Lincoln City Man Sentenced To 25 Years Prison For Repeated, Calculated Domestic Abuse (Photo) - 10/03/25
On October 3, 2025, Lincoln County Circuit Court Presiding Judge Sheryl Bachart sentenced Marcus Penza (32-year-old) to 309 months (25.8 years) in prison for the repeated and frequent domestic assault of his wife over a two-year period.
Judge Bachart sentenced Penza to a total of 309 months in the Department of Corrections for 4 counts of Unlawful Use of a Weapon, 3 counts of Assault in the Second Degree, 3 counts of Menacing – Constituting Domestic Violence, 3 counts of Assault in the Fourth Degree – Constituting Domestic Violence, and 1 count of Tampering with a Witness.
On August 15, 2025, after a three-day trial, Penza was found guilty by a 12-person Lincoln County jury of six separate incidents of domestic assault with an object, weapon, or firearm and one incident of tampering with a witness. This case began in November 2024, when the victim arrived at the Lincoln City Police Department (LCPD), with her four small children, to report ongoing, escalating violence by her husband, Penza. The victim also expressed concerns about future gun violence towards herself and other individuals in the community. LCPD later seized over seven firearms from Penza’s residence, including one firearm that was identified as the weapon Penza repeatedly used against the victim.
Additionally, the investigation revealed that Penza had previously coerced the victim to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA), which purported to silence and prevent the victim from exposing the on-going abuse. While in the Lincoln County Jail, Penza filed a handwritten two-million-dollar lawsuit against the victim, claiming breach of the NDA for disclosing the abuse to law enforcement. Penza subsequently attempted to use the lawsuit to threaten the victim to drop charges – committing the additional crime of tampering with a witness.
At sentencing, Judge 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.”
This case was prosecuted by District Attorney Jenna Wallace and investigated by Detective Jon Humphreys, LCPD. The District Attorney’s Office would like to thank Detective Humphreys and LCPD for not only investigating these terrible crimes, but for creating a safe environment for the victim to disclose the abuse.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence or the threat of domestic violence, help is available. Contact your local law enforcement agency or the Lincoln County District Attorney’s Office Victim Advocates at 541-265-4145 or davictimadvocates@co.lincoln.or.us for resources. Everyone deserves relationships free from domestic violence. The Lincoln County District Attorney’s Office is dedicated to protecting our community through the vigorous prosecution of domestic violence abusers for the safety of all.
