Local Man looking at 25 years in prison for 2024 TD Center Market killing
By Tom Peterson
Noe Lee Zaragoza Jr., 23, with a last address in Cascade Locks. His Facebook states he is from The Dalles and went to The Dalles High School
The Dalles, Ore., May 13, 2025 — A local man who entered Center Market and stuck a gun to a woman’s face and then turned it on her husband and shot him twice has pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter.
Noe Lee Zaragoza Jr., 23, with a last known address of 1116 Chinookan Drive, Cascade Locks, pleaded guilty to the manslaughter in the shooting death of Michael Boyer, 41, formerly of The Dalles, two counts of unauthorized use of a weapon and third-degree assault in Wasco County Circuit Court on Monday, May 12.
Zaragoza will face 10 years in prison for the manslaughter charge and five years each for the other charges, for a total of 25 years, according to the plea agreement. He will also be assessed $750,000 in fines and fees related to the crimes, according to the court document. He will also be eligible for all prison programs.
A sentencing date has yet to be set, but it is expected within weeks. He remains in NORCOR Jail, where he has been since his arrest.
41-year-old Michael Boyer, formerly of The Dalles, was shot and killed by Zaragoza on June 22, 2024.
In the early morning hours of June 22, 2024, Zaragoza, Jr. entered the Walnut Street Center Market in The Dalles, according to previous Wasco County District Attorney Matthew Ellis. Prior to entry, Zaragoza, Jr. pulled a firearm out of his waistband, checked it, and then put it back into his pants.
Zaragoza, Jr. engaged in a confrontation with a patron once inside the store. During the altercation, Mariah Hernandez stepped in to defend her friend. Zaragoza, Jr. pulled a firearm and pointed it at Ms. Hernandez. Ms. Hernandez slapped the firearm in response, Ellis reported. Zaragoza, Jr. then struck Ms. Hernandez with his firearm to the side of her face. Ms. Hernandez’s husband, Michael Boyer, stepped in to defend his wife. Zaragoza, Jr. fired two shots into Mr. Boyer before fleeing the Center Market.
Mr. Boyer died from the gunshot wounds, Ellis said.
Zaragoza fled the scene and eventually holed up in a hotel in Camas, Wash.
Law Enforcement took Zaragoza, Jr. into custody in Clark County, WA, in the afternoon hours on Saturday, June 22, 2024, at Camas Hotel. A firearm was located in the hotel room.
The Dalles City Police and the Major Crimes Team, which includes the Wasco County Sheriff’s Office, Hood River County Sheriff’s Office, and Oregon State Police worked through the night and all day Saturday to investigate the matter and bring Zaragoza, Jr. into custody, according to a press release at the time.
