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COURTS Psychiatric board to decide whether to release Butte Falls killer Comment By Thomas Moriarty Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Thomas Moriarty Mail Tribune Posted May. 26, 2015 at 2:00 AM Updated May 26, 2015 at 3:54 PM By Thomas Moriarty Mail Tribune Posted May. 26, 2015 at 2:00 AM Updated May 26, 2015 at 3:54 PM » Social News SALEM — The state Psychiatric Security Review Board is expected to decide Wednesday whether a Butte Falls man convicted of murder more than two decades ago will be released from the supervision of state authorities, possibly back to Jackson County. Dwight Fredenburg was found guilty but insane by a Jackson County judge in 1986 for the murder of Dale Saunders, his supervisor at Medford Corp., at a logging site near Butte Falls. Sheriff's deputies said Fredenburg, then 50, and Saunders, 36, got into an argument that escalated when Fredenburg retrieved a revolver from his truck and shot Saunders several times. Saunders was pronounced dead at the scene, and Fredenburg voluntarily surrendered to law enforcement, police said. A report from a psychiatrist hired by Fredenburg's lawyer said he "lacked the substantial capacity to conform his conduct to the requirements of the law." The district attorney's own psychiatrist agreed. In a handwritten letter to the court in 1992, objecting to the seizure of his assets to pay for the cost of his treatment, Fredenburg claimed a dangerous work environment allegedly promoted by Saunders justified his killing. "I say I made a praiseworthy homicide for myself and other workers in the workplace," he wrote. Fredenburg was sentenced to life in the custody of the Psychiatric Security Review Board, which amounted to about 10 years in the Oregon State Hospital, said Saunders' widow, Paula. "We all knew that 'life' at the state mental hospital would not be a life sentence," she said Friday in a phone interview from her Medford home. In 1997, Fredenburg was released from the hospital and sought supervised placement in Josephine County. Bob Beckett, then director of Josephine County Mental Health, rejected Fredenburg's placement there, saying his staff didn't have the resources to adequately supervise a convicted killer. For the past 18 years, Saunders said, Fredenburg has been in an independent living program in Marion County, largely responsible for himself. "He's been out living his life," she said. One of the stipulations of Fredenburg's sentence was that he never be allowed to return to Jackson County if released from supervision, she said. But now, she said, Fredenburg's caseworker is requesting that he be evaluated for possible placement in Jackson County. Saunders said Fredenburg is also requesting a full discharge from state supervision. PSRB officials said they couldn't disclose the specifics of Fredenburg's requests, but said he could expand on any request already made once he comes before the board Wednesday. Saunders said she doesn't think Fredenburg should ever be released from supervision of the state, and fears he may end up in a halfway house near her if his placement in Jackson County is approved. The thought of running into him at a grocery store is too much to bear. "I don't think we could handle it," she said. "This is the last thing (we want)." The board likely will make its decision the day of the hearing, officials said. Reach reporter Thomas Moriarty at 541-776-4471, or by email at [email protected] . Follow him at @ThomasDMoriarty . Editor's note: This story has been clarified with regard to Fredenburg's sentencing. By Thomas Moriarty Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Thomas Moriarty Mail Tribune Posted May. 26, 2015 at 2:00 AM Updated May 26, 2015 at 3:54 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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