Convicted Murderer Walks Free and Will Work as a Legal Assistant for the Oregon Justice Resource Center

Convicted murderer Mark J. Wilson has been released to supervision in Multnomah County after serving 35 years for his role in the notorious killing of a Terrebonne couple in 1987.

Wilson (55) walked out free from an Oregon prison yesterday (Thursday) morning. It is understood that he will be employed as a legal assistant and policy associate at the Oregon Justice Resource Center which lobbied the State Board of Parole and Post-Prison Supervision on his behalf.

Wilson Shot Rod Houser 20 Times

Wilson was 18 years old when he opened fire on Rod Houser (53), shooting him 20 times with a .22-caliber rifle. The shooting took place late at night on the front porch of Houser’s home.

Co-defendant Randy Guzek was sentenced to death four times for killing Lois Houser (49). He shot her with a .32-caliber revolver in the heart, head, and stomach as she stood screaming at the top of the staircase inside her home.

Evidence was that Wilson and Guzek left a family Bible on Rod Houser’s chest after cutting his neck to make the scene look like a cult killing.

Wilson was Convicted to Two Consecutive Life Terms

Wilson pleaded guilty to aggravated murder and felony murder and was sentenced to two consecutive life terms with the possibility of parole.

Guzek (55) remains in the Oregon State Penitentiary. According to the Corrections Department, no release date has been set.

In 2021, Wilson was represented by lawyers from the Oregon Justice Resource Center who sued the state. They claimed corrections officials placed Wilson in solitary confinement as a retaliatory action for giving prisoners legal advice, according to court records. The Oregon Justice Resource Center regards Wilson as a ‘special adviser’ to its lawyers. They consulted with him on prison reform issues and prison education.

Wilson was Placed in Solitary Confinement for 120 Days

According to court records, the Corrections Department stripped Wilson of his job as a legal assistant and placed him in 120-day solitary confinement for possessing a toy phone and compromising the prison library coordinator at the Salem medium-security prison.

In a sworn declaration, the prison library coordinator said she placed the toy phone on a library desk frequented by Wilson. She said it was a joke because Wilson fielded so many calls from outside attorneys.

Wilson did not remove the toy phone, and the library coordinator resigned while under investigation.

It was less than a year ago that the Oregon Department of Corrections paid Wilson $50,000, erased his discipline, and processed his request for a prison term reduction.