Clackamas man accused of murdering wife arraigned in jail due to court technical issues

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A Clackamas man was slated to appear in court on Tuesday after being accused of murdering his wife, Susan Lane-Fournier.

The court had technical issues with the arraignment for the second day in a row, prompting alternative arrangements.

Michel Fournier's arraignment was originally supposed to happen on Monday but it was delayed until the following day due to technical difficulties.

On Tuesday, technical issues once again prevented Fournier — now in jail — from appearing in court via teleconferencing. So the judge headed to the jail itself to complete Fournier's arraignment, a Clackamas County Sheriff's Office spokesperson told KOIN 6 News.

Had the arraignment taken place at the courthouse as planned, it would be open to the public, including Lane-Fournier's family members and KOIN 6 News reporters. However, since the arraignment took place in the Clackamas County Jail, Fournier's first court appearance was kept behind closed doors.

Lane-Fournier's body was discovered last week after her disappearance was originally investigated as a missing hiker case, with a days-long search that followed. However, Fournier was taken into custody on Friday hours after Lane-Fournier's body was found in an unincorporated part of Clackamas County near Welches.

Fournier, 71, was arraigned on second-degree murder charges with no bail. The case will be presented to a grand jury and then a hearing will take place on Monday afternoon, a Multnomah County District Attorney's Office spokesperson told KOIN 6 News.

A friend of Lane-Fournier told KOIN 6 News he discovered her body underneath a tarp a couple hundred yards from her home.

Law enforcement also announced on Sunday that Lane-Fornier's two dogs were also discovered dead in Multnomah County.

Dozens of Lane-Fournier's friends and family gathered on Monday night at the Hoodland Bazaar where she worked to honor her life and support her two surviving sons.

"I just I'm going to keep going until we get justice for her. And this community can heal and grieve. And most of all, I want to see her support her boys because they really need it," said friend Cari Gesch. "And it's her friends and family that are hurting right now."

Lane-Fournier filed for divorce against her husband after 12 years of marriage on October 31, court documents show. It's unclear if law enforcement considers Lane-Fournier's divorce filing to be relevant to the homicide case.