Former Portland nightclub owner convicted in 1990 Tim Moreau murder is arrested in Clackamas County
Arrest brings renewed focus to a decades-old Portland homicide tied to the city’s late-1980s club economy
A former Portland nightclub owner who was convicted in connection with the 1990 killing of a young employee has been arrested in Clackamas County, according to booking information and law-enforcement statements released in the case.
The arrest reopens public attention on one of Portland’s better-known unresolved-in-the-moment disappearances of the early 1990s, a case that ultimately ended with a murder conviction a decade later. The man at the center of the case was a key operator in Portland’s Old Town nightlife scene in the 1980s, when the venue now known as the Roseland Theater operated under a different name and attracted national touring acts.
The 1990 killing and the events that led to a conviction
The homicide involved 21-year-old club employee Timothy Moreau, who disappeared after work-related disputes at the venue in January 1990. The case remained unresolved for years, with Moreau’s disappearance treated publicly as a missing-person investigation before later investigative developments led authorities to pursue homicide charges.
Prosecutors later tied the killing to efforts to keep Moreau from disclosing a counterfeit-ticket operation connected to the club. Court outcomes in the case included a murder conviction obtained about a decade after the killing, following plea proceedings. A second individual, identified as a club employee, also admitted involvement and was convicted for assisting in the killing.
What is known about the current arrest
Authorities in Clackamas County have not publicly characterized the arrest as a reopening of the 1990 homicide itself. The arrest is being handled as a present-day criminal matter involving the same individual who was previously convicted in the Moreau case.
Records and prior court reporting indicate that, after completing a prison term related to the 1990 murder, the man was subject to post-prison supervision conditions that included restrictions on travel and compliance requirements. Oregon’s supervision framework allows warrants and sanctions for violations, including returns to custody, depending on the circumstances.
Key timeline
January 1990: Timothy Moreau disappears after events connected to his work at the Portland club.
Late 1990s: Separate investigative developments revive scrutiny of the disappearance and associated financial and criminal allegations.
2000: The former nightclub owner resolves the case through plea proceedings and is sentenced on a murder conviction; an associate also pleads in connection with assisting the killing.
2008: The former nightclub owner is released from prison.
January 2026: He is arrested in Clackamas County.
Public court outcomes in the case established that the killing was linked to efforts to prevent disclosure of a counterfeit-ticket scheme.
What happens next
The next steps will depend on the charges filed in the Clackamas County case and whether the arrest triggers additional supervision proceedings. Court arraignment records are expected to clarify the allegations, custody status, and any conditions of release.
Separately, the 1990 homicide remains a closed prosecution in terms of conviction, but any new criminal case involving a previously convicted offender can raise additional legal questions, including whether alleged conduct implicates supervision conditions or outstanding obligations from prior judgments.