Salem man charged with helping move body of victim in suspected domestic violence killing

A Salem man is accused of helping transport the body of a woman who prosecutors say was killed last week by her longtime boyfriend.

The Marion County District Attorney’s Office charged Logan L. Wilkins, 37, on Friday with second-degree abuse of a corpse and tampering with physical evidence related to the death of Ashley J. Gandolfi, 35, of Salem.

Marion County Court records provided no details about what prosecutors believe Wilkins’ role was in moving Gandolfi’s body. Wilkins was ordered to have no contact with Gandolfi’s family. 

Prosecutors allege that Gandolfi’s boyfriend of over 11 years, Tyler A. Holman, 39, shot and killed her on Jan. 27, and that he and Wilkins carried away her body that same day.

A Marion County grand jury on Feb. 6 indicted Holman on charges of second-degree murder, unlawful use of a weapon constituting domestic violence, second-degree abuse of a corpse and tampering with physical evidence.

He was previously charged with assaulting Gandolfi in March 2024. Polk County Circuit Judge Pro Tem Timothy Park dismissed the case in August 2024 at the request of the Polk County District Attorney’s Office, which said in a court filing that “there is insufficient evidence to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt.”

The couple shared one child, court records showed.

Polk County Sheriff’s Office deputies discovered Gandolfi dead when Holman crashed a car that same day in the 1000 block of Corvallis Road, near farmland in Independence, according to the Salem Police Department.

Deputies responded to the rollover crash around 6:30 a.m. that day. Holman was hospitalized with injuries. 

Police said the circumstances suggested that Gandolfi was not killed in the crash. “Rather, her body was being transported at the time of the crash,” Salem police said in a news release on Jan. 30.

The statement did not say whether police suspect that Holman crashed on accident or on purpose.

An autopsy by the Oregon State Medical Examiner determined that Gandolfi died from a gunshot wound and ruled her death a homicide.

Wilkins was arrested the day after the crash and held in the Marion County Jail for a parole violation, according to the jail’s roster. Details about the violation could not be established but he was not charged with crimes related to Gandolfi’s death until 10 days later. 

Meantime, Holman was released on Jan. 30 from the hospital, arrested and booked into the jail, where he was being held without bail as of Friday afternoon.

Marion County Circuit Court Judge Pro Tem Michael Wu on Friday set Wilkins’ bail at $100,000. He remained in custody as of Monday afternoon, the jail’s roster showed.

Wilkins is scheduled to appear in court on Feb. 19 to face an indictment.

He has criminal convictions dating back to 2007, including for third-degree robbery, third-degree assault and menacing.

RELATED COVERAGE:

“Proof is evident” that Salem man murdered longtime girlfriend, judge says

Salem man accused of fatally shooting woman, crashing car with her body inside

Contact reporter Ardeshir Tabrizian: [email protected] or 503-929-3053.

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