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Repp arrested for wife's murder He is taken into custody at the state police office, where he was being fired from his job as a trooper By SARAH LEMON Mail Tribune Former state trooper Gary Marvin Repp Jr. was arrested Wednesday and charged with murdering his wife. A grand jury will hear the case Tuesday, said District Attorney Mark Huddleston. Gary Repp was arrested at 10:45 a.m. in the Oregon State Police regional headquarters in Central Point, where he was being terminated from his employment with OSP, said Central Point police Chief Mike Sweeny. "We had sufficient probable cause, and it was agreed upon ... that this was the best time to make the arrest," Sweeny said. Gary Repp was the only "person of interest" police had named in the case, although there were several others who were not identified. Investigators eliminated all others who either had alibis or who could not have murdered Kerry Repp, Sweeny said. Gary Repp did not confess to murdering his wife, Sweeny added. OSP runs extensive background checks on all recruits and, based on its investigation, had no reason to believe that Gary Repp wasn't an "excellent candidate" for OSP, Lt. Dan Durbin said Wednesday. He stressed that Repp was to be a probationary employee for 18 months. His on-duty conduct would have been continuously monitored by a senior OSP trooper. "We're not so naive to think that there aren't issues in a person's background that would manifest themselves," Durbin said. OSP hired Repp in December last year. He graduated from the Oregon State Police Recruit School on April 12. Gary Repp also is a captain in the Oregon Army National Guard and was scheduled to deploy with his battalion on a peace-keeping mission to Egypt last week. No word on his official status with the Guard was available Wednesday. Officials will release little information about the case before it goes to grand jury, Sweeny said. Details about the autopsy, physical evidence at the scene and the timeline of Kerry Repp's death all are key elements in the grand jury testimony and cannot be discussed beforehand, Sweeny said. Police said last week that Kerry Repp was shot more than once with a handgun found near her body. Police would not say how many times she had been shot or the location of the bullet wounds. Police searched the homes of Gary and Kerry Repp and Gary's brother, Lance Repp, who lives in the 1000 block of Ingrid Street in Medford. The warrants were sealed. Kerry Repp's graveside service - planned for Friday at Eagle Point National Cemetery Interment Shelter - was postponed Wednesday. Kerry Repp's body was released to her husband after last week's autopsy, police said. A new date for the service was not set. The Repps reportedly had a difficult relationship, and Kerry Repp had filed for divorce last month. However, she asked that the papers not be served, police said. The couple reportedly was living together trying to reconcile. Kerry Repp's family would not talk about the case Wednesday. Gary Repp's family declined comment. Reach reporter Sarah Lemon at 776-4487, or e-mail [email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.