PORTLAND, Ore. (Portland Tribune) — Convicted Portland murderer Larry Hurwitz has been arrested on drug and illegal money charges in California.
Hurwitz, the former owner of the Starry Night rock club in Old Town, was convicted of killing his promotion director, Tim Moreau, in 1990. Hurwitz was sentenced to only 10 years in prison as the result of a plea bargain agreement, in part because Moreau’s body was never found.
Hurwitz was arrested during a June 27, traffic stop in Huntington Beach. The Portland Tribune has learned police found 4 pounds of cocaine and more than $300,000 in cash in his vehicle. He was charged with the sale or transport of a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell, and possession of drug money in excess of $100,000.
A hearing on the charges is scheduled for Thursday, July 11. According to the online case summary, Hurwitz has retained an attorney and has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Hurwitz is still on supervised parole in Multnomah County as part of his sentence for killing Moreau. It is unclear whether he had permission to leave the state at the time of his arrest. The Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office did not respond to a request for comment by press time.
The Moreau murder case was heavily covered by the Portland news media. Moreau was last seen alive on Jan. 22, 1990, several days after a counterfeit ticket scheme had been discovered at the hall. Police suspected Hurwitz was behind the scheme and killed Moreau to prevent him from revealing what he knew about it. Hurwitz denied knowing where Moreau was, and there was no evidence connecting him to the disappearance.
It took 10 years before another Starry Night employee admitted to helping Hurwitz kill Moreau and bury the body in the Columbia River Gorge. By then, Hurwtiz was serving a sentence for federal income tax evasion. He eventually pleaded no contest to the murder and was sentenced to 12 years in prison in 2000.
Moreau is still considered a missing person because his body was never found. As part of National Missing Persons Month, Oregon State Police added three pictures to its Facebook page for Moreau in May 2018.
“We are very grateful that officials in Portland continue to remember Tim and to remind the public that our son’s remains have not been found. We appreciate everyone ‘s interest and support,” Tim’s parents, Mike and Penny Moreau, said at the time.