THOUSAND OAKS : Shooter Hoped to Be Killed, Attorney Says
A 46-year-old woman opened fire on a Thousand Oaks neighborhood in December because she wanted police to kill her and end years of battling alcoholism and depression, the woman’s attorney said Friday.
“What she did was a culmination of her life, a life that hasn’t been very pleasant,” attorney Jenny Scovis said in court, describing her client, Kathleen Ann Quinn.
“It was the very lowest moment of her life.”
Quinn pleaded guilty in April to nine charges in connection with the shooting that injured no one, but sent bullets through three car windows and five houses.
Ventura County Superior Court Judge Lawrence Storch postponed sentencing Quinn on Friday, sending her instead for a 90-day evaluation by the state Department of Corrections.
Scovis contended that Quinn should be given probation because she lacked a criminal record and has attended daily Alcoholics Anonymous meetings since the shooting. She also said Quinn had been abused as a child by her father, and could benefit from counseling.
But Deputy Dist. Atty. Richard Simon argued that Quinn should receive a state prison sentence because of the seriousness of her actions.
Quinn is scheduled to return to court for sentencing after her 90-day evaluation.
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