Son’s Tri-Cities murder case on hold after report from WA state evaluator

The man accused of killing his mother inside her Richland home will need mental health treatment indefinitely at a state hospital before he can stand trial.

An Eastern State Hospital psychologist found David Joseph Lowe is suffering from a schizophrenia disorder and a methamphetamine addiction and can’t understand what is happening in court.

Evaluator Samantha Litt interviewed the 29-year-old former firefighter for 90 minutes. Throughout the discussion, Lowe displayed “delusional beliefs,” “disorganized and tangential thinking,” and reported “recent auditory hallucinations,” she wrote in her 10-page report.

“Mr. Lowe currently lacks the capacity to understand the nature of the proceedings against him and the capacity to assist in his own defense,” Litt concluded.

Proceedings against Lowe have been on hold since his Aug. 1 arraignment on charges of premeditated first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder and first-degree burglary.

Court Commissioner Brandon Holt ordered Lowe receive inpatient treatment to restore his ability to understand what is going on.

He’s since been transferred from the Benton County jail to Eastern State Hospital in Medical Lake near Spokane.

Lowe had been in jail with bail set at $1 million since breaking into his mother’s and stepfather’s home on Cosmic Lane and stabbing them on July 27. He was still at the house when police arrived.

According to court records, he mistakenly believed his 4-year-old daughter was dead and his mother and stepfather were responsible.

The attack came just hours after West Richland police officers and medics tried to take Lowe to a local hospital because of his erratic behavior.

They believed at the time he was suffering from a mental health crisis or under the influence of drugs.

Lowe’s history

Litt’s report said that since Lowe provided much of his personal history, it’s unclear how much was based in reality.

He said he was born in Virginia and moved to Washington when he was 3. His biological father died by suicide when he was young, according to the report.

He claimed to have been on a farm with his mother, Bethany J. Lowe, 47, and her husband until he was 8.

“He made comments about his parents bringing foster children into the home to test pharmaceutical products, which appeared to be non-reality based,” Litt wrote.

When talking about his past, he said his grandma called him a pedophile and put acid on his finger. He showed his finger to the camera to show a scar, but no scar was visible.

Lowe said he had a young daughter who he had never been able to see, and claimed his ex-girlfriend “followed me around, she was stalking me. She pretty much chased me out of Virginia,” according to the report.

Court records searches show David Lowe has a history of arrests for drugs, break-ins and other issues, including several no-contact protection orders from his mother and his ex-girlfriend.

Past treatment

Lowe started using meth when he was 25, using it on a daily basis, he told Litt.

His said his first attempts to get treatment for his drug addiction came in 2018 when he signed into the James Oldham Treatment Center outside Yakima.

After he told them about being molested, it was determined that he needed mental health treatment along with drug treatment.

Crisis responders there evaluated whether he should be involuntarily committed, but he wasn’t detained at the time.

After leaving the Oldham center, he went to the New Horizon Care Center in Spokane. He was discharged nine days later because he left the facility without permission to buy methamphetamine and tried to return to the center.

According to the report, he also participated in drug treatment in 2019 at American Behavioral Health Systems.

He started having problems again in July 2022. On July 5 he locked himself in a gas station bathroom for eight hours and exhibited “bizarre behavior, including paying with toilet water and making comments about ghosts taking over his body,” said the report.

Three days later on July 8, he went to Wenatchee Parkside Stabilization, an evaluation and treatment center. After he was admitted, he reported hearing his daughter and parents communicating with him.

At one point, he said he heard his daughter screaming and believed she was suffering.

“He endorsed suicidal and homicidal ideation, including thinking about killing people to steal their cars, so he could escape to Canada or Russia,” wrote Litt.

He was diagnosed with schizophrenia and prescribed medication. At one point, he refused to take the medication because he felt “clearer” without it.

Richland attack

It’s not clear when he left the Wenatchee facility but he was back in the Tri-Cities on July 26.

Police reports obtained by the Tri-City Herald show West Richland police officers and medics attempted to take him to a local hospital for help after some erratic behavior walking in circles and flailing his arms outside another gas station.

He ran away from the hospital, showing up less than six hours later at his mom’s house three miles away in Richland.

Just before 5 a.m. on July 27, Bethany Lowe and her longtime partner Andy Davis, 45, awoke to the sounds of commotion. She believed it was likely her son, and told Davis she would go talk to him, according to court documents.

Both ended up stabbed. The couple’s two youngest children, ages 12 and 9, also were home but were not hurt.

Part of Litt’s evaluation was to determine if he understood the charges against him and court proceedings.

The report said he understood the charges but he often became “tangential, paranoid and upset” when asked to describe people and processes involved in court.

“For example, when asked about the judge, he stated ‘reviews all of the material and makes a choice... Lawyer said 25 to 30 years. I’m sick of the racism in this town, can’t even find a black lawyer.’ When asked again he stated, ‘She probably just passes it on to the next judge,’” according to the report.

He had the same problems with tangents and delusions when asked about various legal processes, Litt wrote.

For instance, he couldn’t describe the process of negotiating a plea agreement. Eventually ending his answer with a “rambled and confused” response about pharmaceutical drugs being tested on him and intruders entering his home at night.

She said he has been prescribed medication while he is in jail, but believes it is ineffective and planned to stop taking it.

Litt concluded that Lowe will improve with continued medication, counseling and other treatment. The report does not say how long that could take.

Under Washington state law, a Tri-Cities judge will evaluate his progress every three months and determine his competency to stand trial.

This story was originally published September 29, 2022 at 12:08 PM.