PORT ANGELES — A 26-year-old man was charged with second-degree murder in Clallam County Superior Court on Wednesday for the death of a woman in Port Angeles over the weekend.
Marquise Hagans-Moore is accused of killing Rebecca Rule-Cowles, 51, who was found dead from an apparent gunshot wound at the residence the two shared in the 300 block of Whidby Avenue.
Hagans-Moore remained Wednesday in the Clallam County Jail in lieu of $500,000 bail.
Judge Lauren Erickson signed off on the charge of second-degree murder with firearm and domestic violence enhancements. Second-degree murder is a Class A felony and carries the possibility of life in prison, a maximum fine of $50,000 or a combination of both. The firearm enhancement carries a potential of an additional five years.
Erickson also signed off on an order for a competency evaluation for Hagans-Moore. His competency review hearing is scheduled for 9 a.m. on Oct. 15. The case has been assigned to Judge Simon Barnhart.
According to the Tacoma Police Department incident report, Hagans-Moore admitted to shooting Rule-Cowles in the early morning hours on Saturday after the two had been arguing. He then drove to his brother Tyrell Johnson’s residence in Tacoma, taking along with him two juveniles who had been at the Whidby Avenue address. He told Johnson he wanted to turn himself in for killing his roommate, and Johnson accompanied him to the Pierce County Jail.
Once there, Hagans-Moore refused to provide any information about the incident, the Tacoma Police Department report said. A number of officers noted blood on his white tennis shoes. Hagans-Moore was detained at Tacoma police headquarters, where detectives from the Port Angeles and Sequim police departments picked him up at 1:23 a.m. on Sunday and transported him to Port Angeles.
Hagans-Moore originally was scheduled to appear at the Wednesday hearing on video from the Clallam County Correctional Facility. However, the Zoom system was not working, so he was led in shackles to the courtroom.
Prosecutors continued to argue that Hagans-Moore should remain shackled during hearings from jail and in court.
Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Steven Johnson said a report by a Designated Crisis Responder (DCR) with Peninsula Behavioral Health stated Hagans-Moore “presented an imminent likelihood of harm to himself and others.”
Hagans-Moore’s lawyer, William Payne, objected to his client being shackled.
Nodding toward his client, Payne said, “his demeanor is calm, he isn’t aggressive toward anybody. He is in the throes of very deep, concerning, mental health issues and he hasn’t posed a risk to anybody.”
Citing the DCR and ongoing threats against deputies in the jail, Erickson ruled Hagans-Moore would remain shackled during all proceedings.
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Reporter Paula Hunt can be reached by email at paula.hunt@peninsuladailynews.com.
