Jury in Schubert trial told of threat
Published 9:00 pm Tuesday, November 27, 2001
By Scott North
Herald Writer
An Arlington man whose wife has been missing for a dozen years repeatedly said he would kill the woman to get some "peace" not long before she dropped from sight, a Snohomish County jury was told Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the detective who has investigated Juliana Schubert’s disappearance for the past seven years acknowledged he can’t say "for a fact" the missing woman is a murder victim, although he suspects that is the case.
The testimony came as prosecutors wrapped up their efforts to build an entirely circumstantial case that David Schubert, 62, killed his wife in 1989 and hid her body. No trace of the missing woman has ever been found.
Schubert has pleaded innocent to the first-degree murder charge and insists his 30-year-old wife simply walked away from their home, leaving behind her car, cash and two sons, who were then ages 6 and 8.
The prosecution’s case ended with more evidence the Schuberts’ nine-year marriage was headed to an unpleasant end.
Theresa Webb, who described herself as a close friend of Juliana Schubert, testified that David Schubert called her about a month before the disappearance and asked to discuss his marital problems.
An angry Schubert said he suspected Webb’s former husband was having an affair with his wife, and he threatened to kill the man, Webb testified.
Schubert also repeatedly talked about killing his wife, she said.
"He told me that he needed to get back peace in his life and that if he had to kill her he would," Webb testified.
Why didn’t she warn Juliana Schubert or tell the police, attorneys asked.
"I was afraid that Dave would kill me," Webb said.
In other testimony:
"Her primary interest was the children," Carter said.
The defense was scheduled to begin making its case today.
You can call Herald Writer Scott North at 425-339-3431or send e-mail to north@heraldnet.com.
