Two Face Charges in Medford Drive-By Shooting Investigation
Detectives say the same Carnelian Street home had been targeted in two previous shootings last year.
ARREST DETAILS
Phillip Leo Muradanes, 50: Arrested Aug. 31 at a local motel. Medford Police listed charges of unlawful use of a weapon, criminal conspiracy to commit unlawful use of a weapon, first-degree criminal mischief, and a Parole Board warrant. Jackson County Jail records also list three counts of reckless endangering and unlawful delivery of heroin.
Joel Matthew Caswell, 32: Already in custody from a previous investigation and remains held on a federal hold. Medford Police added charges Aug. 31 of unlawful use of a weapon and criminal conspiracy to commit unlawful use of a weapon. Current jail records also list additional unlawful use of a weapon charges.
MEDFORD, Ore. — A Medford drive-by shooting investigation has led to a new arrest and additional charges against a man already in custody after police connected the latest gunfire to a home that had been targeted before.
The investigation began Aug. 20 after Medford Police received a report that a residence in the 3000 block of Carnelian Street had been struck by gunfire sometime during the previous night.
Investigators found that a bullet had hit a window and used video evidence to identify a vehicle they believed was connected to the shooting.
The address was already familiar to detectives.
Police said the same residence had been targeted in two drive-by shootings on July 26 and July 27, 2025.
That earlier investigation led detectives to develop probable cause to arrest 31-year-old Joel Matthew Caswell. He was arrested Aug. 27, 2025, and remains in custody.
As detectives investigated the latest shooting, police said they identified a connection between Caswell and 50-year-old Phillip Leo Muradanes.
Investigators also linked Muradanes to a vehicle matching the description of the one believed to have been used in the Aug. 20 shooting.
On Aug. 31, detectives found Muradanes at a Medford-area motel and took him into custody.
He was lodged on charges of unlawful use of a weapon, criminal conspiracy to commit unlawful use of a weapon, first-degree criminal mischief, and a Parole Board warrant.
Police said the investigation also led detectives to develop probable cause to believe Caswell conspired with Muradanes in the Aug. 20 shooting.
Caswell was additionally charged Aug. 31 with unlawful use of a weapon and criminal conspiracy to commit unlawful use of a weapon.
The case has been forwarded to the Jackson County District Attorney’s Office for prosecution.
Jackson County Jail records show Muradanes remains in custody on additional charges, including three counts of reckless endangering and unlawful delivery of heroin. Jail records list Caswell as 32, and he also remains in custody on a federal hold and additional unlawful use of a weapon charges.
Medford Police said no additional information will be released at this time.
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