Richland murder suspect stopped taking his medications. Here’s how a judge responded

A judge is ordering a 30-year-old murder suspect to take medication so he can stand trial for killing his mother.

David J. Lowe became animated, moving his hands and writing on a piece of paper Friday morning as Judge Jacqueline Stam delivered her ruling.

“Mr. Lowe has a poor history of medication compliance,” Stam said. “Mr. Lowe needs regular and consistent observation for the basis to continue with that medication.”

A report from an evaluator at Eastern State Hospital says the former firefighter is suffering from an unspecified schizophrenia disorder and a methamphetamine addiction, and isn’t able to understand the court proceedings or participate in his own defense.

Lowe is accused of stabbing his mother to death and wounding his stepfather after breaking into their home on July 27.

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.

He is charged with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder and first-degree burglary. But the case was on hold while state psychologists determined whether he was mentally competent to go on trial.

In his interview with Eastern State evaluator Samantha Litt, he made several claims that didn’t appear to be rooted in reality, including being a test subject for pharmaceuticals, having acid poured on his finger and being stalked by his ex-girlfriend.

In the month before the stabbing, Lowe had locked himself in a Richland gas station bathroom for eight hours.

After that incident, he was taken to an evaluation and treatment center, Wenatchee Parkside Stabilization, where he told staff he reported hearing his daughter and parents communicating with him.

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

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

A short time later, after his release from that facility, he returned to Richland and his mom was killed.

Schizophrenia medication

After he was found not competent to stand trial on the murder charge, Lowe remained at the Benton County jail and was prescribed medication, said Dr. William Grant, a Washington state forensic psychiatrist. That medication is necessary for Lowe to be healthy enough to face charges, said officials.

Grant testified Friday in Benton County Superior Court via video link and described the unspecified schizophrenia disorder as a biochemical condition where a neurochemical system needs to be put back into balance.

“There’s no other way to do it,” Grant said. “You can’t treat it with words because it’s biochemical. It’s got to be medication.”

While Lowe had been taking an anti-psychotic regularly while in the jail, he stopped recently. The medication won’t work if it’s used intermittently, he said.

Grant explained Lowe would need to be brought to Eastern State Hospital in Medical Lake to make sure that he took the medication.

Normally, they would try to negotiate with him to voluntarily take pills. Administering the medication by injection is usually the last resort.

“Nobody wants to force medication,” he said. “For one thing, the defendant can get hurt, people can get hurt. So I’m going to work with him for a good long while, and most people come around if you’re patient and persistent.”

The psychiatrist stopped short of staying what specific drug in particular would be prescribed. He said Lowe would need to be evaluated to determine which of a number of anti-psychotic medication would work.

Medication Problems

The lack of clarity on how Lowe would be treated was defense attorney Michael Vander Sys’ primary problem.

He pressed Grant to provide specifics on the drugs and their potential side effects.

In his closing, he called the hearing “awfully premature” since the psychiatrist had based his testimony on a report he didn’t write without any specific treatment plan.

“I think it’s a tough sell to tell this court that we want you to authorize medication, but we’re not going to tell you what it is because we haven’t decided yet,” he said. “And if it doesn’t work, we’ll just change it on our own without any court authority because we can do that.”

“It just feels like the request is essentially a blank check to do whether they want, saying, ‘Trust us. We can do it.’”

He felt that requiring the medication may end up violating Lowe’s rights.

Deputy Prosecutor Josh Lilly said in his experience it’s not necessary for the doctors to spell out the treatment plan before he is under their direct treatment.

Stam sided with the prosecution allowing Eastern State Hospital doctors to force Lowe to take the medication while he is under their care.

She said she wasn’t going to micromanage the doctor and tell them what they should prescribe.

“This court believes that Dr. Grant’s testimony is persuasive in that he testified that the standard of care in any individual who is diagnosed with similar items as Mr. Lowe would be prescribed medication,” she said. “The court believes there is no less intrusive options that are available that restore the defendants competency.”