Talon Gabriel Mitchell, now 23, pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter and unlawful use of a weapon and was sentenced to 20 years for the 2023 killing of his wife, Oulaykham Mona Chopheng. Police entered the Beaverton apartment after a welfare check and found Chopheng fatally shot. Mitchell told investigators he had taken LSD, blacked out and later awoke to find his wife dead; prosecutors say he believed she was a "zombie" due to drug effects and media-fueled fears. He was arrested Feb. 24, 2023, and ordered to pay $23,000 in restitution.
Oregon Man Sentenced to 20 Years After Killing Wife, Says He Was in LSD-Induced 'Dream State'
Oulaykham Mona ChophengCredit: Mona Oulaykham/Facebook
Talon Gabriel Mitchell, 23, was sentenced to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to first-degree manslaughter and unlawful use of a weapon in the 2023 killing of his wife, Oulaykham Mona Chopheng.
According to a Beaverton Police Department release, officers responded to a requested welfare check on Feb. 23, 2023, at an apartment in the 1000 block of Southwest 160th Avenue. Prosecutors say dispatch received a confusing text from Mitchell around 10:00 p.m., in which he described needing help and said he felt as if he were in a "dream state." Officers waited outside his door for roughly 40 minutes, heard noises including a dog, and then entered because of safety concerns.
"It was kind of a confusing text message about essentially needing help or something like that and talking about being in a dream state," said Jeff MacLean, Senior Deputy District Attorney for Washington County. "Police officers showed up ... they had concerns."
Inside the residence, responding officers found Chopheng fatally shot in the head; local outlets reported she was found on a couch. Mitchell was 19 at the time of the killing and later told investigators he had taken LSD that morning and blacked out. When he regained consciousness, he said he was sitting by the front door and his wife was dead.
Talon Gabriel MitchellCredit: Washington County Sheriff's Office via Beaverton Police Department
Prosecutors say Mitchell had other substances in his system and at one point came to believe his wife was a "zombie," a fear he reportedly linked to media coverage about an alleged skin infection circulating at the time. Mitchell also admitted owning both a handgun and a shotgun; authorities say the shotgun was used in the killing. He was arrested the following day, Feb. 24, 2023.
A judge ordered Mitchell to pay $23,000 in restitution to Chopheng's family. Speaking after the plea, MacLean called the case a tragic example of reckless conduct involving drugs and firearms: "This is a very beautiful young woman whose life was taken way too soon by just this reckless conduct by this person using LSD and having access to firearms."
The case drew coverage from local outlets including KPTV and KOIN and was reported by PEOPLE.
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