Woman Pleads Not Guilty in Drunken Shooting Spree

A 45-year-old woman accused of going on a drunken shooting spree in Thousand Oaks pleaded not guilty Friday, but her attorney said the plea may later be amended to say the woman was insane at the time of the incident.

Kathleen Ann Quinn, who has worked as a messenger service saleswoman, now faces 19 criminal charges, including shooting at inhabited dwellings, shooting at cars and drunk driving. She was arrested moments after allegedly firing a rifle at Los Robles Regional Medical Center.

Quinn’s attorney, Jenny Scovis of Thousand Oaks, told Ventura County Superior Court Judge Lawrence Storch that her client already has been examined by a psychologist and a psychiatrist and is attending therapy sessions.

But Scovis said she wanted to have Quinn examined by an additional forensic psychiatrist before entering a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity.

Outside the courtroom, Scovis called Quinn’s life a “horror story” and said a history of abuse by family members contributed to her mental state the night of the shooting.

“Her life just went into a crisis. It just came tumbling down,” Scovis said.

But Deputy Dist. Atty. Roger A. Inman said he did not believe that Quinn was legally insane the night of the shooting.

“She was upset. She had some problems in her life, obviously,” Inman said. But he added: “Legal insanity is different from being mentally disturbed.”

Although a sheriff’s deputy said he witnessed Quinn shooting at the hospital, Scovis said she did not believe all the shots were fired by her client.

“It was Christmastime. People get so depressed,” the attorney said. “I don’t think she was the only person out there going nuts that night.”

Quinn, who is free on $50,000 bail, is scheduled to appear for a pretrial hearing March 4 in Ventura County Superior Court. Her trial is scheduled to start March 14.