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Bipolar man found guilty of murder

Karen Dorn Steele
Staff writer
March 20, 2008

Ryan Snow, the bipolar man who slit his grandfather’s throat and left him to die while he sipped wine at a neighborhood restaurant, was found guilty of first-degree murder today.

Spokane County Superior Court Judge Gregory D. Sypolt, who conducted a bench trial, said Snow’s public defender had not established an insanity defense – that Snow, 24, couldn’t tell the difference between right and wrong when he killed James Bittick on July 29, 2006.

Sypolt concluded Snow premeditated Bittick’s killing by scribbling a note saying he’d “had it” with his grandfather, buying a pocketknife two days before the murder, and asking his grandmother to make him a bowl of soup so he could approach his grandfather alone. Snow also told police he’d decided to “euthanize” Bittick about three minutes before approaching his grandfather from behind and slitting his throat.

“There was sufficient time to develop the intent to kill,” Sypolt said.

The public defender’s office had sought a “not guilty by reason of insanity” verdict that would have sent Snow to Eastern State Hospital instead of to prison to serve out his sentence. The hospital has 95 forensic beds for people found not guilty by reason of insanity.

It was the second case in Spokane this year where a mentally ill young man was found guilty of first-degree murder for killing a relative. Bryan Kim, 19, was sentenced to life in prison last month for murdering his parents, Richard and Terri Kim, at their Mount Spokane home.

Sypolt took nearly an hour to give an oral review of evidence in the case, including testimony by dueling forensic psychiatrists. Two psychiatric experts testified for the prosecution and one for the defense.

One of the state’s experts, Dr. William Grant of Eastern State Hospital, accused Snow of “gaming” his interviewers during a Sanity Commission review of his mental competency after Bittick was killed.

In an interview after the verdict, Grant said his role is to “sort through the data and advise the court as best I can” on whether defendants are mentally competent to stand trial.

“You don’t like to see two young lives taken away,” Grant said, referring to Snow and Kim. “On the other hand, parental murder is not a trivial incident.”

Deputy Prosecutor Dale Nagy called Sypolt’s verdict just. “There are places (in a mental hospital) for people who can’t tell the difference between right and wrong. But if someone knows, they need to be held accountable,” Nagy said.

Assistant Public Defender Kari Reardon could not immediately be reached for comment.

Aimee Morris, Bittick’s daughter and Snow’s aunt, was ambivalent about the first-degree murder verdict.

“It’s a no-win situation. I’m for my dad but I’m not totally against my nephew. They loved each other but they also argued,” Morris said, noting that Bittick also suffered from bipolar disease.

“Everyone in the family wants Ryan to get the care he needs,” Morris said.

Snow will be sentenced on March 28 at 3 p.m.

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