Morataya

A man suspected of killing his girlfriend a week ago in Redmond was indicted Thursday on one count each of aggravated murder, second-degree attempted kidnapping and unlawful use of a weapon, according to Deschutes County District Attorney John Hummel.

Mario Morataya, 23, is accused of shooting 24-year-old Rebekah Gomes late Dec. 11. She was shot in the back as she was attempting to flee Morataya, according to police.

A grand jury returned an indictment Thursday that includes the aggravated murder charge, which means the alleged crime was aggravated, or made more serious, by certain circumstances. In this case, the alleged shooting is considered an act of domestic violence.

However, little remains known about the specific reasons behind the kidnapping charge, and Hummel said he could not disclose case details at this juncture.

“The court issued an order prohibiting the parties from discussing details of the case, so there is not much I can share at this time,” Hummel said in the statement issued Thursday afternoon. He said his office made the case a “top priority.”

Morataya’s court-appointed attorney, Jacques DeKalb, could not be reached for comment Thursday. According to the U.S. Army, Morataya joined the Army in May 2012, when he was 19, but has never been deployed abroad.

Between September 2012 and October 2014, Morataya was stationed at the Schofield Barracks in Hawaii. He was discharged “having completed military service obligation” and transferred to the Army National Guard in Columbia, Washington, in September , according to a service verification provided by an Army spokeswoman Thursday.

Gomes, a preschool teacher at High Desert Learning Center in northeast Bend, had recently moved to the area from Hawaii, according to neighbors. Morataya’s home of record is Rialto, California, according to the U.S. Army.

Morataya, who is being held in the Deschutes County jail without bail, is scheduled to appear in court Monday.

Deschutes County Circuit Judge Wells Ashby has been assigned to the case, Judge Beth Bagley said in Morataya’s initial court appearance Monday.

— Reporter: 541-383-0376,

cwithycombe@bendbulletin.com