PORT ANGELES — Bobby J. Smith, a Port Angeles man who is charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of his next-door neighbor last summer, will go to trial Sept. 24.
Clallam County Superior Court Judge George L. Wood set the new trial date in a brief court hearing Friday.
A pretrial hearing was set for July 20.
Smith, 59, is accused of shooting Robert Fowler, 63, in the living room of Smith’s residence at 211 Vashon Ave. on June 20, 2011.
Smith, who has pleaded not guilty, agreed to waive his right to a speedy trial June 22 because of unresolved conflicts with witness availability and new evidence.
Competent for trial
A psychological evaluation has determined that Smith, who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, is competent to stand trial.
Smith is being held in the Clallam County jail on $1 million bond.
Court papers say that after the shooting, Smith told police he shot Fowler several times with a 45.-caliber Colt pistol until Fowler stopped moving on his living room floor.
An autopsy revealed that Fowler was incapacitated by gunshot wounds before a fatal shot to the brain stem.
Smith told investigators that Fowler had demanded money, took a knife off a table and tried to cut him.
Smith was not charged until a three-month crime lab investigation was completed.
Arrest warrant
By that time, he had moved to the Amarillo, Texas, area.
Texas Rangers served an arrest warrant in September and booked him into a Texas jail.
Port Angeles police officers flew to Texas last October to collect more evidence and bring Smith back to Clallam County in handcuffs.
________
Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5072, or at rob.ollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
