PORT ANGELES – After aggressively maintaining his innocence for nearly six years — once even writing it on the back of his jail jumpsuit — Robert Gene Covarrubias has allegedly confessed to police that he murdered Melissa Leigh Carter, Covarrubias’ lawyer, Ralph W. Anderson, confirmed today.
Anderson said Covarrubias, 28, had mailed him a letter mailed July 10 and which he received Thursday in which Covarrubias confessed to murdering Carter, 15.
Her nude body was found along Olympic Discovery Trail in Port Angeles in December 2004.
Covarrubias’ letter to Anderson began:
“Ralph, I’m done! I want to plead guilty.”
Anderson would not divulge the remainder of the letter.
Anderson said Covarrubias likely would have changed his plea at today’s status hearing, scheduled for 2 p.m., had he notified Anderson sooner that he had had a change of heart.
“If they had consulted me ahead of time and had the client indicated to me that he did it, we would probably be doing a plea today,” Anderson said.
Anderson said he was going to look further into the circumstances of the confession, which Anderson said Covarrubias allegedly gave to police without notifying hem.
Port Angeles Police Officer Jesse Winfield confirmed to the Peninsula Daily News on Friday that Covarrubias had allegedly confessed.
Covarrubias was found guilty of first degree murder in Carter’s death in April 2006, and he was sentenced to 34½ years.
The state Court of Appeals on Jan. 6 ordered a new trial citing errors in the first trial but asserting there was still enough evidence to convict him.
Covarrubias had famously scrawled “INNOCENT” on the jail jumpsuit he wore at his sentencing in 2006.
He also wrote “Innocent” on court papers in a hearing earlier this year and brandished the sign at a PDN photographer.
He is being held on $1 million bail in the Clallam County jail.
First-degree murder carries a maximum sentence of 20 years to life in prison.
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Staff writer Paul Gottlieb can be reached at 360-417-3536 or at paul.gottlieb@peninsuladailynews.com
