PORT ANGELES — The trial for Marquise Hagans-Moore, who has been charged with second-degree murder in the death of Rebecca Rule-Cowles, has been pushed from May to October.
Clallam County Superior Court Judge Simon Barnhart agreed Friday to reschedule the start of the trial for Oct. 6.
Hagans-Moore, 27, was scheduled to go to trial May 5, but his lawyer William Payne and deputy prosecuting attorney Steven Johnson said they did not anticipate receiving forensic testing results by that date.
Rule-Cowles was found dead from an apparent gunshot wound by Port Angeles police officers on Sept. 28, 2024, when they conducted a welfare check on a house in the 300 block of East Whidby Avenue.
The department had been notified by authorities at the Pierce County Corrections facility Tacoma that Hagans-Moore had confessed to killing his roommate in Port Angeles, according to court documents.
Hagans-Moore pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder with a firearm enhancement and a special allegation of domestic violence on Nov. 19. He remains in Clallam County Jail in lieu of a $500,000 bond and faces life imprisonment, plus five years, and a maximum fine of $50,000, or a combination of both, if he’s found guilty.
________
Reporter Paula Hunt can be reached by email at paula.hunt@peninsuladailynews.com.
