Man complains about his mom to 911 after beating her with bat, Oregon officials say
Garth Patrick Beams called 911 on July 19, 2018, and told Oregon dispatchers he “clobbered” his 74-year-old mother with a baseball bat.
Afterward, the 47-year-old stayed on the phone for another 15 minutes, complaining about his mother, Wendy Henson, according to a news release from the Washington County District Attorney’s Office.
“When asked whether he would provide aid to the victim, he indicated he was not interested in helping her,” the district attorney said.
When Tualatin police arrived at the home, they found Henson “suffering from multiple wounds to her head,” the district attorney said. She was taken to a hospital where she later died.
A Washington County Circuit Court judge sentenced Beams to life in prison on Monday, Aug. 29, according to the district attorney. He was convicted of second-degree murder and unlawful use of a weapon and will be eligible for parole after 25 years.
Beams’ attorneys did not immediately respond to McClatchy News’ request for comment on Sept. 1.
“This was a cruel, unprovoked attack on a disabled, elderly woman,” Deputy District Attorney Rayney Meisel, who prosecuted the case, said in the release.
Henson is survived by her son, Michael Beams, according to the district attorney.
“Garth’s crime shattered what was left of our family,” Michael Beams said in his testimony, according to the release. “There are only broken pieces to pick up. I feel stuck in a boxing match, fighting against bitterness and outrage.”
Michael Beams lived in the house at the time of the incident, the district attorney said. As he cannot afford to move elsewhere, he continues to live there.
“In a nasty twist of fate, every day, to this day, I have to walk past the location where [my brother] felled mom,” he said.
Henson was an author, according to the district attorney. She “wrote plays, novellas and published a textbook during her time as a college screenwriting instructor.” Her 2018 novella ”Honor Song” was adapted into a screenplay.
Henson, who had a passion for the arts, had a movie review column in the local newspaper, Tualatin Life, the district attorney said.
Shortly after her death, the newspaper’s founder, Jonathan Crane, wrote fondly of Henson, highlighting her “vast amount of film and literary knowledge.”
“Wendy Jane Henson will be greatly missed. She defined local exceptionalism,” Crane wrote. “Her life ended in tragedy, but that shouldn’t detract from the joy she brought to others in a lifetime surrounded by great books and film, the true passions of her life.”
Tualatin is about 12 miles southwest of Portland.
This story was originally published September 1, 2022 at 5:48 PM with the headline "Man complains about his mom to 911 after beating her with bat, Oregon officials say."
