Vincent Scoggins must serve at least 25 years after jurors convicted him in the killing of Penelope “Penny” Fegan.

PORTLAND, Ore. — An Oregon man who had threatened to kill his girlfriend if she left him has been sentenced to life in prison after jurors found that he murdered her while she was preparing to move out of the apartment they shared.

Vincent Scoggins, 62, was sentenced July 27 after a Multnomah County jury convicted him four days earlier of second-degree murder constituting domestic violence and unlawful use of a weapon constituting domestic violence. The murder sentence requires him to serve at least 25 years before he may be considered for parole. He also received a 30-month prison term on the weapon conviction, which will run at the same time as the life sentence. The verdict resolved a prosecution that began nearly four years after Penelope “Penny” Fegan was found dead at the Beverly Grove Apartments in Portland.

The case began at about 1:30 a.m. Aug. 8, 2022, when Scoggins called 911 and reported that he had returned home and found Fegan dead inside the residence, according to the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office. First responders determined that she had been dead for some time. The Oregon State Medical Examiner’s Office later ruled that Fegan died from blunt-force trauma to the head and classified the death as a homicide. Evidence presented at trial established that she had been struck repeatedly with a hammer. Scoggins denied killing Fegan and maintained that he had discovered her after returning home.

Prosecutors said Fegan’s decision to leave the relationship became a major part of the case. The district attorney’s office described the relationship as one marked by domestic violence and said Scoggins’ methamphetamine use had repeatedly caused conflict between the couple. During earlier arguments, prosecutors said, Scoggins had threatened to kill Fegan if she ever left him and had also threatened to strike her in the head. Detectives learned that he returned to methamphetamine use during the weekend before Fegan was killed. Fegan then told him she was ending the relationship, and trial evidence showed she had begun making plans to move from their shared apartment.

The investigation did not produce an immediate murder charge. Portland detectives spent nearly a year reconstructing Fegan’s final days and comparing Scoggins’ account with other evidence. They reviewed surveillance recordings, traffic-camera footage and phone records and interviewed relatives, friends, neighbors and co-workers. Prosecutors later said the investigation showed that Scoggins had lied to detectives about several significant matters and had tried to conceal his involvement in Fegan’s death. The district attorney’s public account did not provide a complete list of every statement investigators challenged, leaving many of those details to the evidence jurors heard at trial.

Forensic testing also became an important part of the prosecution. The Oregon State Police Crime Lab conducted DNA testing and bloodstain-pattern analysis connected to the apartment. Prosecutors said the laboratory work produced evidence that proved crucial in establishing Scoggins’ responsibility for the killing. The district attorney’s sentencing announcement did not describe every sample tested or reproduce the full scientific testimony. Instead, officials said the forensic findings were considered alongside the electronic records, witness interviews and evidence showing where Scoggins had been during the period surrounding Fegan’s death.

Authorities also had information about earlier accusations involving the couple. According to court documents described in later news reports, Scoggins had been arrested after an alleged 2021 confrontation with Fegan. She told police that he came home intoxicated and angry and began damaging items inside their apartment. She alleged that he threw several household objects toward her and threatened her during the episode. Officers also documented bruising on her arms, according to the reported court records. Scoggins faced assault, menacing and resisting-arrest allegations following the encounter, but those charges were later dismissed and did not result in a conviction.

Another arrest occurred shortly before Fegan’s death. Court records cited in news coverage showed that Scoggins was taken into custody in early August 2022 for allegedly violating a no-contact order involving Fegan. That case was also dismissed. Neither dismissed case established criminal responsibility for Fegan’s later death, and prosecutors still had to prove the murder charge with evidence gathered during the homicide investigation. The earlier allegations became part of the relationship history surrounding the case, but they were legally separate from the 2022 killing and the eventual murder conviction.

The homicide investigation reached the charging stage in July 2023. Deputy District Attorney Devin Franklin presented the case to a Multnomah County grand jury, which returned a secret indictment charging Scoggins with second-degree murder and unlawful use of a weapon, both constituting domestic violence. The indictment was filed July 17, 2023. A warrant was then issued, and the U.S. Marshals Service arrested Scoggins on July 19. He appeared before a judge the following day and entered a not-guilty plea. At that point, prosecutors emphasized that the indictment was an accusation and that Scoggins remained presumed innocent unless the state proved the charges.

The case remained pending until jurors heard nearly two weeks of testimony and other evidence in July 2026. Prosecutors presented the history of the relationship, Fegan’s plans to leave, statements Scoggins had made before her death, records tracing his movements and the forensic work performed with help from the state crime laboratory. Scoggins continued to deny that he was responsible. Jurors ultimately rejected that position and returned guilty verdicts July 23 on both charges. The verdict transformed the case from allegations contained in an indictment into criminal convictions reached after evidence was tested at trial.

The sentence imposed four days later means Scoggins will remain in prison for at least 25 years before parole consideration becomes possible. The separate 30-month sentence for unlawful use of a weapon is concurrent, meaning it does not add another 30 months after the life term. Prosecutors credited the Portland Police Bureau, the Oregon State Police Crime Lab and other agencies with helping build the case. Franklin and Senior Deputy District Attorney Melissa Marrero prosecuted the matter, and the district attorney’s office credited Portland homicide Detective Eric McDaniel for his work leading the investigation.

After sentencing, Franklin focused attention on Fegan and the people who knew her. He described her as a good person with a “bright and colorful personality” and said she was deeply loved by relatives, friends and co-workers. He said her absence continued to affect those close to her. Prosecutors also described the killing as a domestic-violence case in which prior threats and the victim’s plans to leave became significant pieces of the factual record ultimately presented to jurors.

The sentence closes the trial-court phase of a case that began with Scoggins’ own 911 call, continued through a months-long homicide investigation and resulted in an indictment almost a year after Fegan’s death. Scoggins is now serving the life sentence imposed for second-degree murder. Under the judgment announced by prosecutors, he cannot be considered for parole until he has served the required 25-year minimum.

Author note: Last updated August 29, 2026.