Suspect in murder of newlywed Fil-Am nurse pleads not guilty

Melissa Jubane, left; and the arrested neighbor Bryce Johnathan Schubert; right
Photos from @iamlegacy23/X

The suspect in the killing of a 32-year-old Filipino American nurse from Oregon pleaded not guilty during a preliminary hearing Monday afternoon.

Bryce Schubert, 27, accused of killing her neighbor Melissa Jubane, now faces an updated charge of first-degree murder, according to the Washington County District Attorney’s Office.

Jubane, who was reported missing on Sept. 4 after returning home from her Hawaii wedding, was found dead on Sept. 7.

Schubert, who had been Jubane’s neighbor at a Beaverton apartment complex, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder. It has been updated to first-degree murder, and Schubert now also faces new charges of kidnapping and abuse of a corpse, according to the DA’s office.

The man accused of murdering Beaverton nurse, Melissa Jubane, was just in court. Bryce Schubert, 27, pleaded not guilty, via video. He’ll be back in court Oct. 15. pic.twitter.com/2OkOqjUJGb

— Katherine Cook (@KCookKGW) September 16, 2024

On Sept. 4, Jubane, a nurse at Providence St. Vincent Hospital in Southwest Portland, was reported missing after she failed to show up for her morning shift at the hospital.

She had just returned from Hale’iwa in Oahu, where she got married to her boyfriend of 10 years, US Navy member Bryan Llantero, last Aug. 24. 

You may also like: Fil-Am woman killed in DUI crash in Oakland

Jubane’s mother-in-law, Imelda Llantero, told KHON-TV that the newlyweds returned to the US mainland on Sept. 1 and spent the Labor Day holiday together before Jubane returned to work in Portland.

A public Facebook group, “Find Melissa Jubane case Discussion and Updates,” was set up on Aug. 26 to help search for the Fil-Am nurse. 

By 3:12 p.m. on Sept. 4, Jubane was officially entered into the national law enforcement systems as a missing person.

Jubane was found dead on Sept. 7, but the police declined to disclose more details, including where the body was located. 

Schubert, who was also a nurse and a former Providence Portland Medical Center employee from September 2022 to October 2023, was arrested after investigators found evidence linking him to Jubane’s disappearance.

Washington County Chief Deputy District Attorney Jeff Lebowski requested Judge Lemoine to seal the documents revealing details about the murder case, including the summary of evidence, search warrant affidavit and the possible cause that led to the arrest.

Schubert did not physically appear in court on Sept. 16 and, instead, appeared on a screen behind a cell door at the county jail, according to KOIN 6.

His attorney, Gregory Scholl, entered a not guilty plea on Schubert’s behalf. The judge accepted the plea. Schubert is scheduled to appear in court on Oct. 15.