A Tualatin man accused of killing his mother and attacking his older brother last year is now suspected of soliciting a fellow inmate to kill the brother and another sibling.
Michael S. Ross was indicted Wednesday in Washington County Circuit Court on charges of solicitation to commit aggravated murder.
Ross, 41, is accused of approaching another jail inmate between October and March and offering money in exchange for the killings of brothers Alexander Ross and David Ross, according to the indictment.
It’s unclear from available court documents how authorities learned of the alleged solicitation. The solicited inmate, who is facing sexual abuse charges and remains held in the Washington County Jail, has not been charged in the case, court records show.
Ross already faces charges of murder, attempted aggravated murder, second-degree assault and unlawful use of a weapon. Prosecutors allege he killed his Diane Ross, 73, on May 10, 2018, and attacked Alexander Ross, 48, with a pipe.
According to court documents, the older sibling told police Michael Ross barged into his room without warning in October and hit him over the head. The brothers fought, Alexander Ross said he put Michael Ross in a chokehold, then ran to his mother’s room and shut the door behind him.
Diane Ross was lying on the floor stabbed several times, court documents said. Alexander Ross told police he grabbed a kitchen knife and kept stabbing a gap in the door when his brother tried to force his way into the mother’s bedroom. Michael Ross at some point got into the room, the brothers fought, and Alexander Ross ran from the home to a neighbor, who called 911.
Police arrived and used a loud speaker to order Michael Ross out of the house, and he was arrested when he came out, court documents said. He later told investigators he was defending his mother from being attacked by his older sibling.
An autopsy from the Oregon State Medical Examiner found Diane Ross died of blunt- and sharp-force trauma to the head and neck.
A motion from Michael Ross’s attorney said prosecutors believe the attack occurred so Ross could inherit his mother’s home and part of her other assets.
-- Everton Bailey Jr.
ebailey@oregonian.com | 503-221-8343 |@EvertonBailey
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