The attorneys handling the case of Bethany Storro have requested a mental evaluation to determine whether she could form criminal intent when she accepted donations on her own behalf after falsely claiming to be the victim of an acid attack.
Clark County Prosecutor Tony Golik and defense attorney Andrew Wheeler filed a joint motion on Friday, requesting that Storro be evaluated at Western State Hospital near Tacoma. Clark County Superior Court Judge John Nichols signed the order.
The 28-year-old woman sparked a worldwide media firestorm when she hatched a story about an unknown black woman throwing acid in her face Aug. 30. She later admitted her injuries were self-inflicted.
She is charged with three counts of second-degree theft for donations received under false pretenses.
According to court papers, Storro will be evaluated for insanity, which is defined as the inability to appreciate the quality of your actions or not knowing right from wrong, and diminished capacity, or the inability to form intent.
Wheeler said Monday he’s mainly looking at whether Storro suffered from diminished capacity, but he added that the evaluation will be broad.
He declined to comment on his defense, except to say: “This is definitely one of those cases where we’re learning more and more every day about her mental state.”
Storro, who has been staying at a Vancouver residential mental health facility, will not be confined at the state hospital for evaluation, as jailed defendants normally are. She will be evaluated at the Steilacoom-based hospital on a day sometime before her March 9 trial date, Wheeler said.
The court motion requests that two state experts on insanity and diminished capacity conduct the evaluation.
Generally, insanity or diminished capacity defenses are tough to prove and rarely successful.
The standard sentencing range for second-degree theft is two to five months in jail.
After Storro fabricated the story of being attacked with acid near Esther Short Park, the community responded, donating nearly $28,000 to cover her medical costs. Her felony charges relate to donations she received from Safeway, Anytime Fitness and a California resident, Michael Kite.
According to the charges, Storro spent part of the money on clothes, dinner and a train ticket before admitting to police that the attack was a hoax.
She told investigators that she wanted to die or get a new face, according to court documents.
Laura McVicker: 360-735-4516 or laura.mcvicker@columbian.com.
