QUILCENE — Jefferson County prosecuting attorneys filed an amended charge of first-degree murder against Gary L. Middleton Sr. on Thursday in Jefferson County Superior Court in Port Townsend.
Judge Tom Majhan accepted the amended charge, which was upgraded from second-degree murder, and imposed a stiffer bail of $50,000 cash.
Prosecutors amended the charge against Middleton, 62, of Quilcene, to first-degree murder after hearing a tape of Middleton talking with emergency dispatchers prior to allegedly shooting Douglas Anthony Knight outside a Quilcene motel.
Previously, Middleton had been charged in the shooting death based on initial reports suggesting he attempted to intervene in a domestic situation between Knight and Knight’s wife, Donna.
Middleton’s previous bail had been set at $50,000 bondable.
Bondable bail allows for release with a 10 percent cash payment plus collateral.
Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney Juelie Dalzell authorized the amended charge after listening to a 9-1-1 tape made just minutes before the shooting.
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