Murder charge upped to first degree
June 12, 2008 · Updated 8:58 AM
At her arraignment, the Kitsap County Prosecutors Office charged Manchester resident Amber J. Debord with first-degree murder in the death of Michele L. Burton on March 13.
Based upon the investigation conducted by the Kitsap County Sheriffs Office, we felt pre-mediation was involved, said Case Manager Cris Casad, who declined to elaborate on what pieces of evidence indicated pre-mediation.
The charge is more serious than what Debord was booked for, and Casad explained that while there are several ways to commit second-degree murder, first-degree murder requires pre-mediation, which he defined as a thought beyond a moment in time.
Debord, 33, was arrested March 13 at Burtons home near Panther Lake in West Bremerton after calling 911 to report that someone is dead.
Kitsap County Sheriffs deputies found Burton, 36, outside dead and only partially-clothed, covered in blood with clumps of hair in her fists. Debord was also reportedly covered in blood and initially found holding a knife.
Sheriffs Office Spokesman Scott Wilson said detectives still had no evidence that the two women had met prior to March 12, when they were seen socializing at the Bethel Tavern before going to Burtons house.
Debord is still in Kitsap County Jail awaiting a May trial on $500,000 bail. Her next court appearance is April 16.
Comment on this story.
So keep your comments:
- Civil
- Smart
- On-topic
- Free of profanity
We ask that all participants own their words by logging in with their Facebook account. It's a simple process that will take seconds and helps keep our comments free of trolls, cranks, and “drive-by” commenters. We reserve the right to remove comments from anyone using screen names, pseudonyms or false identities. Please refer to our Terms of Use for full detail on participating on our site.
