Man convicted of murder after he ‘clobbered his mama’
By KPTV Staff
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HILLSBORO, Oregon (KPTV) — A Washington County Circuit Court Judge found a Hillsboro man guilty of second-degree murder of his mother Friday, according to the Washington County District Attorney’s Office.
In July 2018, then 47-year-old Garth Patrick Beams called 911 to report that he had “clobbered his mama,” 74-year-old Wendy Henson, with a baseball bat. Beams reportedly remained on the phone with dispatch for about 15 minutes complaining about his mother. When asked if he would provide aid to her, he indicated that he was not interested in helping her.
When Tualatin Police officers arrived at the scene, they found Henson with multiple wounds to her head. She was rushed to the hospital but later died of her injuries.
“This was a cruel, unprovoked attack on a disabled, elderly woman,” DDA Meisel said in closing arguments. “Garth Beams killed Wendy Henson. He did it out of frustration. He did it out of rage. He killed her. Brutally, intentionally, eternally.”
Garth Beams’ brother, Michael Beams, also lived in the house.
“Garth’s crime shattered what was left of our family,” He told the Court. “There are only broken pieces to pick up. I feel stuck in a boxing match, fighting against bitterness and outrage.” He added, “In addition to dealing with the grief, moving out of the house was economically implausible for me. In a nasty twist of fate, every day, to this day, I have to walk past the location where [my brother] felled mom.”
Henson was a published author who wrote plays, novellas and textbooks. Her 2018 novella Honor Song was adapted from one of her award-winning screenplays. She also had a reoccurring movie review column in Tualatin Life called, “Now Playing.”
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