PORT ANGELES — Melissa Leigh Carter’s loved ones want to start something special for her birthday this year.
The girl who was murdered four years ago would have been 19 years old on Feb. 23.
Friends and family are hoping to raise enough money to buy a memorial in her honor.
“We’d like to maybe get a bench or maybe a tree. A tree would be nice because it is something that is alive and will keep growing,” her mother, Carla Carter, said on Thursday.
Melissa Carter — known to her friends as Messa Mae — was found murdered on the Port Angeles Waterfront Trail in December 2004.
Robert Gene Covarrubias was convicted in 2006 of murdering her after raping her.
On Tuesday, the state Court of Appeals overturned his conviction, saying that prosecutors hadn’t turned evidence over to defense in a timely manner and that he should have a new trial.
“I think it is awful that the county has to go through the time and expense to do all of this over again,” Carla Carter said.
“And it is awful for those of us who are family. It just drags so many emotions up again.
“I worry that it will be too hard on her grandparents.”
Clallam County Prosecuting Attorney Deb Kelly said she has not yet decided if she will ask the state Supreme Court to review the ruling.
If she does not appeal, or if the Supreme Court agrees with the Court of Appeals, Covarrubias will be granted a new trial in Clallam County Superior Court.
Carla Carter and her friend Susan Hillgren, with help from Wayne Roedell at First Baptist Church, want to put their thoughts and energy into creating a memorial for the girl who died young.
“I’ll never get over it, but now I’m able to think about getting this done,” Carla Carter said.
“When it happened, I couldn’t even think about planning the service.
“Other people got those things done. I couldn’t even think about any of it.”
She and Hillgren estimate that it will cost between $1,500 and $2,000 to have a memorial put up.
Memorial
They envision it on the Waterfront Trail, but have not applied to the city for a permit. First, they must understand what kind of funding they can raise and what type of memorial they would like to use.
When recalling her only daughter, Carla Carter remembers a smiling sweet girl who was on the honor roll all the way through junior high.
Messa Mae
Melissa became “Messa Mae” when she was 13, Carla said.
“She was at a sleepover and all the girls decided to change their names,” she said.
“She came home the next day, and I called her Missy and she told me that wasn’t her name anymore, that it was Messa Mae.
“It was a teenager thing.
“I never did get to calling her that, but sometimes I would call her Melissa or Missy and her friends wouldn’t know who I was talking about.
“To them, she was always Messa Mae.”
When Carla and Melissa moved to Oregon, Melissa wanted to move back to Port Angeles, her mother said.
“In Salem there were metal detectors in the schools; there were gangs,” Carla Carter said.
“That scared Melissa. . . .
“We thought it would be safe here.”
The memorial would be a place for Melissa’s friends and family, Hillgren said.
“It is really time to do this,” Hillgren said.
Hillgren organizes an annual Christmas dinner for high-risk kids – many of whom were friends with Melissa – and of the funds raised for presents in 2008, there was about $400 left over.
“We thought this money would be good seed money for the memorial,” Hillgren said.
First Baptist Church in Port Angeles will set up the fund for the memorial, Hillgren said.
To make a donation for the Melissa Carter Memorial Fund, designate funds it to the church at 105 W. Sixth St., Port Angeles, WA 98362.
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Reporter Paige Dickerson can be reached at 360-417-3535 or at paige.dickerson@peninsuladailynews.com.
