New defense attorney granted delay in murder trial of Bend man accused in 2024 fatal stabbing of roommate

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- After a change in defense attorneys, a murder trial has been delayed a second time for a Bend man accused of the fatal stabbing of his roommate in August 2024.

Robert Carter Lawrence, 52, is charged with second-degree murder, first-degree assault and two counts of unlawful use of a weapon in the August 1, 2024 killing of Matthew Kenneth Hallberg, 57. He pleaded not guilty to the charges that September.

Police said they responded on the night of August 1, 2024 to a report of a deceased person at a home on Raintree Drive in southeast Bend. Officers found Hallberg dead in the home's backyard.

Prosecutors said a neighbor could hear Hallberg calling for help, saying Lawrence was trying to kill him. They said Lawrence admitted killing Hallberg, who suffered several stab wounds.

Lawrence's trial already had been delayed from last November to May 12 of this year.

But at a hearing Monday, Deschutes County Circuit Judge Michelle McIver granted a motion for a delay, filed last week by current defense attorney Raun Atkinson, court records showed.

Atkinson told the judge he was just appointed to the case in late January and "needs additional time to complete our investigation and prepare" for trial.

Lawrence had asked for a new attorney last month, and his defense counsel at the time, Lisa Valenti said in a court filing that there had been "an irreparable breakdown in the attorney/client relationship."

McIver did not immediately schedule a new trial date on Monday, according to court records, but set a status check hearing for April 13.