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44 °F Forecast | Road Cams Monday, February 23, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find a Rental Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Email Story to a Friend February 14, 2004 Co-workers say Repp Jr. berated his wife By SARAH LEMON Mail Tribune As a parole and probation officer, Gary Marvin Repp Jr. specialized in supervising perpetrators of domestic violence. Yet Repp, 35 — now on trial for his wife’s murder — often berated her loudly over the telephone, former co-workers testified Friday. "One time I told him it was really difficult to work in a (domestic violence) unit when he and Kerry were arguing," said Jarren Atkinson, a parole and probation officer for Jackson County Community Justice. Pregnant by another man, Repp’s wife, 29-year-old Kerry Michele Repp, was found shot to death in the couple’s Central Point home on May 4, 2002. The murder staged to look like a suicide, Kerry Repp clasped in her right hand the Glock handgun that her husband carried on duty as a parole and probation officer. Gary Repp’s former co-workers told jurors Friday that the problems between him and his wife were no secret. While working for Community Justice between 1997 and 2001, Repp told other officers about his wife’s extravagant use of credit cards. She opened credit accounts without his knowledge and even forged his name on several applications, witnesses told the court. Advertisement On one occasion, Repp berated his wife for about 45 minutes because she failed to return a video rental on time. He called his wife stupid and told her she was going to ruin their credit, said former probation officer Michelle Rogers. Repp quit his job with the county when he was hired in 2001 as an Oregon State Police trooper. Atkinson said she knew Repp’s heart was not in parole and probation work. He had previously planned to move to the East Coast before Kerry Repp became pregnant with their son, Atkinson testified. The pregnancy, which took place before the Repps’ marriage, ruined his career plans, but Repp said he wanted "to do the right thing" by his then-girlfriend, Atkinson told the court. Given the couple’s history, Repp’s former co-workers said they were surprised when a day before his wife’s murder, Repp told them he had sent her flowers. She was very upset that he was leaving within the week for an Army National Guard mission in Egypt, he told friends at his farewell party. The card accompanying Repp’s bouquet read "...Maybe I can fly back when the baby is born..." and signed "El Capitain Gary." In taped interviews, Repp told police detectives that he was resigned to raising the baby and repairing his marriage. But Kerry Repp, friends testified earlier this week, could not figure out why her husband would send the flowers. Their relationship was over, she had filed for divorce and she couldn’t wait for him to leave. Although no longer seeing the father of her unborn child, Kerry Repp told friends that she was excited about giving birth. The baby’s father, Drew McConahie, testified earlier this week that he had no interest in being a parent and had not seen Kerry Repp since she stopped calling him about two months before her death. The night before her murder, Kerry Repp and her husband had argued because he wanted to know the name of the father of her baby, said Carrie Weather, a friend of Kerry Repp. When his wife didn’t confess, Repp called her a "whore" and wondered how he would explain that the child was not his, Weathers testified. The trial will continue Tuesdayin Jackson County Circuit Court. The courthouse will be closed Monday. Reach reporter Sarah Lemon at 776-4487, or e-mail [email protected] . Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback 3 WEEKS FREE! ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S RESOURCES Oregon Road Conditions & Cams SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Food for Thought Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Prime Times