PORT ANGELES — The 26-year-old man accused of killing a woman in Port Angeles in September will undergo a mental evaluation next week to determine his competency for trial.
Marquise Hagans-Moore was transported from Clallam County Corrections Facility to Western State Hospital in Lakewood, where he will be assessed on Oct. 21 to determine whether he understands what is happening and can assist his attorney.
At a hearing Tuesday in Clallam County Superior Court, Judge Simon Barnhart scheduled a review of the evaluation results for 9 a.m. on Oct. 29.
Hagans-Moore has been charged with second-degree murder in the death of Rebecca Rule-Cowles, 51. The two had been arguing at their residence in the 300 block of Whidby Avenue when Hagans-Moore shot Rule-Cowles and beat her with his gun, according to the probable cause statement.
Hagans-Moore then drove to Tacoma with two juveniles who had been at the residence. Family members accompanied Hagans-Moore to a Tacoma Police station, where he confessed to having killed his “roommate.”
Officers alerted the Port Angeles Police Department, which conducted a welfare check of the Whidby Avenue address and found Rule-Cowles.
Local law enforcement agencies brought Hagans-Moore to the Clallam County Corrections Facility, where he was booked on Sept. 29. He is being held in lieu of a $500,000 cash bond.
In Hagans-Moore’s first court appearance Sept. 30, Judge Lauren Erickson ordered Hagans-Moore to remain shackled by the wrists and ankles whenever he appeared via video from the jail and while in court. Barnhart has followed that order.
An assessment by Peninsula Behavioral Health determined that “as a result of a mental disorder,” Hagans-Moore “presents a substantial likelihood of serious harm.”
William Payne, Hagans-Moore’s court-appointed attorney, has argued strenuously against the shackling, saying it is unwarranted and a violation of his constitutional rights.
________
Reporter Paula Hunt can be reached by email at paula.hunt@peninsuladailynews.com.
