Corvallis man arraigned in alleged plot to kill ex's new boyfriend

A Corvallis man accused of trying to meet up with his ex-girlfriend’s new boyfriend to kill him pleaded not guilty Thursday in Benton County Circuit Court to attempted murder and other felony charges.

A court document released Thursday provided additional details surrounding Wednesday’s arrest of 35-year-old Michael Glenn Estrada — including an accusation that he falsely reported that his ex-girlfriend had been kidnapped.

Estrada called 911 at 3:38 a.m. Wednesday, claiming that Christine Beal, 27, was missing and that he suspected that Trevor Morris, 46, had kidnapped her, according to a document filed in court by Corvallis Police Detective Bryan Rehnberg.

Police suspected that Estrada was lying because he had filed a similar report a couple weeks before, when Beal had left by her own free will, according to the court document. Estrada reported that Beal was his girlfriend, though police described her as his ex-girlfriend who shared an apartment with him at 755 N.W. Third St.

After Estrada filed the report, police located Beal and Morris, who told a different story. Beal said that Estrada entered her room at 2 a.m. and woke her up by placing a knife to her throat, according to court documents. After allegedly taunting her for 20-25 minutes, he reportedly pulled away the blade on the condition that she call Morris and arrange to meet with him.

Beal told police that Estrada concealed a 14-inch crowbar in his pants and a 3-4 inch paring knife in his pocket and walked far behind her so that Morris wouldn’t see him when he pulled up in his car at the meeting place on Northwest Van Buren Avenue near Kings Boulevard. But Beal quickly jumped into Morris’ car, and they took off without being harmed, she told police.

After locating them on Wednesday, detectives worked with Morris to arrange another time and place to meet with Estrada. When police arrested him near that rendezvous point in Central Park, about 9 a.m., they found two 8-inch kitchen knives hidden up Estrada’s sleeves, according to court documents.

In a recorded phone conversation with Beal, Estrada accused Beal of doing drugs with Morris and allegedly spoke of his intentions to hurt Morris, and that he didn’t care if he went back to prison. Estrada was sentenced to 75 months in prison and 10 years’ post-prison supervision on June 12, 2006, for first-degree sexual abuse.