PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — One day before his murder trial was about to begin, a 33-year-old man admitted killing his 91-year-old stepfather nearly 2 years ago.
Jacob Nebeker pleaded guilty to 2nd-degree murder in the death of Gilbert J. Gutjahr at his home in Bethany on January 22, 2021, the Washington County District Attorney’s Office said in a release.
Gutjahr, who was a retired public administrator, was married to Jacob’s mother, Karen.
The case began just after midnight that day when Nebeker’s cousin called 911 and said she saw him killing the elderly man with an extension cord and a plastic bag in a bedroom. Deputies rushed to the home on NW Canterwood Way and found Gutjahr dead in a bathroom.
Nebeker was found hiding on a golf course.
Investigators determined Nebeker moved his stepfather’s body to “stage an accidental fall” and tried to hide other evidence. The autopsy revealed he died from ligature strangulation and was smothered. The DA’s office said DNA was found on the murder weapons.
Karen Nebeker inherited the entirety of the “substantial” estate. Though she was home at the time of the murder, authorities said she was asleep at the time and has denied any involvement. Karen Nebeker was not charged.
As part of his guilty plea, Jacob Nebeker was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 25 years.