Eina Kwon: Belltown Shooting and Goosby’s Insanity Verdict

The Eina Kwon Belltown shooting was the June 13, 2023 killing of a 34-year-old, eight-months-pregnant Seattle restaurant owner who was shot through the driver’s window of her car at a downtown intersection. Her attacker, Cordell Goosby, was found not guilty by reason of insanity in March 2026 and committed to state psychiatric custody. Her unborn daughter, Evelyn, also died. No homicide charge was ever filed for Evelyn’s death.

What Happened at Fourth and Lenora

Just after 11 a.m. on a Tuesday, Goosby, then 30, walked up to a white Tesla stopped at a red light at Fourth Avenue and Lenora Street in Belltown and opened fire through the driver’s side window. Surveillance video from a nearby building showed him running toward the car with his arm extended.¹

Eina Kwon was struck in the head. Her husband, Sung Kwon, was shot in the arm and taken to Harborview Medical Center.²³ Surgeons delivered the baby, whom the family named Evelyn, but she did not survive. Prosecutors said nothing in the record suggested the attack was targeted or that Goosby knew Kwon was pregnant.

Officers located Goosby in Belltown within minutes, helped by witnesses and 911 callers. When police approached, he raised his hands and said, “I did it, I did it.”¹ He was held on $10 million bail.⁴

Who Cordell Goosby Was

Goosby had no prior arrest record in Seattle, but police confirmed previous contacts involving mental health calls.⁵ Court records showed prior convictions in Illinois, including a weapons charge. He had no cases previously referred to the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.⁶

Prosecutors in King County Superior Court charged him with first-degree murder for Eina Kwon’s death and first-degree attempted murder for the shooting of Sung Kwon.² He initially pleaded not guilty.⁷

How the Case Ended: Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity

The case took nearly three years to resolve because of the competency and mental health evaluations required under state law.⁸ Goosby’s defense team notified prosecutors it would pursue an insanity defense and retained a forensic expert who concluded he was legally insane at the time of the shooting. The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office hired its own independent expert, who reached the same conclusion.⁶

Washington’s insanity defense requires showing that a mental illness at the time of the offense left the defendant unable to perceive the nature of their actions or unable to tell right from wrong.⁹ With both experts in agreement, prosecutors agreed to the finding rather than take the case to a jury. “Both came to the same conclusion that he was insane at the time of this crime,” said Senior Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Gabby Charlton.⁸

On March 20, 2026, a King County Superior Court judge entered the not-guilty-by-reason-of-insanity finding. By entering the plea, Goosby admitted to committing the acts but was not held criminally responsible for them.¹⁰ No specific psychiatric diagnosis was made public.

What Commitment Means and Whether He Can Be Released

Goosby was committed to the custody of the Washington Department of Social and Health Services for treatment at a state psychiatric hospital such as Western State Hospital, with a commitment that can last up to life.¹⁰ Charlton said he is not expected to be released in the near future.⁸

Washington reviews these patients on a continuing basis. Any request for increased privileges or release must be sent to the King County Prosecutor’s Office and the King County Superior Court, both of which can object.¹¹ Requests also go to the state’s Public Safety Review Panel, an advisory body appointed by the governor that includes a psychiatrist, a psychologist, a prosecutor, and a law enforcement representative, among others.¹² The court holds final authority over any unconditional release.

Why No Charge Was Filed for Evelyn’s Death

Washington permits homicide charges only when the victim was “born alive.” Because Evelyn did not survive outside the womb, prosecutors said they could not charge Goosby with her killing.¹¹ The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office also looked at a manslaughter charge but concluded there was insufficient evidence, because nothing indicated Goosby knew Kwon was pregnant when he fired.¹⁰

The gap drew renewed calls for change. Sarah Davenport-Smith, a senior policy analyst for the Human Life of Washington Policy Consortium, called the inability to charge Goosby with Evelyn’s death an “injustice” and advocated for a measure she proposed naming “Evelyn’s Law,” which would recognize the loss of an unborn child in violent crimes and bring Washington in line with at least 35 other states that already have such laws.¹¹ As of mid-2026, no such legislation had been formally introduced in the Washington State Legislature.

Who Eina Kwon Was

Kwon co-owned Aburiya Bento House, a restaurant on Western Avenue in Belltown, with her husband Sung. She was eight months pregnant with the couple’s second child when she was killed.² A funeral for Eina and Evelyn Kwon was held on June 23, 2023.

A nearby business owner recalled Kwon acting as a “first responder” after a minor car crash outside her restaurant, bringing the injured person inside and offering water while they waited for paramedics.¹³ Reporting by the Northwest Asian Weekly noted that the insanity verdict, while legally conclusive, left many in the Korean American community feeling that justice remained incomplete, particularly because no charge was ever brought for Evelyn’s death.¹⁴

1
Fox 2 Detroit. Suspect Says “I Did It” to Police After Pregnant Woman Shot and Killed in Seattle
2
Seattle Eater. Eina Kwon Shooting Death, Aburiya Bento House Fundraiser
3
The Seattle Times. Shooting Deaths in Belltown Leave Unspeakable, Familiar Grief
4
KING 5. Security Guard Recalls Belltown Shooting Victim Eina Kwon
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KOMO News. Seattle Crime: Cordell Goosby Found Not Guilty
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KOMO News. Cordell Goosby Found Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity in Killing of Pregnant Woman Eina Kwon
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Fox 13 Seattle. Man Pleads Not Guilty in Unprovoked Fatal Shooting of Pregnant Woman
8
Fox 13 Seattle. Man Found Not Guilty in Killing of Woman in Seattle
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The Seattle Times. Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity: What This Controversial Verdict Means
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KATV. Seattle Man Cordell Goosby Found Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity in Killing of Pregnant Woman Eina Kwon
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KOMO News. Controversial Verdict Sparks Debate Over Born Alive Rule
12
Washington DSHS. Forensic Patients: Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity
13
KING 5. Community Remembers Seattle Business Owner Eina Kwon One Year After Fatal Shooting
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Northwest Asian Weekly. Insanity Plea Accepted in Killing of Eina Kwon