Oregon man sentenced after ‘calculated’ domestic abuse against his wife

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – A Lincoln City man was sentenced to prison on Friday after “repeated, calculated” domestic abuse against his wife, Lincoln County District Attorney’s Office announced Friday.

On October 3, 32-year-old Marcus Penza was sentenced to more than 25 years in prison for the repeated domestic assault of his wife over a two-year period, authorities said.

Penza was sentenced on several charges, including four counts of unlawful use of a weapon, three counts of second-degree assault, three counts of menacing – constituting domestic violence, fourth-degree assault and one count of tampering with a witness.

Penza’s sentencing comes after he faced a three-day trial, before a jury found him guilty of six incidents of domestic assault with an object, weapon or firearm and one incident of tampering with a witness.

The case goes back to November 2024, when the victim arrived at the Lincoln City Police Department with her four young children to report the ongoing and escalating violence by her husband, officials said, noting she reported concerns about future gun violence towards herself and others in the community.

Officers later seized seven guns from Penza’s residence, including one firearm that was identified as the weapon he used against the victim, authorities said.

Investigators discovered that Penza coerced the victim into signing a non-disclosure agreement, which threatened to silence and prevent the victim from reporting the abuse.

The District Attorney’s Office said that while Penza was in Lincoln County Jail, he filed a handwritten $2 million lawsuit against the victim, claiming she breached the NDA by reporting the abuse to law enforcement. Authorities said Penza then tried to use the suit to threaten the victim to drop the charges, leading to his charge of tampering with a witness.

During Penza’s sentencing, Judge Sheryl Bachart stated, “I have been on the bench for 18 years now. The pattern of violence and the level of manipulation and control in this case is something I don’t think I’ve seen before. I’ve never seen an NDA like the one introduced during this trial. The physical abuse that [she] suffered was calculated, manipulative and these were not isolated incidents, they were a pattern…There is nothing mitigating about this. If she hadn’t had the courage to walk away from you, it would still be going on.”

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence or threats of domestic violence, help is available. Authorities encourage those to contact local law enforcement or the district attorney’s office.