Judge denies motion to release documents in murder case of Oregon nurse with Hawaii ties

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – A judge has denied a motion to publicly release documents in the case of Bryce Schubert, the man accused in the kidnapping and murder of an Oregon nurse with Hawaii ties.
The 27-year-old suspect is charged with murder, kidnapping and abuse of a corpse in the death of 32-year-old Melissa Jubane, who got married on Oahu.
Several media outlets in Portland, requested the judge to unseal search warrants and affidavits in an effort to bring more information about the murder to light.
Authorities have released few details about the case, including where Jubane’s body was found or how she died.
The hearing was held in a packed courtroom, with supporters of the victim overflowing into the hallway.
The chief deputy district attorney and the attorney for the media presented their arguments before the judge issued her ruling.
“If that 50-some page affidavit and that PC affidavit would be unsealed, it would unleash an army of people, of reporters and others, who would be tracking down key important witnesses, some of whom are terrified of being involved and it would without question derail what we have going on right now,” said Chief Deputy DA Jeff Lesowski.
Tim Cunningham, attorney for media groups said, ”What we are talking about here is not access to something that is not in the court file. We are asking for access to papers that are filed in court in a criminal proceeding. These are core adjudicative materials that underlay the administration of justice in this court.”
Ultimately, the judge denied the motion to unseal the records for a variety of reasons, saying it would interfere with an ongoing investigation and could cause problems for this case.
Trial has been set for September 2025.
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