Terrebonne Couple’s Killer Denied Parole Hearing
The gunman in the notorious 1987 slaying of a Terrebonne couple lost his bid for potential freedom Friday as the state Board of Parole denied his request for a parole hearing.
Mark James Wilson, 40, pleaded guilty 20-plus years ago in the 1987 killing of Rod and Lois Houser at their Terrebonne home. But he argued at a hearing last month that he soon will be rehabilitated and should be considered for release.
The Oregon Board of Parole and Post-Prison Supervision instead found Wilson was “not likely to be rehabilitated,” which means he continues to serve his two consecutive life sentences, said board Director Jeremiah Stromberg. However, he noted that the rules allow Wilson to again petition for a parole hearing in two years.
Wilson, Randy Lee Guzek and Donald Ross Cathey went to the Housers’ home early on the morning of June 29, 1987 with plans to burglarize their house. Testimony at Guzek’s death penalty trial indicated they targeted the Houses because Guzek, then 18, had dated their niece until a bad breakup.
The Housers’ daughters discovered their parents’ bodies the next day. Rod Houser had been shot more than 20 times and his wife three times, execution-style, according to prosecutors. Their house had been ransacked and burglarized.
Wilson and Cathey pleaded guilty to avoid the death penalty and agreed to testify against Guzek, now 40, who has been sentenced to death three times, each overturned on legal issues.
Guzek’s lawyers have asked for his fourth death penalty trial, scheduled for May 10, to be moved out of Deschutes County, due to “widespread knowledge” of the case. Defense motions in that case are scheduled to be heard March 8.
