PASCO, Wash. — The initial media hearing and motions took place Monday morning for the State of Washington v. Marta Miller Keith. The Kennewick woman is accused of killing Bobby Burgess last year at the Riviera Trailer Village in Pasco.
The prosecution, the defense and Judge Diana Ruff met to discuss the upcoming trial before the jury is selected.
A case of murder, or self-defense?
It looks like a jury will have to make that decision in the killing of Bobby Burgess in Pasco. Burgess died on August 21, 2021 at the Riviera Trailer Village. Miller, from Kennewick, was arrested for Second Degree Murder.
Pasco Police were called to the trailer park after reports of a stabbing. They found Burgess suffering from a stab wound. He died at the scene, and they arrested Miller.
RELATED: Murder suspect arrested at Pasco trailer park after fatal stabbing
The state and the defense met at the Franklin County Superior Court to begin the pre-trial conversations. The defense said this is a case of self-defense, but the state said they’ll settle for manslaughter.
“The most recent offer to Ms. Miller, which I’m taking that she is rejecting, is Manslaughter in the first degree, 78 months,” said the prosecuting attorney in the case.
The defense, however, denied the plea deal for that charge.
“Your honor, we’re not putting our time out to something that legally she is not responsible for. That offer will be rejected,” said the defense attorney in the case.
It was an argument over Miller’s car that resulted in the death of Burgess, according to attorneys. The state and the defense are arguing who the aggressor is in this case: Bobby Burgess, the victim, or Marta Miller Keith, the defendant.
The jury will be selected, and court should begin within a week. Officials said the hearings could start as soon as Friday, though one attorney called this ‘ambitious,’ with a jury pool of nearly 200 people to go through before then.
This is Franklin County Superior Court Case Number: 21-1-50301-11
COPYRIGHT 2022 BY YAKTRINEWS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.