Naman Shrestha
In the winter of 2024, shockwaves were sent across the small community of Welches, Oregon, when a popular 61-year-old hiker named Susan “Phoenix” Lane was found dead a few hundred yards away from her home. She shared the home with her husband of 12 years — Michel Fournier (also spelled Michael) — who was served with divorce papers just a couple of weeks prior to her tragic death. As the police delved into the case, they uncovered surveillance footage featuring Michel, which was then used at his trial, resulting in his conviction. CBS’ ’48 Hours: Murder at Mount Hood’ provides a detailed account of the case and the investigation that ensued, through exclusive and insightful interviews with Susan’s loved ones and the officials linked to the investigation.
Michel Fournier Was Spotted Driving in Susan Lane’s Truck in Security Footage
Born in April 1953, Michel Fournier lived in Kansas when he crossed paths with Susan “Phoenix” Lane, a single mother of two adult sons, in 2010. Not long after they began dating, the couple relocated to the mountainous community of Oregon with her sons, Jesse and Dakota Lane. In 2012, Michel and Susan tied the knot. For a short while, they reportedly drove tractor-trailer trucks together. By 2020, cracks had begun to appear in the marriage. According to friends and the Clackamas County District Attorney’s Office, Susan had grown fearful of her husband, taking her two dogs, Elron and Elros, to work and moving her personal belongings, including legal documents, laptops, and journals, out of the house after filing for divorce on November 20, 2024.
According to court records and trial testimony, on the fateful day of November 22, 2024, Michel shot Susan in the head, chest, and neck, wrapped her remains in tarps and concealed them about 350-400 yards away from their shared home in Brightwood. Prosecutors also presented evidence stating he destroyed her cell phone and tossed it into the Columbia River. According to prosecution evidence and statements presented at trial, Michel told detectives during questioning that he strangled her two dogs to death. He admitted, “I choked them. The tie-wraps slowed them down a bit, but these animals trusted me wholeheartedly… the tie-wraps, you couldn’t get enough tension on them, so I used one of the leashes and took Elrond first, and then I took Elros.” Michel’s defense argued that the aforementioned statements were elicited through leading interrogation tactics.
A search-and-rescue operation was underway when her employer filed a missing-persons report on November 22, 2024. On November 29, after Susan’s remains were found, they interviewed Michel, who claimed that he had gone to Portland to buy some parts for his damaged vehicle. He told the detectives that when he returned, he couldn’t find Susan, her dogs, or her truck. By then, the investigators had spotted him in multiple surveillance videos that contradicted his story. So, when they confronted him with that, he admitted to committing the gruesome crimes. Subsequently, on November 29, he was arrested and charged with second-degree murder. As mentioned on the show, Michel alleged prior to trial that Susan had tried to poison him by lacing his Gatorade with an unknown substance a couple of days prior to her death. However, forensic testing of two Gatorade bottles found in her truck reportedly showed no trace of toxic substances.
Michel Fournier is Currently Incarcerated at an Oregon Prison
On December 3, 2024, days after his arrest, Michel Fournier pleaded not guilty to the charges against him. More than a year later, on February 24, 2026, he stood trial for the murder of his wife, Susan Lane. During the trial, the prosecution claimed that the defendant’s motive was financial, alleging he feared losing the shared property in the divorce. They also played clips from his recorded confession for the jury. After eight days of testimony, on March 5, 2026, the jury deliberated for five hours before reaching a final verdict. Michel Fournier was convicted of second-degree murder and unlawful use of a weapon in connection with Susan Lane’s murder. After the conviction, Susan Lane’s family and friends gave emotional victim impact statements, addressed to Michel.
Susan’s son, Dakota Lane, took the stand and stated, “I never liked you from the moment I met you. And now I’m shaking with fury.” One of her friends, Cari Gesch, said, “She was fierce, she was an individual, she was not scared to be who she was. From the beginning, we knew she was not a missing hiker. We knew he was responsible.” Another friend, Khristen Prudence, said, “It doesn’t bring her back, it doesn’t bring Elrond or Elros back but her truth is in the light and her story is being told.” Ultimately, Michel Fournier was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 25 years. As of today, the 73-year-old is serving his sentence at Snake River Correctional Institution in eastern Oregon. As the remains of the dogs were recovered in Multnomah County, Michel was not tried for their deaths in his Clackamas County murder trial. Per reports, he currently faces two distinct, pending charges of first-degree aggravated animal abuse.
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