Judge decides fate of Tri-Cities man 2 years after killing his mom in violent rage

A Tri-Cities man is headed to a Washington state psychiatric hospital for killing his mother and stabbing her boyfriend two years ago.

David J. Lowe, 31, was found not guilty by reason of insanity at a Tuesday hearing in Benton County Superior Court.

The ruling came after experts for both prosecutors and the defense found his schizophrenia prevented the West Richland man from understanding what he was doing when he attacked his mom at her home.

But Judge Jackie Stam’s decision came over the objections of Bethany Lowe’s family, who wanted to see the former firefighter go to prison, prosecutors said at the hearing.

“The court finds that this is the most appropriate action given the nature and severity of his mental illness,” Stam said.

“The court sends its sympathy to his family, his sisters, his (grandmother), his aunts. ... I understand exactly how they fell. I understand that, but I do have to follow the law.”

Prosecution and defense experts found Lowe’s schizophrenia led to delusions, which were compounded by using methamphetamine.

Lowe will return to Eastern State Hospital where he will continue to receive medication and treatment. It’s possible he could spend the rest of his life at the hospital.

Lowe’s mental health has been at the center of the case since he broke into the Cosmic Lane home in July 2022 and stabbed Bethany Lowe, 47, to death and wounded her boyfriend Andy Davis, 45. The couple’s two youngest children, ages 12 and 9 at the time, also were home but were not hurt.

He initially told police he believed his mother and boyfriend were responsible for killing his young daughter. Psychologist reports later said it’s unclear if he has a biological daughter, though a former girlfriend has a child.

Since being arrested and treated at Eastern State, he’s been required to take anti-psychotic medication so he could be mentally able to appear in court.

He attended Tuesday’s hearing in Kennewick and apologized to his family, though none of them were in the courtroom.

Insanity

Tuesday, defense attorney Michael Vander Sys made the request to have Lowe ruled insane, and deputy prosecutors Josh Lilly and Kristin McRoberts supported the motion.

Lilly said the position of Lowe’s family is understandable. He would want someone held accountable if one of his family members was killed.

“While we take those desires into account in making the decisions we do .... we all know that justice doesn’t reside solely in giving the victims of the crime what they want,” Lilly said. “It’s getting to the right, proper and appropriate outcome.”

Lowe has told psychologists that he doesn’t believe he suffers from schizophrenia.

Lilly said the best place for Lowe will be in a structured environment where it will be guaranteed that he takes his medication.

Vander Sys agreed that a state hospital was the best place for his client. He called it Lowe the “poster child case” of a person not being in their right mind when they commit a crime.

Now that Lowe has been on medication, he’s come to appreciate what he did, Vander Sys said.

“This case is just tragic,” he said. “He is devastated, no doubt. The reality is this is his mother who died in this incident, who he was very close to. This really affects him as well. This really is the deepest of tragedies for everyone.”

Cloudy history

Lowe told psychologists that his family moved to Washington from Virginia when he was about 3. His biological father died by suicide when he was young, according to the report, though investigators said it’s unclear if everything Lowe reported was true.

Lowe told evaluators he lived for a time on a farm with his mother and her then husband, and made wild claims that they tested pharmaceutical products on foster children.

When talking about his past, Lowe said his grandmother 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 has a young daughter 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.

“It is currently unclear if Mr. Lowe’s beliefs about having a biological daughter are reality-based,” the report said.

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

Schizophrenia treatment

While Lowe has routinely denied suffering from schizophrenia, he has two previous psychiatric hospital stays because of depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder. He reported taking medication for panic attacks in 2015.

He told evaluators he began using methamphetamine when he was 25, and at times used it daily. The last time was the day he was arrested, and evaluators believe it exacerbates the symptoms of his disease.

He first sought drug treatment in 2018 but struggled to stay sober, said the reports.

He started having problems again in July 2022, including locking himself in a West Richland gas station restroom for eight hours and exhibiting “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, where he was admitted. He reported hearing his daughter and parents communicating with him.

It’s not clear when he was left the Wenatchee facility, but returned to the Tri-Cities on July 26 and locked himself in the gas station. The next day he broke into his mother’s home.

After his arrest, Lowe underwent treatment at Eastern State. Officials said he showed some improvement but still suffers from several delusional beliefs.

By November 2023, Lowe continued to tell medical officials that he didn’t believe he was schizophrenic. And when he was asked if he would continue to take medication on his own, he said “probably.”

“He exhibited a lack of insight regarding why the anti-psychotic is prescribed,” said the report to the court.