A 23-year-old Oregon man, Talon Gabriel Mitchell, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to the killing of his wife, Oulaykham Mona Chopheng, in February 2023. Mitchell, who was 19 years old at the time of the crime, will serve the first 10 years of his sentence without the possibility of parole, with the remaining 10 years potentially reducible for good behavior.
The Murder of Oulaykham Mona Chopheng
The tragic incident took place on February 23, 2023, at an apartment complex in Beaverton, Oregon, about 10 miles southwest of Portland. Mitchell shot and killed his wife, Chopheng, just weeks after they had married.
Police responded to a welfare check after a neighbor called 911, reporting hearing a woman screaming and crying for help. Upon arrival, officers found Chopheng dead from a gunshot wound to the face, lying on the couch.
Mitchell, who had visible blood on his shoes, was arrested shortly after the discovery of the body. Investigators later learned that he had taken LSD earlier in the day.
Mitchell’s Bizarre Behavior After the Shooting
Mitchell contacted emergency services himself following the shooting, sending a series of strange and incoherent messages. In one message, he wrote, “HELP, I’M STUCK IN A DREAM,” and “I’m being controlled.” He also wrote, “Help me” and “Insanity.”
Authorities later confirmed that Mitchell had ingested LSD that morning, which he claimed caused him to black out and forget the events leading up to the shooting. He confessed during an interview with police that when he woke up that evening, he saw his wife’s body and believed he was in a dreamlike or apocalyptic state, leading him to text 911.
Court Proceedings and Sentence
Mitchell was initially scheduled to stand trial on March 31, 2026, but he ultimately reached a plea deal with prosecutors. On Tuesday, Judge Theodore Sims sentenced Mitchell to 20 years in a state correctional facility after he pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree manslaughter with a firearm and one count of unlawful use of a weapon.
While Mitchell will serve the first 10 years of his sentence in full, he may have the latter portion reduced for good behavior.
