Bend man pleads not guilty to murder, other charges in fatal stabbing of roommate
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – A Bend man arrested in the fatal stabbing of his roommate early last month pleaded not guilty Monday to second-degree murder and other charges.
Robert Carter Lawrence, 46, was arrested after police responded the night of August 1 to a report of a deceased person at a home in the 60800 block of Raintree Drive, north of Knott Road and east of SE 15th Street, police said. Officers found Matthew Kenneth Hallberg, 57, deceased in the backyard.
Prosecutors said a neighbor could hear Hallberg calling for help, saying Lawrence was trying to kill him, and that Lawrence admitted killing Hallberg, who had suffered several stab wounds.
Lawrence appeared in court Monday by video from the Deschutes County Jail before Judge Michelle McIver and pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder, first-degree assault and two counts of unlawful use of a weapon, court records show.
A Nov. 12 hearing was set to check on the status of the case and set a trial date. Lawrence remains held without bail.
