5/24/2024
Dallas, OR. – Official Release: In Polk County Circuit Court, Justin Nathaniel McAnulty, 24, pled guilty except insane to one count of Murder in the Second Degree in the death of Tigard resident Dennis Anderson, 48, on July 13, 2022. McAnulty shot Anderson nine times as he was returning home from a trip to the coast by way of Highway 18. As a result of McAnulty’s plea, he was sentenced to a lifetime commitment under the Oregon Psychiatric Security Review Board with physical confinement at the Oregon State Hospital.
In response to today’s plea and sentencing, Polk County District Attorney Aaron Felton made the following statement:
“Justin McAnulty committed a violent, senseless and cowardly act when he cold-bloodedly murdered Dennis Anderson in front of his wife. Mr. Anderson was unarmed and completely without fault in this tragedy. Today, the court heard from multiple family members who spoke eloquently of the singular nature of Mr. Anderson and how their lives have been devastated by his loss. My heart continues to go out to them as they work to move forward and recover.
Although both the state’s and defense’s experts reached the same conclusion about the defendant’s mental status at the time the shooting, today’s outcome is extremely disappointing. While McAnulty’s guilty plea at long last takes responsibility for killing Mr. Anderson, I strongly believe that Mr. McAnulty presents a risk to community safety and should be securely confined for the remainder of his life. It is now up to the members of the PSRB and other officials of our state’s mental health system to protect the community from McAnulty.
I am grateful for the assistance of so many in the public safety and law enforcement community that worked tirelessly on this investigation. In particular, the Oregon Department of Justice who handled the overall litigation of the case, the Oregon State Police as lead investigators, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, Salem Police Department, Grand Ronde Tribal Police Department, Portland Police Bureau, Keizer Police Department, Independence Police Department, Benton County Sheriff’s Office, Marion County Sherriff’s Office, Lincoln City Police Department, Washington County Sheriff’s Office, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.”
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