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[Music] Welcome back to Postmortem. I'm your host, Ann Marie Green, and today we're
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discussing the mysterious death of Kenneth Bandridge. He was found murdered inside a parking garage on January 27th,
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2023 in Hillsboro, Oregon. When police reviewed the security footage from that garage, they noticed a masked man spray
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painting the cameras wearing a disguise to obscure his identity. But incredibly,
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as we're going to discuss, they were still able to find the killer. So, joining me now to discuss this is 48
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hours correspondent Natalie Morales. It's a fascinating case. Thanks for joining us again, Natalie.
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>> Sure is fascinating. Good to be with you, Anorie. As usual, a reminder to everyone. If you
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haven't already listened to this episode of 48 Hours, head on over to your podcast feed. You'll find it uh just
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below this one. Listen to the hour and then come on back for this conversation. All right, let's get into it. The victim
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here is Kenneth Vandrich. He he also went by Kenny and investigators discovered his body in the driver's seat
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of his car in a parking garage run by the tech company Intel. The garage is located on this massive campus, very
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large campus of one of Intel's production facilities. This is where he's been working as a contract pipe
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fitter. Natalie, you actually went to the garage and I I just want to get a sense of just how big is the garage?
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What was it like there? How many cameras are we talking about? Was it like finding a needle in a haystack?
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>> You know, this was actually almost the opposite of a needle in a haystack when
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you think about it. I mean, this is an this is a huge tech company, Intel. We're talking the maker of all those uh
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incredible super speedy chips that we all use on our computers, but you know, this is an area, the garage especially,
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where there are, you know, loads of security cameras all the way inside the garage as well as on the campus. Um,
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it's an area that is well covered. There is a lot of security. So obviously the garage of a tech company like Intel is a
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very interesting choice and place to commit a murder. Intel's security staff told investigators that a month earlier
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the security cameras had been spray painted. It was investigated as just sort of criminal mischief. But do
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investigators think that maybe this was a a dry run? And I'm also curious. I don't know if you know this or not,
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Natalie, but was it the same security cameras or different ones? I imagine there's, you know, there are many,
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probably hundreds. Well, you know, it seemed that Steven Milner had been plotting this for a
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while. Uh, according to investigators, I mean, they do believe it was a test run.
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And the cameras that he spray painted were the cameras that he then spray painted, you know, a month later in the
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act of killing Kenny Fandrich. They did notice it. They filed a suspicious activity report, as you said, but they
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couldn't pinpoint exactly who it was at the time. You see in the hour the security
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footage, I mean, almost all of it is blacked out except for the probably the most crucial camera, right? There's one
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camera where he spray paints almost all of it. There's probably like onetenth at
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the top where you can actually see what's happening. And because of that little slip up, investigators were able
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to identify what they believe was the scene of the murder. Right. It's this maroon minivan.
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>> Yeah. You know, that onetenth of a slip up, as you said, was huge for the investigators because with that, they
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were able to see that maroon minivan just kind of making its way through the parking garage. Now, keep in mind as
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well, though, that that they did have other security cameras all the way through. So, as the minivan was making
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its way up, it was tracked throughout with other cameras that had not all been spray painted. That said though, they
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were never really able to see the driver or to identify, you know, the killer in
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the garage. They needed to do all the police work to connect all those dots. So, you know, what was really
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fascinating about covering this case is you see this is a real police procedural. I mean, this shows you how
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well the police built their case from the minute they had just that little sliver of video that they could see.
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When you say connect all of the other dots, I guess when you have it seems like you have a little bit to work with,
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everything is incredibly important. And so in this video where you can like see the person just a little bit, but he's
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almost completely covered. The only bit of skin that you can really see is right
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above his forehead. And so they identify this crease. I gotta tell you, looking at that, that was something that I did
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not notice. I didn't even like consider it as like a defining feature. I just thought maybe like the mask was pushing
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his head, his skin down. That would not have jumped out at me, but it became crucial. Oh, it became huge. That
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forehead crease was such an identifying characteristic. Now, this was from the video from the security cameras a month
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before in that testr run case that they were able to see a little bit more of that mysterious person behind the mask.
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And that crinkle in the forehead, it turns out that's a genetic trait. I don't know if you know since viewing the
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hour if you've started looking at people but I know when I'm in airports or when
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I'm you know out and about I start noticing that and and it's very rare that you see that forehead crinkle. So
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um it was definitely something that was a huge break in in the case when it came
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to trying to identify the suspect. >> I had no idea that was a genetic trait. Now you're like making me think about my
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forehead, but there's a wee bit of Botox up there. So it's not crinkling the weight the other way.
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>> Yeah, exactly. >> All right, so this turns out to be sort of a critical clue and the Hillsboro
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police immediately focus on Kenny Fandrich's wife, Tanya. It's not completely surprising. I mean, if you're
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a 48 hours fan, you know, often the spouse is sort of the person that investigators focus on, but it's also
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about access, knowing his schedule, knowing where he is. is there's only going to be a handful of people who know
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that information. So, inevitably, that's where investigators are going to start.
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Now, I think maybe some people might see the video of Tanya and think that her demeanor is maybe a little cool, maybe
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suspicious. I I didn't get that. I thought she seemed adequately, you know, concerned. Um, but why did police
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ultimately rule her out? As you said, people do look at the partner or the spouse, the person closest to the
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victim. Tanya is there on the scene even before the uh responding officer arrived
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that arouses some suspicion. However, um as Tanya tells the that officer, she said, "My husband has a stalker." And
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Tanya revealed that she had had a relationship with Steven Milner and they had had an affair that it had ended
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years prior, but that Steven Milner was still actively stalking Kenneth Fandrich
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and also keeping track of her even though she had said many times, "Leave us alone." And she had also reported
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that to police. >> Let's talk about Steven Milner. Um here we have this veterinarian. He's a smart
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guy. He's popular. Um, he seems sort of pretty normal, though. I mean, when they
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did have the affair, they were kind of eventually sort of blatant about it, right? So, that's a little odd for a guy
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who's, you know, you would think would be concerned about his professional reputation. Um, but did you learn
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anything more about who he was and his personality? We talked to a couple of his clients as you saw in the hour and
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they say that by all accounts, you know, he was very involved in the community, very well-liked,
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um was pretty much a a well-known figure in Oregon City where his vet practice was. They also knew Tanya because she
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worked with him um and they had seen their interaction. So, they talked about that as well. something in the hour that
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I was really fascinated by. I don't know if it kind of hooked other viewers, but
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that police body cam video where he's being pulled over, right? And he tells the police officer that, you know, Tanya
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is in danger. Is he just sort of making this up or or does he really believe this that this is justifying his
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behavior when she wants nothing to do with him? you know, when he was pulled over um for following Kenny, uh Milner
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told police, "Look, I'm the only one who really gives a blank," as he said to the
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officer at the time, and and I'm not allowed to give, you know, an a blank at that point. There had been issues
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between Tanya and Kenny Fandrich of domestic abuse. Steven Milner really felt like he was the one that could save
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Tanya from what he felt could be a dangerous situation for her. Now, one of the videos that we see in the hour that
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kind of really touched me was it's of Kenny. He's sitting on the back deck. He's really distraught. He's crashed his
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car after an argument with his wife and he just looks so sad and heartbroken. What more do we know about this marriage
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and the problems they had experienced? >> Tanya and Kenny, they had struggled over
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the years. Alcohol typically um came into play according to Tanya when there were these instances of domestic
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violence. It became something of a he said, she said. Um Tanya acknowledged their issues and as I said she was, you
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know, very firm in saying this relationship with Steven Milner happened years ago. It was in her past and that
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she and Kenny Fandrich were really trying to work through all those issues and they were stronger than ever as a
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couple. Welcome back. So Natalie, as you mentioned, investigators really didn't have a lot to go on linking Milner to
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Kenny's murder. So, they really have to kind of dig in and find this evidence at
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they go to his house. So, I I want to ask you, what sort of things did they discover? And I definitely want to ask
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you, what was up with that cardboard cutout in his house? >> Yeah, that was a very odd clue. Um, you
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know, Milner did have a male roommate who was living with him at the time of his arrest, but you know, investigators
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when they saw that cardboard cutout, they assumed, rightfully so, that that was um Steven Milner's room because then
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they open the drawers and they see he has this so-called shrine to Tanya with all the love notes and letters that he
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had kept. He even acknowledged in those notes and letters, you know, I know you don't want me there's no future here in
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this relationship that you want this to be over, but he couldn't get over it. So, they felt that Steven Milner seemed
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like the likely suspect based on all of that. But that said, they still had to make their case and they had to have
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solid proof to connect that this Steven Milner, who had this stalking history and past is the guy who was in the
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garage at the time when uh Kenny Fandrich was killed and to prove that he was the one who actually committed the
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murder. That's the thing, you know, all that extra stuff that perhaps goes to motive, but you need some sort of solid
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evidence. So then what ultimately allowed investigators to build their case against Milner?
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>> Well, it really came down to, you know, the good detective work as we talked about and following the maroon minivan
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trail. So Steven Milner usually drove a white Toyota SUV and once they seized the car, investigators were able to
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analyze the data on the computer within the car and they noticed that he had been going to an Oregon City Home Depot.
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Um he had been there in fact on the day of the murder. So once uh detectives Rigo and Winter went to that Home Depot,
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they asked uh security there if there had been any suspicious activity on the parking lots. Turns out the security did
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notice there had been a couple of cars that had been parking and had gone in and out of the parking lot a couple of
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times. Local law enforcement was called and local law enforcement then saw these
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vehicles. They were able to get the VIN numbers off of them, these so-called burner cars that Steven Milner was
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using. Detectives Rigo and Winter were able to then track down that maroon minivan to a scrapyard, which as you saw
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in the hour, unfortunately, their biggest clue, I mean, they believe the minivan was the murder scene just a week
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earlier had been crushed. So unfortunately that that big clue that they were hoping for in the minivan was
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then gone right before their very eyes. It still amazes me just um how much how often we were all on camera. Right. But
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this is the first time that I've seen video as investigators sort of watched a key piece of evidence being destroyed.
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I'm sure they wanted to kind of like reach into the the screen and just pluck that vehicle out.
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>> Yeah. Unfortunately, they were a week too late, you know, to get that vehicle.
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Had they gotten there a week earlier, they probably could have had that and have gotten all the evidence they
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needed. That said, they were able to eventually get DNA that was uh the concrete proof that they needed.
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>> Yeah. And we're going to talk a little bit more about that later, but before we
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do that, I want to talk to you about the two lead detectives. What was your take
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on this pair? >> Oh, yes. Detective uh Stephanie Winter and Devon Regal. I mean, these are like
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the dynamic duo of an investigation team. I I really we all said were saying they really need their own TV show. I
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mean, Stephanie uh is about 6'2 or 6' 3, former college basketball player, and this was actually her first homicide
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case that she worked on. So, um she was paired up with with Deon Rigo, um who had, you know, a real solid background
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in working homicides. And uh it was a real breakthrough case for for both of them because you know you don't see a
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lot of murders in that area of Hillsboro, Oregon. And here you have this mysterious such a suspicious case.
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It really came down to to them chasing all the leads and and knowing where to go. And so finally on January 13th,
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2025, Steven Milner goes on trial for stalking and murdering Kenny Fandrich. But as we pointed out, a ton of forensic
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evidence is lost because that maroon van is crushed. So the prosecution has to work around that. Was that sort of the I
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guess that was the biggest hurdle. So, of course, when the detectives see that key piece of evidence, that maroon
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minivan being crushed, they think, well, there goes our key evidence for trial. However, it really came down to the
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great police work in this case and being able to connect all the dots. And they had plenty of surveillance footage, not
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to mention past orders of protection that proved that Steven Milner had been stalking Kenny Fandrich and Tanya, and
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that there had been a history there between them. They did have DNA as well. You know, Steven Milner's DNA was on
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Kenny Fandrich's hand, so that was was crucial as well. So, of course, Milner has an explanation for that. He did take
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the stand. Um, there were no cameras in the courtroom, but there is audio. And so, we're going to play some of what he
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had to say to explain why his DNA was there. This was not included in uh the 1-hour broadcast. He is uh speaking with
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defense attorney Amanda Tebo. Uh he's under a direct examination and here's what he had to say.
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>> What happened next? >> I jumped out towards him. >> What happened next? >> Then we
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basically fought for a little bit. >> Okay. Describe Can you describe that fight for me?
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>> Um there was pushing and shoving. I was kind of trying to push him back into his
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car and he was punching at me. >> Did you punch Kenneth Vandrich? May I don't know. Okay.
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>> Did you kick him? >> I didn't kick him. >> Did you grab onto him? >> Yes. >> What happened next?
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>> Um, eventually I was able to kind of push him up against the car and and then
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shove him into the car. >> How much force were you using when you were pushing and shoving him, Mr.
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Miller? >> As much as I could. Why? >> I was scared. It was It was We were fighting.
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>> What were you scared of? >> Him that he was going to hurt me. >> It's so interesting to hear. And first
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of all, even to just see him take the stand. Um, you know, here Steven Milner is is not denying that he was there. He
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said, "I was there. Yes, I was the one who spray painted the cameras." Um, but he claimed he did it all out of
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self-defense. and he said when Milner confronted Kenny, he's like, "Kenny is the one who attacked me." He says that
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he's defending Tanya. Um, I would think a self-defense claim is is is pretty tough when I mean, it's
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not like Tanya's there. He's seeking out Kenny at his place of work. His whole, you know, self-defense defense really
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didn't make sense. Steven Milner said that his reasons for being there in the parking garage and for going after Kenny
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in that case was because he felt that Kenny Fandrich was a continued threat to Tanya because of the past abusive claims
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in their relationship. Now, the prosecutor, Mah Streblo, said that in that testimony did not line up at all
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with the physical evidence at the scene. and it goes against everything that they
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were able to piece together. But, you know, I I imagine that his defense attorney thought letting him take the
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stand uh and speak to his own defense and reasons for being there, perhaps if he could convince one jury member that,
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you know, he was the guy who was really just there trying to do a good deed, trying to protect Tanya, and that it was
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um, you know, Kenny Fandrich who came after him. All he needed to do was to convince one juror. Clearly, the jury
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didn't buy his self-defense defense. Steven Milner found guilty of murdering uh Kenny Vandrich a and also found
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guilty of multiple stalking charges. He was sentenced to life in prison uh with the possibility of parole after 25
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years. But I think what's really sort of tragic about this, this is a couple that
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did everything right. They did everything that they were supposed to do and they they still were not protected.
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>> Yes. And and that in fact is what is so tragic about the case is that there's
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such a clear history of stalking here. And you know, previously Milner had been criminally charged back in August of
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2022 when he had planted another tracking device um on Kenny's car. Then Kenny filed that civil suit where he was
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seeking hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages uh for infliction of emotional distress. Prosecutors brought
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all of this up and and Tanya even raised it herself in her victim impact statement. She looked at Steven Milner
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and she said all you had to do was stop. She said that she and her husband Penny
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Fandrich are doing everything they possibly could to try to alert authorities to Steven Milner's stalking
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behavior. Prosecutors acknowledged the only other thing they possibly could have done because there had been
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multiple orders of protection already taken out would be to track Steven Milner himself. I mean, had authorities
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been tracking Stephen Milner, um, they would have seen there's about a 45 minute drive where he's going back and
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forth from Oregon City to Hillsboro, tracking Kenny Fandrich and following him as he went to work. How is Tanya
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doing today? >> Well, you know, Tanya obviously has experienced a lot of loss in her life.
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Um, nothing, no amount of money will make up for that, but Kenny's estate has a wrongful death suit against Steven
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Milner. If any money is won, Tanya would stand to benefit. Um Kenny's estate is seeking damages of several millions of
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dollars and reportedly Steven Milner sold his veterinary clinic um years ago and apparently has an estimated net
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worth of several million dollars. But you can imagine she has to be shattered. She's a victim in this case. She was a
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stalking victim and then her husband was was murdered. So, she is a victim on so
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many sides of this case. >> Yeah, absolutely. Um, you know, you always sort of try to look for the
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lessons in all of these stories. I think if there is a lesson, it's that stalking
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behavior is not normal, right? It's not something to be dismissed and you should
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take it seriously. >> Yeah. And certainly Tanya and Kenny Fandrich did and still it was not enough
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in this case. No, absolutely not. Um, Natalie, thank you very much. >> Thanks for having me, Amarie.
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>> And to everyone else, follow and listen to Postmortem on the free Odyssey app or
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