Port Angeles man pleads guilty to murder
Published 11:30 am Wednesday, March 18, 2026
PORT ANGELES — A Port Angeles man has pleaded guilty to the 2024 shooting death of his roommate, Rebecca Rule-Cowles.
Marquise Hagans-Moore, 28, changed his plea on Wednesday before Clallam County Superior Court Judge Simon Barnhart with attorney William Payne, admitting to second-degree murder with domestic violence and firearm enhancements.
The plea was not negotiated with prosecutors, leaving both sides free to recommend a sentence.
Second-degree murder is a Class A felony. Based on Hagans-Moore’s offender score of zero, the standard sentencing range is 10 years to 18 years — 123 months to 220 months — plus a mandatory five-year firearm enhancement.
Sentencing is set for 9 a.m. May 6. Hagans-Moore was ordered to be held without bail pending that hearing.
In his statement that Barnhart read in court, Hagans-Moore said he became distraught on the day of the shooting after responding to a family member’s suicide and later argued with Cowles at the residence they shared about house guests.
“At some point I snapped,” Barnhart read.
“While I do not have a specific memory of the incident, I’m aware that I acted with intent to cause Rebecca’s death by shooting her with a firearm, but without premeditation.”
He added, “I recognize the trauma that this has caused and I cannot imagine what the family has had to endure. And for this, I apologize.”
Barnhart agreed to Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Steven Johnson’s request for a presentence investigation by the state Department of Corrections — a report that provides background on the defendant and the offense — saying additional information would help guide sentencing.
“This is a case that requires a particularly careful and deliberative approach,” Barnhart said.
Hagans-Moore was arrested Sept. 28, 2024, after police found Rule-Cowles, 51, during a welfare check and recovered a handgun at the scene. Officers took Hagans-Moore into custody in Tacoma, where he had contacted law enforcement, telling them he had killed his roommate.
Early hearings addressed his behavior in custody and mental health. Following reports of violent behavior in the Clallam County Jail, prosecutors asked that he be shackled in court, and Barnhart granted the request. The order was later lifted after Hagans-Moore received a psychiatric evaluation at Western State Hospital.
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Reporter Paula Hunt can be reached by email at paula.hunt@peninsuladailynews.com.
