The remains of Brooke Wilberger are still being recovered and the exact location is not being revealed until the process is finished, Benton County District Attorney John Haroldson said at a press conference Monday afternoon.

Haroldson also gave details about what Courtney said happened on May 24, 2004, noting that some parts might be "romanticized."

Courtney said he saw Wilberger the morning of May 24, but approached two Oregon State University students first.

He went back to the apartment complex he'd seen Wilberger at and pulled his van into the parking lot to block her view of the building. He got out with a FedEx envelope as if making a delivery, then forced Wilberger into his van at knifepoint.

He bound her with duct tape and took her to an isolated area in rural Benton County. At one point, Courtney got hungry and returned to Corvallis, with Wilberger in the van.

The next morning, he raped her.

Wilberger fought back so strongly he decided he had to kill her. She was bludgeoned to death, Haroldson said.

The information was revealed to prosecutors as part of a plea deal. The state was seeking the death penalty against Courtney, 43. Under terms of the deal, he will serve life in prison without the possibility of parole.

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• Wilberger family says they’ll keep quiet on case
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