NORFOLK, Va. — A man who is accused of killing a Virginia Beach woman last August and dumping her body in a trash can in Norfolk was indicted by a grand jury on Wednesday.
Gary Morton, 43, has been charged in the killing of 40-year-old Marie Covington, who went missing from Virginia Beach on August 17.
An Ashanti Alert was eventually issued, but her body was found in Norfolk several days later.
Morton pleaded not guilty to the charges of second-degree murder and felony use of a firearm back when he was first arraigned.
On Wednesday, a grand jury certified those charges and determined that the case would go to trial.
Morton also faces additional charges for other crimes, including abduction and assault, out of Virginia Beach and Chesapeake.
In a Virginia Beach courtroom on February 9, Marie Covington’s 19-year-old daughter said the two were dating at the time of her mother's death.
She said she overheard her mother and Morton arguing on August 17th at Covington's home in Virginia Beach.
During the argument, she said Morton began to pack his things at the home, including a gun on the dresser, and Covington's car keys.
Covington's daughter said that was the last time she saw her mother alive.
The daughter said Morton also had a gun on his hip.
She said she heard Morton yell to her mother "let’s go" with a gun in his hand, and then they both left.
She said she watched Morton hit her mother in the car and says her mother tried to get out of the vehicle before he sped off.
A detective who testified said Morton got into a road rage incident with a stranger, causing them to both fire shots at each other.
The detective said when Morton got back into the car to put his gun away, he accidentally pulled the trigger, shooting Marie in the head.
Morton's trial is set to begin in Norfolk on March 28.