Horning's Hideout near North Plains was the venue for family strife and now a fatal murder after co-owner Carl Horning was shot on the property Jan. 2. (Submitted by Jillian Scheffield)

Newly released court records paint a picture of familial strife over assets long before a North Plains resident was deemed a “person of interest” in his brother’s fatal shooting near North Plains on Jan. 2.

Carl Horning was found dead with multiple gunshot wounds at Horning’s Hideout, a property owned by both Carl Horning and his brother Robert, as well as their mother, Jane Horning, just after New Years Day.

Robert Horning was at the scene and was initially detained from the wedding venue and outdoor recreation site north of North Plains but was released several hours later, according to authorities.

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office says he remains a person of interest in the homicide investigation. No charges have been filed against him in Washington County Circuit Court.

Carl, Robert and Jane Horning are listed as the property owners of Horning’s Hideout, at 21277 N.W. Brunswick Canyon Road — where the shooting took place — according to county property records.

Meanwhile, a civil battle has been playing out in court for months over who would oversee their mother, and her assets, as she aged in her North Plains-area home.

‘At the center of a tug-of-war’

LaDonna Elliott — one of six Horning siblings — filed a petition to become mother Jane Horning’s guardian and conservator in July 2023. According to court documents by Elliott, Horning, 83, had been displaying cognitive decline over recent years.

Jane Horning’s care had been handled and agreed upon by the siblings until last summer, when “recently some of (Jane Horning’s) children have had strong disagreements about the best way to look after their mother, and the time for court assistance has arrived,” according to the petition.

Elliott — who lives in West Virginia — alleged that issues had arisen between Carl and Robert Horning related to Horning’s Hideout and their mother.

“(Jane Horning) has been at the center of tug-of-war in which one son asks her to sign legal documents, which she does, and then another son asks her to void them, which she does, and then back and forth,” the filing reads in part. “… (Jane Horning) is the founder and one of three members of Horning’s Hideout, LLC, a day-resort fishing event center, and her business partners have been making changes to the company which she does not understand, and is susceptible to coercion.”

Robert Horning is listed as the owner of Horning’s Hideout LLC, and Carl was listed as a manager in a 2022 report with the Oregon Secretary of State, though he no longer holds that title according to more recent records.

Elliott asked the court for her to become Jane Horning’s guardian and financial conservator, with Carl Horning, Jane Horning’s son, and Kelli Horning, Jane Horning’s daughter-in-law, as her health care representatives.

Soon after the petition was filed, Jane Horning, her sister and a few of her children filed objections with the court, including son Robert Horning; Nancy Horning, Robert Horning’s wife; daughter Karen Clifford; and Jane Horning’s twin sister Jean Rapp.

“(Jane Horning) does not want anyone else making any of her decisions for her. (Jane Horning) especially does not want LaDonna Elliott making any decisions for her,” an objection from Jane Horning’s attorney stated.

The issues before the court included whether Jane Horning was “incapacitated to the extent that an immediate and serious danger exists to her life or health” and incapable of handling her own business dealings.

The need for a financial guardian becomes clearer as court documents show Jane Horning’s assets worth over $1.7 million between two properties on Brunswick Canyon Road.

More family troubles

Kathryn Bourn, Jane Horning’s attorney, said in a filing that Elliott’s petition to become guardian and conservator of Jane Horning “is the latest step in a years-long conflict among family members for control of Horning’s Hideout and extensive real estate holdings held in a family limited liability company.”

The filing states that there have been conflicts between Robert and Carl Horning over the use of business money for personal expenses and goes on to allege “violent behavior” by Carl Horning in 2013, 2019 and 2022.

Carl Horning has not been criminally accused or convicted of violent acts, according to court records.

Bourn’s filing refutes Elliott’s numerous claims that Jane Horning is incapacitated cognitively.

Bourn’s filing states that earlier this year, Jane Horning gave Robert Horning a small portion of her holdings in Horning’s Hideout LLC and Horning Properties LLC, making Robert Horning the majority owner of both.

“She has entrusted the son (Robert) who has devoted his adult life to the successful operation and expansion of Horning’s Hideout rather than the son whose violent outbursts repeatedly have put the business at risk and who has mishandled LLC funds and property,” Bourn wrote in the filing. “… What is evident is a longstanding dispute between Ms. Elliott and Carl Horning with their brother Bob Horning over concerns about how their own financial futures may be affected by others’ estates plans and, in Carl’s case, ability to live rent free while contributing little to the running of the LLCs.”

Washington County Circuit Court Judge Theodore E. Sims appointed Rapp as Jane Horning’s guardian after the family settled the issue, a request included in a court filing on behalf of Jane Horning.

“At the very least, Mrs. Horning is entitled to her life being managed by someone she trusts, such as her sister, rather than a daughter from whom she is estrange,” Bourn told the court.

A conservator will be appointed to the family trust and oversee a majority of Jane Horning’s finances at a later date.

The payment of attorney’s fees is still playing out in court, as the case remains open.