The trial for Cristopher Gaudreau, the Centralia man accused of killing his girlfriend, 39-year-old Rikkey Outumuro, has been delayed until the week of Dec. 12.
A Lewis County Superior Court judge granted a request from Gaudreau’s attorney and the prosecuting attorney May 19 to delay Gaudreau’s trial a second time because the Washington State Patrol (WSP) Crime Lab won’t be able to finish forensic testing on evidence before the scheduled June 13 trial date.
“We believe December will be the most likely time that this can go to trial,” Deputy Prosecutor Scott Jackson said during a hearing on Wednesday.
Gaudreau’s trial was initially scheduled for Jan. 10, 2022, but was moved to June following an update from the crime lab in December 2021.
At that time, the crime lab estimated the earliest staff would be able to finish analyzing the evidence for Gaudreau’s case — which includes blood, firearms, fired cartridge cases, fired projectiles, reference DNA swabs and clothing — would be late May 2022.
Now, the crime lab predicts it won’t have the evidence analyzed until the end of the year, according to Jackson.
Part of the reason for that delay is that Gaudreau’s blood has been sent to a toxicology lab in Seattle, which Jackson said typically takes approximately six months to finish testing and send back a toxicology report.
“I asked them to put a rush on it, but they don’t believe it will be done quickly,” Jackson told the court Wednesday.
Gaudreau’s attorney, Christopher Baum, told the court he had no objection to delaying the trial.
An omnibus hearing to check in on the status of the case is scheduled for Sept. 29. Trial confirmation is scheduled for Dec. 8.
Gaudreau faces one count of first-degree murder, domestic violence, for allegedly killing Outumuro sometime between midnight and 7:30 a.m. on Oct. 31.
Gaudreau has claimed he “blacked out” and did not recall anything between 11:30 p.m. on Oct. 30 and 7:30 a.m. on Oct. 31, at which time Outumuro was already dead with five bullet wounds to the torso.
Gaudreau also faces one count of second-degree assault for allegedly shooting at a friend around midnight before the murder.
Gaudreau told police he was carrying his handgun when he and Outumuro went out drinking on Oct. 30, but when he woke up on Oct. 31, “the firearm was missing and he did not know where it was located,” according to court documents.
Detectives later found the firearm in a tool chest in the back bedroom of the residence.
Other firearms were also found in the house, including a 9 mm carbine rifle, a semi-automatic shotgun and a .22 revolver.
