An Oregon man who believed his mother was demonically possessed while he was high on meth has been sentenced to life in prison for her murder … and prosecutors say he had been thinking about killing her for weeks.
38-year-old Ronald Kirk was convicted of second-degree murder and felony possession of a firearm after shooting and killing his 61-year-old mother, Rosa Leyva, inside the home they shared.
Kirk had been living with his mother in her small Gladstone, Oregon home … but according to FOX12, their relationship was anything but peaceful.
Prosecutors say Leyva had been fed up with her son’s drug and alcohol use, explosive temper, and increasingly bizarre behavior … and by November 2024, she was ready to kick him out.
But Kirk apparently had other ideas.
According to Clackamas County prosecutors, Kirk had become obsessed with exorcisms and demonic possession while using meth … even telling a friend he believed his own mother was possessed.
And here’s where things get even more disturbing.
A month before the murder, Kirk allegedly left a voicemail for his son claiming his grandmother was possessed … and admitting he had “almost” put a bullet in her head the day before.
Meanwhile, Leyva was becoming increasingly fearful of her son.
On Nov. 8, she sent Kirk a text making it clear she wanted him gone, writing, “You need to leave. I don’t want anyone in my house.”
There was just one problem … Kirk had no job, no money, and was financially dependent on his mother.
Between Nov. 8 and Nov. 11, Leyva contacted Gladstone police asking for help because she was afraid of what her son might do.
In home surveillance footage from Nov. 11, later shown to jurors, Leyva could be heard pleading with her son to get help.
“You’re higher than a kite. Get some help. Please,” she told him.
Sadly, just two weeks later, her worst fears became reality.
On Nov. 26, 2024, Leyva failed to show up for work, immediately raising concerns among her coworkers and friends, who knew about her son’s troubling behavior.
When they couldn’t get in contact with her, police were called to conduct a welfare check … and what officers discovered inside the home was horrifying.
Kirk answered the door and casually told officers his mother was inside and hadn’t been conscious for about a day.
When officers entered, they found Leyva dead at the dining room table, sitting in front of her laptop with a full glass of wine nearby. Her body was covered in pillowcases, and she had suffered a single gunshot wound to the head.
Investigators later determined Leyva had been killed around 6:45 PM on Nov. 25 … meaning Kirk had remained inside the home with his mother’s body for nearly 24 hours.
“He sat there with his mother’s dead body for a full day,” Senior Deputy District Attorney Rusty Amos told jurors.
During Kirk’s sentencing, his two sons delivered emotional statements about losing their grandmother … but they had very different messages for their father.
One son, Andre Leyva, told Kirk he had chosen to forgive him despite everything.
“I forgive you. I love you because that’s what God does, and I hope prison and God have mercy on your soul,” he said.
His older brother, Antonio Leyva, wasn’t ready to offer that same forgiveness.
“I know others have already forgiven you, but I am very far from that. And my Grandma Leyva, I don’t just miss her; it’s more than that,” he told the court.
As for Kirk, he told the court he plans to appeal his conviction.
“I was convicted of second-degree murder,” Kirk said before sentencing. “I understand and so I’m ready to be sentenced off and close this case.”
Kirk was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 25 years … meaning he’ll be in his early 60s before he even has a chance at freedom.
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