Oregon Man Sentenced to Life After Killing His Mother and Spending a Day Beside Her Body

A disturbing family tragedy in Oregon has ended with a life prison sentence for a 38-year-old man who murdered his own mother and remained inside their home with her body for approximately a day. Ronald Kirk was convicted of killing 61-year-old Rosa Leyva, whose death came after months of reported tension between mother and son. When officers eventually arrived at the home, they encountered a scene that investigators and prosecutors described as deeply unsettling: Leyva was at the dining table with a glass of wine and a laptop nearby, while pillowcases had been draped over her.

The killing occurred in November 2024, but the circumstances came into sharper focus during Kirk’s trial. Prosecutors said Leyva had told her son to leave the home and informed him that she was evicting him. In a text message, she reportedly wrote, “You need to leave.” Authorities said Kirk shot his mother in the head following the confrontation. The case was presented to a Clackamas County jury, which found him guilty of murder in October 2026.

Evidence also revealed troubling incidents in the weeks before Leyva’s death. A home surveillance recording captured her pleading with Kirk to get help, telling him that he was intoxicated and urging him to seek assistance. According to testimony reported by local media, Leyva had also confided in a close friend that Kirk believed she was possessed by a demon. The friend described him as increasingly preoccupied with exorcism and demonic possession, particularly when he was using drugs.

Prosecutors also presented a voicemail Kirk had left for his son. In the message, he reportedly discussed his belief that his mother was possessed and acknowledged that he had nearly shot her in the head the day before she was killed. At trial, witnesses described Kirk as volatile and frequently under the influence of alcohol or methamphetamine. These details formed part of the prosecution’s account of the escalating conflict inside the family home.

Leyva’s absence from work ultimately prompted the welfare check that led officers to discover her body. Her co-workers became concerned when she failed to show up and could not be reached. When police arrived on November 26, 2024, Kirk answered the door and reportedly told them that his mother was inside and had been unconscious for about a day. Investigators later determined that he had remained with her body throughout that period rather than seeking help.

Kirk was sentenced to life in prison, with no possibility of parole for at least 25 years. He was also ordered to pay $5,000 toward his mother’s funeral expenses. During the sentencing hearing, Leyva’s niece addressed him directly, expressing the family’s rejection and grief. She told him that he had forfeited the privilege of being part of their lives and that the family no longer wanted contact with him. For Leyva’s loved ones, the sentence brings a measure of legal closure, but it cannot undo the loss of a woman whose final days were marked by a deeply painful conflict within her own home.

Source: https://lawandcrime.com/crime/son-spent-a-full-day-relaxing-with-his-moms-corpse-after-killing-her-sat-with-her-body-at-dining-table-with-glass-of-wine-and-pillowcases-draped-over-her/