VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — A man charged with killing a woman in Virginia Beach over the summer was back in court Thursday.
Police arrested Gary Morton in the death of Marie Covington, a woman who police reported missing out of Virginia Beach.
Authorities later found her body in Norfolk.
He faced multiple charges in Virginia Beach, including abduction and assault.
Prosecutors had two witnesses testify Thursday morning. Marie Covington’s 19-year-old daughter, and a Virginia Beach detective who spoke with Gary Morton in jail. Covington’s daughter said the two were dating.
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.
The 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.
He told detectives in jail he drove around before putting Marie Covington's body in a trash can in Norfolk before driving to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Authorities then arrested him when he returned to Hampton Roads days later.
A Virginia Beach judge certified the charges against him. His trial in Virginia Beach is set for April 19.