Prosecutors Continue Reviewing Charging Options Monday Against Suspect in Nancy Moyer Case

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Thurston County Chief Criminal Deputy Prosecutor Jeffery Lippert said Monday morning that the prosecutor’s office would make a decision on whether charges will be filed against Eric Roberts, the Rochester man accused of murdering Nancy Moyer in 2009, later that day.

“The investigation by the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office is ongoing, and the prosecutor’s office, we have not made a decision yet as to whether a criminal information is going to be filed against Mr. Roberts at this point,” said Lippert. A criminal information is the document formally filing charges against a person accused of a crime.

On Thursday, Thurston County Superior Court Commissioner Nathan Kortokrax found that there was probable cause for Roberts to be charged with second-degree murder, after the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office completed a probable cause affidavit detailing their investigation into Roberts and his alleged involvement in Moyer’s disappearance and suspected death. Kortokrax ordered Roberts be held on $1.5 million bail on suspicion of second-degree murder

Lippert, during a hearing Thursday, said the prosecutor’s office had yet to make a final charging decision, and reserved the right to amend charges against Roberts by Monday.

Monday morning, Lippert said the office would make its charging decision by the end of the day. If criminal information is not filed, Roberts would go uncharged, said Lippert. If that proves to be the case, Lippert said the prosecutor’s office will likely release a statement detailing its decision.

“We do have some options that we have not explored yet, and that’s what we’re looking at today,” he said.

If the charge against Roberts were filed, he would next appear at an arraignment hearing on July 23.

Roberts allegedly contacted authorities last week, confessing to killing Moyer and disposing of her body. His reported confession proved to be the first major lead in a case that has largely sat cold for a decade.

Moyer was last seen March 6, 2009.

Roberts, according to court documents, confessed to unintentionally strangling Moyer with a scarf while the two were having sexual contact. He told detectives he had been using drugs and alcohol and didn’t realize at first that she was dead.

Roberts told detectives that he kept Moyer’s clothes, but disposed of the body, saying to detectives: “‘I don’t really want to incriminate myself any further, but IF (sic) I was going to get rid of a body on my property, it would be right there.’ Eric then pointed to the fire pit,” according to court documents.

Roberts recanted his statements the following day, saying he wasn’t sure why he told investigators that he killed Moyer.

Thurston County Sheriff John Snaza said evidence had been found after a search warrant was obtained for Roberts’ residence in the 16500 block of Sheldon Lane Southwest in Rochester.