White Acquitted In Attempted Murder Case She Was Found Armed With Pistol In Laundry Room, But Gun Wrestled Away

Thu., Jan. 27, 2000

By Kevin Blocker kevinb@spokesman.com

FOR THE RECORD (Friday, January 28, 2000): Story wrong: The attempted murder trial of Michelle T. White, who was acquitted, lasted one week. The information in Thursday’s edition on page B3 said otherwise.

A jury has found a Spokane woman innocent of attempted first- and second-degree murder, after she was accused of trying to ambush a man in the basement of a house they once shared.

Michelle T. White, 28, was immediately released from Spokane County Jail after the verdict late Tuesday.

The jury said it did not believe White was trying to murder Matthew Burton; rather, jurors thought White may have been contemplating suicide when she hid in a laundry room with a .38-caliber pistol.

The trial started Monday and concluded the following day.

White’s attorney, Frank Cikutovich, said he thought the case never should have gone to trial.

“Even the doctors the prosecution called agreed that she lacked the mental capacity to premeditate,” Cikutovich said.

Prosecuting attorney Chris Bugbee could not be reached for comment.

In court records, Drs. Vern Cressey, Timm Frederickson and George Wang from Eastern State Hospital all agreed that White suffered from “acute stress disorder,” which affected her ability to orchestrate the murder.

Spokane County sheriff’s detectives suspected White planned to shoot Burton when he retrieved his clothes from the Valley home they used to share.

Burton, 28, and his brother found White in the laundry room with a .38-caliber pistol April 19, according to court documents.

The brother wrestled the gun away from White before it could be fired.

White and Burton met after they both posted advertisements on a Web page for singles. They began dating and moved in together in February last year.

Shortly thereafter, Burton told White he wanted to end the relationship, said sheriff’s detectives.

Detectives said White then threatened to kill herself, her two daughters and Burton.

The suicide threats resulted in White being committed to Eastern State Hospital in April, according to court records.

Cikutovich said White had no prior criminal history and has since lost custody of her children.

“It’s a tragedy,” he said. “It was also a waste of the judicial economy.”

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