McPherson Sentenced to 35 Years in Prospect Homicide, Animal Abuse Case
Chad McPherson pleaded guilty to manslaughter and multiple animal abuse charges after the 2025 shooting death of Anthony Monteleone.
MEDFORD, Ore. — A 33-year-old man has been sentenced to 35 years in prison after pleading guilty in connection with a Prospect homicide and a related animal abuse investigation, according to the Jackson County District Attorney’s Office.
The DA’s Office said Chad McPherson pleaded guilty Thursday to Manslaughter in the First Degree, three counts of Sexual Assault of an Animal and two counts of Aggravated Animal Abuse in the First Degree.
Jackson County Circuit Court Judge Pro Tem Paul Moser sentenced McPherson to 35 years in the Oregon Department of Corrections, followed by three years of post-prison supervision. McPherson will also be required to register as a sex offender.
The case began June 5, 2025, when McPherson called 911 and reported finding his partner, 52-year-old Anthony Monteleone, injured inside the bedroom of their Prospect home. Jackson County Sheriff’s Office deputies and medical responders arrived and found Monteleone with a gunshot wound to the head. He was taken to the hospital, where he later died.
According to prosecutors, law enforcement observed evidence at the scene that was not consistent with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Investigators later heard from a witness who said she was inside the home when Monteleone was shot. The witness told investigators that Monteleone and McPherson had been arguing, that she heard Monteleone tell McPherson to put the gun away, and then heard a single gunshot.
Detectives also found surveillance cameras inside the home and around the property. Prosecutors said investigators believed a storage device had been removed from the system and tampered with. After searching the property, detectives located a hard drive that appeared to have been thrown from the home into a wooded area.
The hard drive was searched under a warrant, and investigators recovered surveillance footage from two angles of the shooting.
According to the DA’s Office, the footage showed McPherson remove a pistol from his waistband during an argument, point it at Monteleone and fire a shot into a nearby wall. Monteleone then entered a bedroom, while McPherson remained outside the room. Prosecutors said McPherson later raised the gun toward the partially closed pocket door and fired once, striking Monteleone in the head.
After the shooting, prosecutors said McPherson did not render aid and instead removed the witness from the home, tampered with the scene and disconnected the surveillance storage device.
The animal abuse investigation began after the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office released photos from inside the residence as part of the homicide investigation. Prosecutors said two separate animal welfare organizations contacted investigators and reported possible links between the residence and people they had been trying to identify in connection with videos depicting animal abuse.
Investigators later obtained warrants for devices seized from the home. According to the DA’s Office, those devices contained videos depicting McPherson and Monteleone sexually abusing animals, including dogs, deer and goats. Prosecutors said two dogs seen in the videos had been found at the scene during the homicide investigation.
The Jackson County District Attorney’s Office thanked the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office for what it described as an extensive investigation into an “incredibly difficult case.”
The case was prosecuted by Chief Deputy District Attorney Alyssa Claseman and Deputy District Attorney Alicia Wilson.
Cover image: Chad McPherson was sentenced to 35 years in prison after pleading guilty in a Prospect homicide and related animal abuse case. Image provided by the Jackson County District Attorney’s Office.
