Elgin man on hook for murder seeks to exclude DNA evidence from trial

LA GRANDE — The defense attorneys of an Elgin man charged with the murder of his girlfriend and a juvenile are seeking to exclude DNA evidence from trial.

Gary Otis Mason, 58, was arrested in 2020 on charges of first-degree murder in the deaths of his girlfriend, Candy Williams, 56, of Elgin, and her 14-year-old granddaughter. Court documents do not name Williams’ granddaughter as she was a minor at the time of her death. The slaying took place Dec. 29, 2020, at the home of Mason and Williams on Chumos Road outside Elgin, about 25 miles northeast of La Grande. Local law enforcement found the bodies of Williams and her granddaughter after Mason called 911. Evidence suggests at least 18 gunshots had been fired into the bodies of the deceased.