Diminished Capacity Defense in Korean American Pregnant Woman Killing

As first reported on June 15, 2023, the suspect in the downtown Seattle indiscriminate shooting that killed a Korean American pregnant woman has pleaded not guilty and is invoking a diminished capacity defense. On the 5th, Kory Minseok Hanh, inaugural chair of the Washington State Republican Party’s Asian Pacific Islander Coalition (APIC), said Cordell Goosby (29) is asserting diminished capacity in court, citing King County Superior Court records.

According to King County Superior Court filings, the defense has sought to delay proceedings, stating that Cordell Goosby has a mental illness. The case concerns the death of Eina Kwon (then 34), who was eight months pregnant. Under Washington state law, a fetus is not recognized as a separate life, and the fetus’s death was not included among the charges.

Community members have urged action. Kory Minseok Hanh said, “The view that treats the defendant as a ‘patient’ is gaining strength,” adding, “because trial delays could lead to an unfair ruling, the Korean American community needs to pay closer attention.” The case is being handled by Lisa Manion, the King County Prosecutor, who has a Korean mother. Local Korean American residents are urging Lisa Manion to actively pursue justice.

A hearing on the defendant’s competency to stand trial is scheduled for October 16 in King County Superior Court.

The incident occurred on June 13, 2023 at an intersection in Seattle’s Belltown neighborhood at around 11 am. Eina Kwon, then eight months pregnant, was in a Tesla with her husband Sunghyun Kwon (37) when multiple shots were fired. Kwon suffered four gunshot wounds to the head and lungs and died at the hospital along with the fetus. Sunghyun Kwon was shot in the arm and survived. According to the police report, when arrested, Cordell Goosby shouted, “I did it.”

BY YEONGCHAE SONG [song.yeongchae@koreadaily.com]