Oregon man sentenced for fatally strangling his estranged wife in 1988 and leaving her body in trunk

WASHINGTON COUNTY, Ore. (TCN) -- A 70-year-old man was recently sentenced in connection with the 1988 cold case death of his estranged wife amid their separation.

According to KPTV-TV, on July 8, Robert Atrops received life in prison with the possibility of parole after 25 years. A jury previously convicted him in April of second-degree murder.

Prosecutors said the defendant and his wife, Deborah Atrops, experienced marital problems, including physical abuse, and were separated at the time of her death. The couple had recently adopted an infant daughter, but Robert Atrops' wife was planning on divorcing him.

According to the Washington County District Attorney's Office, leading up to the victim's slaying, friends and co-workers "witnessed concerning domestic violence behavior." Deborah Atrops reportedly started dating a co-worker and "told friends that the defendant had confronted her about the relationship," and she "was worried he would kill her."

On Nov. 29, 1988, at around 7 p.m., prosecutors said the victim left a hair appointment to go to her estranged husband's home and pick up their daughter. At approximately 9:30 p.m. that evening, Robert Atrops called friends and family and reported his wife missing, claiming to have made the calls from his home phone. However, investigators later determined the defendant wasn't home when he reported the victim missing.

Police responded to a remote Beaverton construction site on Dec. 1, 1988, where they found Deborah Atrops' vehicle without any plates. Officials discovered her body inside the trunk wearing mud-covered clothing. The Oregon State Medical Examiner determined she died of manual strangulation. According to KPTV, she had also been physically assaulted.

The defendant initially told authorities he didn't see his estranged wife that night, but his statement wasn't fully corroborated. Despite investigators' efforts, the case went cold for decades.

A detective reopened the investigation in 2020 and located additional witnesses and uncovered new information. According to prosecutors, additional items were submitted for forensic analysis, including Deborah Atrops' clothes and soil samples. Investigators reportedly found the defendant's DNA on the coat his estranged wife was wearing when she was killed.

Prosecutors said the mud on the victim's vehicle was "indistinguishable from the mud collected at the defendant’s home." The detective re-examining the case also learned Robert Atrops sold roofing materials at construction sites near where the victim's body was discovered.

According to the district attorney's office, during an interview with Robert Atrops in 2022, "there were significant discrepancies from his version of events in 1988."

Robert Atrops' attorneys reportedly plan to file an appeal.

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