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Who Is Steven Milner & Where Is He Now? 2026 Update & Profile

by · August 13, 2026

Steven Neil Milner was once a successful Oregon veterinarian with a multimillion-dollar net worth and a professional reputation that left some longtime clients struggling to reconcile the man they knew with the convicted murderer he became. His life changed after an affair with employee Tanya Fandrich developed into what prosecutors described as an obsession with Tanya and her husband, Kenneth “Kenny” Fandrich.

Years of stalking, GPS tracking, violations of a protective order and covert surveillance preceded Kenny’s murder on January 27, 2023. Prosecutors proved that Milner studied Kenny’s work routine at Intel’s Ronler Acres campus in Hillsboro, tested the building’s security system, acquired vehicles to conceal his movements and waited for Kenny in a parking garage before killing him. A jury convicted Milner in January 2025. He is now serving a life prison sentence with the possibility of parole after 25 years.

Steven Milner Was a Successful Oregon Veterinarian

Before his name became associated with Kenny Fandrich’s murder, Steven Milner was known as a veterinarian. He operated a veterinary practice in Oregon City and had developed a level of professional and financial success that contrasted with the criminal case that later consumed his life.

CBS described Milner as well-off and worth millions. Longtime veterinary clients interviewed by 48 Hours remembered a doctor whose later actions were difficult for them to understand. Detective Stephanie Winter also described the investigation as striking because police were dealing with a successful doctor who had become a murder suspect.

Milner’s veterinary clinic was also where he developed his relationship with Tanya Fandrich. Tanya worked for him as a veterinary technician for years. Their professional relationship became intimate while Tanya was married to Kenny.

Kenny learned about the affair, creating conflict between the two men. Tanya later ended her relationship with Milner. According to prosecutors, Milner did not accept the end of the relationship. His conduct toward Tanya and Kenny developed into years of stalking.

His Relationship With Tanya Fandrich Becomes an Obsession

Investigators examining Milner after Kenny’s murder found letters that demonstrated the intensity of his feelings toward Tanya. CBS reported that he continued writing love letters years after Tanya said the affair had ended.

Detectives also searched Milner’s home following his arrest. Inside his bedroom, they found a collection of objects associated with Tanya that investigators referred to as a “shrine.” The material included personal items and correspondence that police viewed in the context of his continuing fixation on her.

The prosecution did not treat the affair itself as an explanation for the murder. The importance was what followed. Milner continued inserting himself into the Fandrichs’ lives after Tanya ended their relationship.

Kenny became a particular focus. Milner followed him, appeared around his home and workplace and used electronic devices to monitor the Fandrich family’s movements. What began as a relationship dispute developed into conduct serious enough for Kenny to involve police, lawyers and the courts.

Milner Begins Following Kenny Fandrich

Milner’s stalking was documented before Kenny’s death. Kenny and Tanya discovered GPS tracking devices attached to their vehicles. Home surveillance also captured Milner entering or hiding around their property, according to prosecutors.

One encounter demonstrated how little dispute there was about Milner following Kenny. After Kenny spotted him and contacted police, an officer stopped Milner. Body-camera footage later shown by 48 Hours recorded Milner acknowledging that he was following Kenny.

Milner claimed that his concern centered on Tanya. He told police that he believed she was in danger and that Kenny had been abusive toward her. CBS reported that Kenny and Tanya had experienced problems in their marriage, including incidents that brought law enforcement into their lives.

Those marital problems did not give Milner legal authority to follow Kenny. Police warned him to stop. Instead, the stalking continued.

Kenny Obtains a Stalking Protective Order

By March 2022, the situation had reached the point where Kenny obtained a stalking protective order against Milner. Prosecutors said the order followed years of harassment and the discovery of multiple GPS trackers.

The order prohibited conduct that Milner was accused of continuing. Another tracking device was placed on a Fandrich vehicle, and prosecutors said Milner followed Kenny to his Oregon City home and Intel workplace more than a dozen times.

Milner was criminally charged in Clackamas County. He remained free on conditional release while the case proceeded.

The pending criminal case failed to end his conduct. Prosecutors said Milner continued stalking Kenny while on release. His methods then became more difficult to detect.

Milner Uses Different Cars to Conceal His Surveillance

In October 2022, Milner purchased an additional vehicle through Craigslist. Prosecutors said he used it to watch Kenny at Intel without relying on a vehicle that Kenny or police could associate with him.

He later obtained another vehicle using a false identity. Detectives referred to these vehicles as “burner cars.” The concept resembled a burner phone: use something that does not create an immediate connection to its actual user and dispose of it after it has served its purpose.

Investigators believed Milner used the vehicles to continue studying Kenny’s routine. Kenny worked as a contract pipe fitter at Intel’s Ronler Acres campus, giving Milner a location where Kenny’s arrivals and departures could be predicted.

There was one major obstacle to committing a crime there. Intel maintained an extensive surveillance system covering its campus and parking structures.

Milner Tests Intel’s Security Cameras

On December 13, 2022, surveillance cameras recorded Milner entering an Intel parking structure in disguise. He wore clothing intended to conceal his appearance and used spray paint on several security cameras.

Among the cameras he targeted were those covering the area where Kenny tended to park. Prosecutors concluded that Milner was testing Intel’s response to the camera interference.

Investigators later traced part of his preparation to a Home Depot. Surveillance footage showed Milner purchasing safety glasses on December 13. The glasses had a red-mirror tint and resembled the pair worn by the disguised figure at Intel. Detectives also noted that the store sold a yellow hard hat resembling the one seen in the parking-garage footage.

Milner continued returning to the parking structure after the December incident. Prosecutors said he observed Kenny’s patterns as Kenny arrived for work and left the campus.

The December camera sabotage became powerful evidence after Kenny was murdered. It suggested that what happened in January had been preceded by preparation.

Milner Returns to Intel on January 27, 2023

On January 27, 2023, Milner put the plan into action, according to the prosecution.

He entered the Intel parking structure in disguise and waited for Kenny to arrive. After Kenny parked and entered the campus for work, Milner again used spray paint to interfere with surveillance cameras around Kenny’s vehicle.

Milner then left the area and returned using a maroon minivan. He parked it beside Kenny’s vehicle.

He waited inside.

When Kenny finished his shift and returned to his car, Milner was positioned to confront him without warning.

Prosecutors Say Milner Ambushed and Killed Kenny

According to the Washington County District Attorney’s Office, Milner attacked Kenny from behind and placed him in a chokehold.

Investigators believed Kenny was dragged into the maroon minivan. He suffered severe injuries to his neck and spine and died from the assault.

Milner then faced another problem. He needed Kenny’s death to appear unrelated to him.

Prosecutors said Milner removed Kenny’s body from the van and placed him back in the driver’s seat of Kenny’s vehicle. Kenny’s belongings were arranged around him to create the appearance that he had suffered a natural medical event while sitting in his car.

The staging worked only until Kenny’s body was examined.

An Autopsy Exposes the Murder

Tanya became concerned when Kenny did not return home. Because they shared their phone locations, she traced him to the Intel campus.

Police found Kenny sitting inside his vehicle. There was little blood, and Detective Stephanie Winter later recalled that the scene did not make sense because Kenny appeared as though he had died without violence.

The autopsy revealed injuries to his neck and spine. Investigators now knew they were dealing with a homicide.

Tanya gave detectives another critical piece of information during the first hours of the investigation: Kenny had a stalker.

She named Steven Milner.

Investigators Identify Milner Beneath the Disguise

Police began reviewing Intel’s surveillance footage and comparing the masked figure with Milner.

One small physical characteristic attracted attention. The masked suspect had a pronounced vertical crease on his forehead. Milner had the same distinctive feature.

Detectives described it as something that his disguise could not conceal. Combined with his history of stalking Kenny, the resemblance strengthened their suspicions.

Police detained Milner on January 31, 2023, four days after Kenny was found dead. He was charged with second-degree murder and stalking.

Investigators then began searching for evidence that could transform their suspicions into a case capable of surviving a trial.

The Maroon Minivan Becomes a Missing Crime Scene

Police connected Milner to the maroon minivan and another vehicle. Both had spent periods parked at a Home Depot lot.

Investigators believed the minivan was one of the most important pieces of physical evidence because they thought Kenny had been killed inside it. Detective Devin Rigo described it as the main crime scene.

The minivan’s vehicle identification number had been recorded, allowing police to trace what happened to it.

It had been abandoned along Interstate 5 in North Portland days after Kenny’s murder. A towing company removed it and later sold it to a scrap metal business.

Rigo raced to the scrapyard after learning where the vehicle had gone.

He arrived too late. The minivan had been crushed.

DNA Still Connects Milner to Kenny

The loss of the minivan eliminated a potential source of forensic evidence. Prosecutors believed the vehicle could have contained DNA, blood, fibers or other material showing what happened to Kenny.

Investigators still had evidence collected from Kenny’s body.

DNA testing of swabs taken from Kenny’s hands identified Steven Milner’s DNA. The result provided a forensic link between the two men.

For investigators, it appeared to answer a crucial question about physical contact between Milner and Kenny.

Milner eventually provided his own explanation. Instead of maintaining that he had never encountered Kenny in the parking garage, he admitted the confrontation took place.

Steven Milner Goes on Trial for Murder

Milner’s trial began on January 13, 2025, in Washington County. Senior Deputy District Attorney John Gerhard and Deputy District Attorney Mahalee Streblow prosecuted the case.

The prosecution presented surveillance footage, Milner’s stalking history, the vehicles, GPS trackers, purchases associated with his disguise, his visits to Intel and the DNA recovered from Kenny.

Milner made the significant decision to testify.

On the witness stand, he admitted that he had spray-painted the cameras. He also admitted being inside the Intel garage and waiting for Kenny.

Those admissions meant that his defense did not depend on convincing jurors that police had identified the wrong man.

Milner instead argued that he had killed Kenny in self-defense.

Milner Claims Kenny Was the Aggressor

Milner testified that Kenny attacked him during their encounter. He maintained that he responded because he feared Kenny would hurt him.

Prosecutors challenged his description of the physical confrontation. They argued that his account did not fit Kenny’s injuries and did not explain the extensive preparations that preceded the encounter.

The prosecution could point to the disguise, camera sabotage, prior test of the security system, burner vehicles and repeated surveillance of Kenny’s workplace.

Those actions allowed prosecutors to argue that Milner had not encountered Kenny by chance and found himself forced to defend himself. He had taken a series of steps to place himself beside Kenny’s car without being identified.

The jury had to decide whether to accept Milner’s account or the prosecution’s argument that the confrontation represented the culmination of a planned murder.

The Jury Rejects Milner’s Self-Defense Claim

The jury deliberated for about six hours.

On January 22, 2025, jurors found Steven Neil Milner guilty of second-degree murder in Kenny Fandrich’s death.

He was also convicted of stalking and seven counts of violating a stalking protective order.

The verdict represented a rejection of Milner’s self-defense claim. Jurors accepted the prosecution’s case that his actions before Kenny’s death demonstrated planning and that the fatal confrontation constituted murder.

The verdict also brought together conduct stretching across years. The GPS trackers, protective order violations and surveillance were no longer separate incidents. Prosecutors had presented them as steps in an escalation that ended with Kenny’s death.

Tanya Fandrich Confronts Milner at Sentencing

Milner returned to court for sentencing on February 18, 2025. Cameras recorded the proceeding.

Tanya delivered a victim-impact statement directed at the man who had once been her employer and romantic partner. CBS reported that her statement focused on a simple point: Milner could have stopped. Instead, he continued his conduct until Kenny was dead.

Her statement described Milner in harsh terms and addressed the years of disruption his actions had brought into the Fandrich family’s lives.

The sentencing also marked the collapse of a life that had once included professional success and considerable financial resources. Milner entered the case as a wealthy former veterinarian. He left the courtroom facing decades behind bars.

What Was Steven Milner’s Sentence?

Steven Milner was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 25 years. CBS’s account of the sentencing confirms the parole provision.

That distinction is important because some secondary accounts have described his sentence as life without parole. CBS’s reporting on the sentencing states that Milner received life with the possibility of parole after 25 years.

Milner was 58 at the time of his sentencing. A 25-year minimum on the murder sentence means he would be an elderly man before reaching the point at which parole could become an issue.

Parole eligibility also does not mean release. It means an offender can become eligible for consideration under the rules governing the sentence. It does not guarantee that parole will be granted.

Where Is Steven Milner Now?

As of 2026, Steven Milner remains incarcerated serving his life sentence for the murder of Kenny Fandrich. CBS’s current reporting continues to describe his sentence as life imprisonment with the possibility of parole after 25 years.

A secondary source identifies Milner as being held at Snake River Correctional Institution in Ontario, Oregon, a state prison operated by the Oregon Department of Corrections. That specific facility assignment should be treated as subject to change because prisoners can be transferred between institutions.

There is no indication in the current reporting that his murder conviction has been overturned or that he has been released. His immediate future remains within Oregon’s prison system.

Milner also declined CBS’s request for an interview for 48 Hours. As a result, his trial testimony remains one of the clearest public accounts of his own version of Kenny’s death.

A Wrongful-Death Case Followed Kenny’s Murder

The criminal prosecution was not the only legal consequence connected to Milner’s actions. Kenny’s attorney, Michael Fuller, filed a wrongful-death lawsuit on behalf of Kenny’s estate.

Fuller told CBS that Milner had accumulated substantial wealth through real-estate investments and the sale of his veterinary business. The attorney said the civil action sought to recover money from Milner for Kenny’s estate.

The civil action reflected another aspect of Milner’s unusual background. This was not a defendant without resources or an established career. He had operated a professional business and, according to CBS, was worth millions.

Those circumstances made the transformation described by investigators difficult for some of his former clients to comprehend.

Former Clients Struggled to Reconcile the Veterinarian With the Killer

48 Hours interviewed people who had known Milner through his veterinary work. Their recollections highlighted the contrast between his public professional identity and the conduct established at trial.

Former clients expressed disbelief that the veterinarian they knew could be the same person convicted of stalking and murdering Kenny. Detective Rigo compared the contrast to a “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” situation.

The criminal case, however, rested on documented actions rather than Milner’s previous reputation. Police had records of stalking. Kenny had secured a protective order. Milner had faced criminal charges before the murder. Surveillance footage documented preparations at Intel. DNA linked him to Kenny.

Milner then admitted significant parts of that evidence himself when he testified at trial.

Steven Milner’s Life Is Now Defined by the Murder of Kenny Fandrich

Steven Milner entered the Fandrich family’s life as Tanya’s employer. He became her lover, then a source of conflict after the relationship ended. Prosecutors said his inability to let go developed into an obsession that targeted both Tanya and Kenny.

Kenny attempted to stop that conduct through the legal system. Milner continued following him despite warnings, a stalking protective order and criminal charges. He purchased vehicles to conceal his surveillance, studied Kenny’s workplace and interfered with cameras covering the area where Kenny parked.

On January 27, 2023, prosecutors said those preparations culminated in murder. Milner waited for Kenny at Intel, attacked him and staged his body inside his vehicle. His effort to conceal the crime failed because the security cameras captured enough information for investigators to reconstruct his movements.

Milner’s professional career and wealth could not protect him from the evidence that followed. On January 22, 2025, a jury convicted him of murder, stalking and seven protective-order violations. On February 18, 2025, he was sentenced to life in prison with parole eligibility after 25 years.

Today, Steven Neil Milner is a convicted murderer serving a life sentence in the Oregon prison system. His case is featured in the 48 Hours episode “Murder in the Parking Garage,” which examines how the veterinarian’s years-long stalking campaign ended with Kenny Fandrich’s murder and how the surveillance system Milner tried to defeat became a central part of the case against him.

More “Murder in the Parking Garage”

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Ryan Gill

Ryan is a passionate follower of true crime television programs, reporting on and providing in-depth investigations on mysteries in the criminal world.

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