Richland WinCo shooter insane. He says he was poisoned, now he’s been committed

Eighteen months after he walked inside a crowded Richland grocery store and shot a stranger in the head, Matthew McQuin remains certain he somehow was poisoned that evening.

“I asked for help, the cops wouldn’t help me. You know, that had nothing to do with the shooting, that was a separate ...,” McQuin said Thursday during a hearing in Benton County Superior Court.

“I got hit by some chemicals or something in that store, you know. That’s just what happened,” he continued, shrugging his shoulders as he spoke.

Thursday — less than three weeks before his scheduled trial — the defense asked for an acquittal by reason of insanity.

Judge Carrie Runge signed the motion after learning it was based on a series of evaluations and was agreed to by prosecutors.

But it doesn’t mean McQuin will be walking out of jail a free man.

The 46-year-old Umatilla man now will be committed to Eastern State Hospital under the control of the Washington state Department of Social and Health Services.

Any request for release must come before a Benton County judge, who will review whether McQuin has been successfully treated and if he is no longer a danger to be out in the community.

Benton County Prosecutor Andy Miller says he’s “very skeptical that’s ever going to happen” based on McQuin’s latest statement made in court.

“I think given what he said today and given what he said in the reports, I won’t be surprised if he never gets out,” Miller told the Tri-City Herald after the hearing.

Miraculous escape

Legally, McQuin can be held on the criminal commitment for up to life, which is the maximum sentence possible if he had been convicted as charged of attempted first-degree murder.

The victim, Jenna Kline, survived the shooting.

Doctors at the time said it was close to miraculous since the bullet wedged between her skin and skull, lodging under her scalp.

Kline, 33, did not know McQuin.

After returning home from a business trip, she had been grocery shopping at WinCo Foods the evening of July 30, 2018, when McQuin singled her out in the bread aisle, said she looked guilty and shot her once from behind.

His first attempt at firing his gun had not worked. Then, when he tried to shoot a third time and put a second bullet into Kline, the gun jammed so McQuin gave up.

Attorney Ryan Swinburnson questioned very early on in the case if his client was competent.

When a state psychologist said the military veteran suffered from schizophrenia or another psychotic disorder but otherwise was competent to stand trial, the defense sought an expert’s opinion on McQuin’s sanity at the time of the shooting.

That defense expert concluded McQuin was insane when he shot Kline. McQuin then went back to Eastern State Hospital for an insanity evaluation, and a state psychologist reached the same conclusion.

That led to Thursday’s court action.

Legally insane and ‘dangerous’

Miller told the judge that not only did both experts find McQuin was legally insane, they also determined he “was dangerous under the statutory definitions” and should be placed under the supervision of the court because of his continuing danger to the community.

The prosecutor said he met with Kline “many times throughout this long process” and again this past Monday, and she knew all along this might be a possible outcome of the case.

“She understands and she actually is relieved that the process is going to be over,” said Miller, adding that Kline declined to be present at Thursday’s hearing. “While today’s focus is on the defendant and his insanity, I think even the facts of the case are consistent with the fact he didn’t know what was right from wrong.”

“One thing I don’t want to be forgotten, especially with the defendant — and hopefully he’s hearing this, since he still doesn’t seem to understand that what he did was wrong — is the impact it had on the victim,” Miller continued. “... We can all imagine the terror when we realize that we’ve been shot in the head, and not knowing what’s going to happen.”

Then, when Kline saw the stranger was trying to reload and shoot her again, she was able to run down the store aisles yelling for help.

Just because she is physically doing well now “does not negate the ongoing emotional trauma that she has suffered as a result of this (case) and during the process,” said Miller.

He described Kline, a public health veterinarian with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, as one of the strongest and most private people the prosecutor has ever met.

He said while he understands the media’s interest given the nature of the case, he also said the coverage and replaying of the shooting using store video footage has been an intrusion on Kline’s privacy and had an equal impact on her.

McQuin, who was an out-of-work truck driver at the time, told police he believed someone was trying to poison him with vapors from pesticides or drugs.

He had tried to get help earlier that day from police in Hermiston, Umatilla and Richland, but eventually ended up at the Columbia Point store because the sun was setting and he didn’t want to be alone.

But once inside the store, he believed someone was still messing with him and later told police he snapped.

Miller said McQuin has made disturbing statements that show his attitude toward the victim, even to this day. What he said Thursday is consistent with those earlier comments, and with McQuin being insane and dangerous, he said.

“I don’t think he’s ever had any contrition or sorrow over this whole process,” said Miller.

This story was originally published January 16, 2020 at 3:01 PM.