PORT ANGELES — A Port Angeles man charged with first-degree murder for allegedly shooting his next door neighbor last summer had his trial postponed by two months for an ongoing defense investigation.
Clallam County Superior Court Judge Ken Williams on Thursday reset Bobby J. Smith’s Sept. 24 trial to Nov. 26.
Smith, 59, is charged in the death of Robert Fowler, 63, who was found shot in the living room of Smith’s residence at 211 Vashon Ave., in Port Angeles on June 20, 2011.
Defense attorney Harry Gasnick of Clallam Public Defender told Williams that there is a two-month wait time for a lab report that he needs.
Gasnick said he is working with Clallam County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney John Troberg to get evidence to the defense examiner, according to the minutes of Thursday’s hearing.
Smith, who is being held on $1 million bond in the Clallam County jail, waived his right to a speedy trial Thursday for the second time this summer.
He agreed to waive his right to a speedy trial on June 22 because of unresolved conflicts with witness availability and new evidence.
A psychological evaluation has determined that Smith, who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, is competent to stand trial.
After the shooting, police said that Smith told investigators that he shot Fowler several times with a 45.-caliber Colt pistol until Fowler stopped moving on his living room floor.
Police said that Smith told them that Fowler had demanded money, took a knife off a table and tried to cut him.
An autopsy revealed that Fowler was incapacitated by gunshot wounds before a fatal shot to the brain stem.
Smith phoned 9-1-1 immediately after the shooting.
Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5072, or at rollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
