Larry Hurwitz, known in media reports as the "Starry Night Murderer," was arrested in Sandy, Oregon, on allegations of harassment and fourth-degree assault and is being held on a parole violation with bail set at $500,000. Hurwitz remains under lifetime post-prison supervision for a 1990 murder case in which he entered a no-contest plea; the victim, Tim Moreau, has never been found. Records show a 2019 warrant was served in 2023 and that Hurwitz faced a separate 2019 drug-trafficking conviction in California. Authorities say the parole process is separate from the criminal case; Hurwitz is due in court Feb. 4, with trial scheduled for March 19.
Starry Night Murderer Back In Custody: Ex-Portland Club Owner Arrested On Assault Allegations, Held For Parole Violation
Tim Moreau is shown in an undated photo. Moreau, a former employee of the Starry Night Concert Hall, was killed in 1990 in a case that later led to the conviction of nightclub owner Larry Hurwitz.(Fox News)
Larry Hurwitz, long linked in media accounts to a notorious 1990 homicide and widely referred to as the "Starry Night Murderer," was arrested last week in Sandy, Oregon, on allegations of harassment and fourth-degree assault and is being held for a parole violation, according to Clackamas County jail records. Bail was set at $500,000.
The Oregon Board of Parole confirmed to Fox News Digital that Hurwitz remains subject to lifetime post-prison supervision stemming from his earlier murder conviction and that the Board has no other active convictions under its supervision for him. The Board said a warrant was issued in 2019, was served in 2023, and that Hurwitz was extradited from California. Board records also show his supervision was revoked in August 2019, and he served a 180-day sanction at that time.
Larry Hurwitz enters a courthouse during a court appearance in an archival image. Hurwitz, a former Portland nightclub owner, was convicted in the 1990 murder of employee Tim Moreau.
1990 Murder Case And Later Troubles
Hurwitz was sentenced in 2000 to 11 years in prison after entering a no-contest plea in the 1990 death of 21-year-old Tim Moreau, who worked as promotions manager at the Starry Night Concert Hall in northwest Portland. Moreau's remains have never been found.
"He did in fact start this incredibly influential Starry Night club," veteran journalist Jim Redden told KPTV, referring to Hurwitz's impact on Portland's music scene. "He could have climbed to the top of the entire business here in town. But he had this dark side that undermined everything he did."
Prosecutors have said Hurwitz and another employee, George Castagnola, killed Moreau to prevent exposure of a counterfeit-ticket scheme tied to the club. Hurwitz later entered a no-contest plea in the case.
Family members of Tim Moreau walk together inside a courthouse in an archival image. Moreau was killed in 1990 in a case that later led to the conviction of former Portland nightclub owner Larry Hurwitz.
After his early release from prison in 2008, Hurwitz continued to have run-ins with law enforcement. Local reporting and court records indicate he was arrested in 2019 in Huntington Beach, California, on a drug-trafficking charge involving four kilograms of cocaine and approximately $320,000 in cash and was convicted in that matter.
While the latest arrest is described in public records as related to domestic violence and assault, investigators are continuing their work. Redden told KPTV that although the new allegations appear less severe than past cases, the full facts may not yet be public and the investigation remains ongoing.
The Clackamas County District Attorney’s Office told Fox News Digital it could not comment on the specifics because the investigation is active. Prosecutors noted that parole violation proceedings are handled separately from criminal charges and fall outside the DA's direct role.
Hurwitz is scheduled to appear in Clackamas County court on Feb. 4, and his trial on the current criminal charges is set to begin March 19.
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