BEAVERTON, Ore. — According to court documents, the man accused of murdering a Beaverton nurse, Melissa Jubane, had used a weapon and been "deliberately cruel" during the incident, with prosecutors adding that he cannot be rehabilitated.
On Thursday, Andrew Freeman, senior deputy district attorney for Washington County, filed a notification to 27-year-old Bryce Johnathan Schubert and the state of Oregon, stating that they intend "to seek a jury finding (or defendant's admission)."
Schubert is currently standing trial in Washington County, facing charges of first-degree murder, first-degree kidnapping and second-degree abuse of a corpse. He has pleaded not guilty. A grand jury had heard from 17 witnesses before deciding that there was enough evidence to indict Schubert.
On Sept. 4, 32-year-old Jubane was reported missing after she did not show up for work at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center, where she was a nurse. Two days later, police arrested Schubert, who lived in the same apartment complex as Jubane, after searches by friends and family and finding Jubane’s remains, initially on second-degree charges.
Court documents said that Schubert was "deliberately cruel to [the] victim" and used a weapon during the alleged crime, arguing that "future efforts to rehabilitate defendant will not be successful." The filing stated that the "degree of harm or loss ... was significantly greater than typical for such an offense" and that there is a "need" to ensure public safety.
Jubane had gotten married recently, and colleagues and friends spoke of her fondly, with one of Jubane's professors from the University of Portland's nursing program telling KGW that she was "always happy."
