A Port Angeles man will spend more than two decades in prison after pleading guilty to the brutal 2024 murder of his former girlfriend, Clallam County prosecutors announced Wednesday.
Marquise Hagans-Moore was sentenced to 280 months — more than 23 years — in prison for second-degree murder with a firearm enhancement, according to the Clallam County Prosecutor’s Office.
The sentence followed Hagans-Moore’s guilty plea in March and included 220 months for the murder conviction plus a mandatory 60-month firearm enhancement.
Prosecutors Detail Brutal Killing
According to prosecutors, Hagans-Moore was at the Port Angeles home of Rebecca “Becky” Rule during the early morning hours of Sept. 28, 2024.
The two had previously been in a romantic relationship.
Prosecutors said the pair argued over other people who were in the home, including a friend visiting Rule and two teenagers Hagans-Moore had brought with him.
During the argument, Hagans-Moore pulled out a handgun and, in his own words, “emptied a clip” into Rule, according to prosecutors.
The King County Medical Examiner later determined Rule had been shot 10 times.
Prosecutors said Hagans-Moore then used the gun to beat Rule after it ran out of ammunition.
The Medical Examiner found Rule also suffered extensive blunt-force injuries, including multiple facial fractures and severe bruising to her face, torso and extremities.
Teenagers Walked Past Victim’s Body
After the killing, prosecutors said Hagans-Moore woke the two teenagers, who had been sleeping, and walked them past Rule’s body before leaving the area.
He then drove the teenagers toward Tacoma.
During the trip, Hagans-Moore made multiple phone calls and confessed to the killing to his aunt, according to prosecutors.
Prosecutors Sought Maximum Sentence
Senior Deputy Prosecutor Steven Johnson urged the court to impose a sentence at the high end of the standard range.
“There is no just punishment in a murder case such as this one because there is no punishment that can bring back Becky to her family and friends,” Johnson said in a statement.
Johnson argued the severity of the crime, the exposure of children to its aftermath and the impact on Rule’s loved ones justified the longer sentence.
According to prosecutors, family members described Rule as a “lively, loving person,” “a beautiful soul,” “a butterfly,” and someone with “a generous nature and compassionate view of the world.”
Family Continues To Mourn Loss
Clallam County Prosecuting Attorney Mark Nichols said the conviction cannot undo the tragedy but may help provide some measure of closure.
“While this tragedy cannot be undone, we hope this conviction will help Becky’s family and friends to heal,” Nichols said.
Nichols also praised the victim advocates, support staff and law enforcement agencies involved in the investigation.
The Port Angeles Police Department led the investigation, with assistance from the Olympic Peninsula Narcotics Task Force, Tacoma Police Department, Washington State Patrol, Clallam County Sheriff’s Office, King County Medical Examiner’s Office and the FBI.
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