Man wants to change his plea to guilty in murder case

Published 12:05 pm Friday, February 20, 2026

PORT ANGELES — A man accused of second-degree murder is poised to change his plea after his attorney told Clallam County Superior Court Judge Simon Barnhart on Friday that he intends to plead guilty.

Barnhart set a hearing for March 18 to consider the proposed change in Marquise Hagans-Moore’s case. The 28-year-old previously pleaded not guilty in the Sept. 28, 2024, shooting death of Rebecca Rule-Cowles in Port Angeles.

Barnhart said he would review Hagans-Moore’s written statement, decide whether to accept it and consider the state’s recommendation before setting a sentencing date if the plea is approved.

In other proceedings Friday, Barnhart denied a request for public funding tied to sentencing conditions and scheduled a late March hearing in a separate criminal matter.

In the case involving Josiah Hill, attorney Karen Unger asked Barnhart to approve payment for a forensic multidisciplinary fitness-for-duty assessment for health care professionals that was required under Hill’s June 25, 2024, judgment and sentence. Prosecutors allege he is out of compliance for failing to complete it.

Hill, a former emergency department physician, entered an Alford plea to six counts of fourth-degree assault with sexual motivation and was sentenced to 179 days in jail for conduct involving six women who were in his care at Olympic Medical Center in 2021 and 2022.

Unger said the review cost between $5,000 and $9,000 and could reach $75,000 if treatment is recommended. She told the court that Hill had applied for more than 500 jobs without success and was attempting to start a contracting business, but he lacks the money to pay for the assessment.

She also argued the requirement is effectively moot because Hill voluntarily surrendered his medical license and can no longer practice medicine.

Clallam County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Steven Johnson said the issue is limited to whether payment should be approved and does not involve changing the underlying sentencing conditions.

Barnhart said granting funds to help satisfy the conditions would be “highly unusual.” He added that whether the terms should be revisited in light of Hill’s circumstances was not formally before the court and denied the request.

The court also addressed the case of Aaron Fisher, including two matters that were held over until the conclusion of proceedings that ended Feb. 12, when a jury found him guilty of first-degree manslaughter in the death of a Sequim man.

One pending case alleges Fisher communicated with a minor for immoral purposes and includes one count each of first- and second-degree possession of depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. The other involves a charge of witness tampering for allegedly contacting a woman who was on the witness list for his trial. Fisher has pleaded not guilty to those charges.

Barnhart noted that, under court rules, speedy-trial time is paused until sentencing in the manslaughter case, which is scheduled for March 31.

The court set a hearing for 1:30 p.m. March 20 to determine next steps and, if appropriate, establish trial dates for the trailing cases.

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Reporter Paula Hunt can be reached by email at paula.hunt@peninsuladailynews.com.