Hearing in Port Angeles murder case continued

Published 12:01 am Tuesday, January 27, 2015

PORT ANGELES — A Port Angeles man’s pretrial status conference in the case of an October shooting death has been continued to Feb. 6.

Gary Carl Borneman, 40, of Port Angeles is charged with first-degree premeditated murder and six other counts related to the Oct. 7 shooting death of Gerald “Jerry” Howell and kidnapping of Howell’s girlfriend, Rebecca Messinger.

His trial is set for March 2 in Clallam County Superior Court.

Forensic tests on evidence have delayed the case, which was originally set to go to trial Dec. 15.

Clallam County Chief Criminal Deputy Prosecuting Attorney John Troberg and defense attorney John Hayden agreed last Friday to hold the status hearing in two weeks.

Port Angeles police said Borneman kidnapped Messinger at gunpoint, forced her to drive them to the home she shared with Howell and shot Howell with a .22-caliber pistol.

Borneman has pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree murder, first-degree kidnapping, first-degree burglary, second-degree assault with a deadly weapon, unlawful imprisonment, violation of a domestic violence protection order and second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm.

He is being held in the Clallam County jail on $2 million bond.