However, he later recanted this statement. He claimed he acted in rage in the double homicide and had killed Scott merely to test his silencer, not for personal reasons.
Robert Acremant Passed Away While Facing a Death Sentence
Robert Acremant entered a guilty plea to the murders of Roxanne Ellis and Michelle Abdill in September 1996. In October 1997, a jury sentenced him to death by lethal injection, and the decision was upheld on appeal in 2005. In October 2002, he was also found guilty of the first-degree murder of Scott George in California and was again given the death penalty. In addition, he received 16 years for first-degree burglary with the use of a firearm.
In February 2011, an Oregon court ruled that Acremant was not fit to assist in his death penalty appeal, and his sentence for the double homicide was reduced to life in prison without parole. On October 26, 2018, he was found dead in his solitary cell at the Oregon State Penitentiary in Salem during a routine check. He was 50 years old, and his death was reported to be from natural causes, while he was still facing a death sentence in California.
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