PORT ANGELES — Robert Gene Covarrubias likely will testify in his own defense against a charge of murdering a teen-age girl more than a year ago, his attorney said Monday.
Public defender Ralph Anderson said there was “a 51 percent chance” of Covarrubias taking the stand.
He is accused of the rape and first-degree murder of 15-year-old Melissa Leigh Carter in late December 2004.
Anderson made the statement Monday morning during pre-trial motions to Clallam County Superior Court Judge George Wood.
Choosing a jury from among the 103 citizens who answered a call to jury duty will occupy the rest of this week for Anderson, co-counsel Harry Gasnick, and Clallam County Prosecutor Deb Kelly.
Kelly is assisted by Port Angeles Police Detective Sgt. Eric Kovatch, the lead investigator in the 15-month-old Carter case.
