Is Point Defiance stabbing suspect mentally fit to stand trial? Here’s what judge ruled

The 27-year-old man accused of trying to stab a woman to death while she walked in the middle of the day on a trail of Tacoma’s Point Defiance Park has been determined to be unfit to proceed to trial.

Pierce County Superior Court Judge Grant Blinn on Wednesday ordered Nicholas Fitzgerald Matthew to undergo a 90-day period of inpatient treatment at the Western State Hospital psychiatric facility. Matthew is charged with first-degree attempted murder. He has yet to enter a plea due to the mental competency proceedings.

The order comes after a licensed psychologist for the Department of Social and Health Services evaluated Matthew on May 1 and found he lacks the capacity to understand the nature of the proceedings against him or assist in his own defense due to a mental disease or defect. Matthew had a competency hearing scheduled for Thursday afternoon, but it was continued to Aug. 9 due to the court’s order.

Matthew was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder and a notable history of cannabis use. Records state he has a history of severe mental illness. An Army veteran, Matthew received treatment from the American Lake Veterans Affairs Medical Center near Lakewood from 2018 to 2022, for what reportedly appeared to be emerging symptoms of psychosis, rapid changes in mood, paranoia and auditory hallucinations, according to his psychological evaluation.

“Mr. Matthew currently appears to present primarily with symptoms of psychosis (e.g., likely delusional thought content, negative symptoms of psychosis including inattention to grooming and hygiene, latency in responding, and avolition), along with symptoms of a mood episode (e.g., depressed mood),” Dr. Jacqueline Means wrote in her report.

He is to be transported to Western State Hospital within 14 days of the Wednesday court order or within seven days of when DSHS receives the order, whichever comes sooner. A lack of bed space at the psychiatric hospital can sometimes cause delays.

After Matthew’s inpatient treatment is completed, his mental fitness to stand trial will be re-evaluated. If it’s expected that his mental health would continue to improve with further inpatient treatment, he could be ordered to undergo a second 90-day period of competency restoration, followed by a possible six-month competency restoration period.

If the court or a jury finds him competent to stand trial at some point during or after those treatment periods, Matthew’s criminal case would proceed.

Means wrote in her report that it was likely that a period of competency restoration would help him regain the necessary capacities to move forward with his case.

If the court exhausts all three restoration periods and Matthew is still not mentally fit for trial, or if he’s deemed not to be “restorable” earlier in the process, charges might be temporarily dismissed, according to DSHS, and the person could be admitted to a civil psychiatric unit at a hospital for continued treatment.

Matthew was arrested in late March at San Francisco International Airport while on a layover from Atlanta, allegedly trying to flee the country to escape prosecution in the Feb. 10 stabbing.

What does it mean to be found mentally incompetent to stand trial in Washington state?

The random attack that drew emergency personnel to the park’s Blue Trail at 1 p.m. that day left a woman with life-threatening stab wounds to her head, neck and upper back that necessitated more than 120 staples. It left park goers on edge and led to greater security measures at the 760-acre park, including installing portable security cameras and increased police patrols.

Matthew was identified as a suspect after detectives collected DNA from the victim’s clothing, according to charging documents.

A blood stain that was entered into the Combined DNA Index System matched with him. Other evidence was found in his vacated Federal Way apartment, including a sweatshirt that had dried blood on it and two knives that resembled what was used during the attack. According to prosecutors, one appeared to have dried blood on it.

Court records detail suspect’s mental health history

Matthew has no prior criminal convictions in Washington state, but court records state he has criminal history in California, Georgia and in the Army. He served in the military from August 2015 to June 2018 as a computer/detection systems repairer, according to the Army’s public affairs office at the Pentagon. He had no deployments and held the rank of specialist at the end of his service.

Two months after he got out of the Army, in August 2018, Matthew began receiving treatment at American Lake VA Medical Center, according to a forensic psychological evaluation filed in court records Tuesday. He reported difficulty concentrating in college classes and a depressed mood following legal charges that were resolved while he was on active duty. His symptoms included “uncontrollable worry thoughts,” hopelessness, memory trouble, breakdowns, explosive anger, social avoidance and intrusive thoughts of a service-related traumatic episode.

It’s unclear what charges Matthew faced while in the military. The News Tribune has contacted the Army Criminal Investigation Division for more information.

Records from his treatment at the VA hospital show Matthew went to at least nine appointments for mental health issues between August 2018 and January 2022, and one appointment in that time for chronic lower back pain. He was prescribed a number of different medications, including antidepressants, antipsychotics and mood stabilizers. Matthew stopped taking his medications several times due to side effects, and the psychologist who reviewed the records wrote that some of his symptoms increased over the years.

At an appointment in November 2019, Matthew reported “chronic paranoia” and mood instability, including depressive episodes and elevated moods that came with impulsive decisions like over spending his finances. He reportedly said he believed his neighbors talked about him and his then-girlfriend, and he sometimes saw his girlfriend making negative faces “out of the corner of his eye” that his girlfriend would deny making.

In October 2021, it had been nearly a year since Matthew had been seen by a provider and he was off his medication. Records state he reported having auditory hallucinations for the last three years: “Voices talking about me, telling me I’m stupid.” His last documented appointment was in January 2022, when he again had not been taking his medication and reported worsening auditory hallucinations. A doctor adjusted his prescription.

Matthew’s psychological evaluation noted that records of his mental health treatment did not appear to be complete because they did not include records of an inpatient hospitalization Matthew underwent in 2017.