A Seattle court delivered its verdict this week in one of the city’s most shocking criminal cases in recent memory — and the man who pulled the trigger will not spend a single day in prison.
Cordell Goosby, who was 30 years old at the time of the attack, stood trial on charges of first-degree murder and first-degree attempted murder stemming from a June 13, 2023, shooting in Seattle’s Belltown neighborhood.
The victims were Eina Kwon, a 34-year-old restaurant owner who was eight months pregnant, and her husband, Sung Kwon.
Eina and her unborn baby girl did not survive. Sung was struck in the arm but recovered and was discharged from the hospital the following morning.
On March 20, 2026, Goosby was found not guilty by reason of insanity.
At 11:15 a.m. on June 13, 2023, the couple was shot in their car at the intersection of 4th Street and Lenora Street, near their restaurant Aburiya Bento House.
The two were on their morning commute to open the restaurant when the attack unfolded.
There was no interaction between the suspect and the victims’ vehicle prior to the shooting, according to charging documents.
Goosby allegedly sprinted toward the driver’s side window of their white Tesla with a gun raised, reported Fox News. According to court documents, prosecutors wrote: “In a short span of time, he fired a gun in the victim’s car window, striking the victims inside the car. After firing all the bullets he had in the gun into the victims’ car, he turned and ran from the scene.”
Prosecutors also wrote in those same court papers: “The defendant’s actions left a family and community shattered.”
Kwon was shot multiple times and rushed into surgery. Despite having an emergency delivery, Kwon and her baby girl died.
Goosby did not flee far. He stayed at the scene and was arrested for the shootings, to which he immediately confessed. According to court documents, he told officers, “I did it! I did it!”
Goosby told police that he had seen a gun in the car, but video of the incident appears to contradict this. No motive has been determined; Goosby had never met the couple before.
Goosby was a convicted felon from Chicago, reported Komo News. Authorities confirmed he was legally prohibited from possessing a firearm due to his prior criminal record in Illinois. Police said he reportedly used a stolen gun that was found nearby.
Court proceedings following the arrest included discussion over his psychological evaluations, which featured a history of hard drug use.
Lawyers argued over whether he was competent to stand trial, said KIRO 7.
Goosby was eventually found competent to stand trial, but the insanity plea is different — it deals with his mental state at the time of the shooting.
Experts from both the defense and prosecution agreed to the plea. If the prosecutors’ expert had reached a different opinion, they could have taken the case to a jury trial, according to the King County Prosecutor’s Office. However, the prosecutors’ expert concluded that Goosby was “insane at the time of the shooting.”
The King County court system stated that a not-guilty-by-reason-of-insanity ruling means Goosby “admits that he committed the crimes and agrees to commitment in a state psychiatric hospital.”
Prosecutors said state law does not allow a homicide charge for an unborn child unless the child was born alive.
They also said there was insufficient evidence to file a manslaughter charge because there was no indication Goosby knew Kwon was pregnant.
Goosby could remain committed for up to life, with his confinement subject to ongoing evaluations and risk assessments by state officials.
Any decision to grant him increased privileges or potential release would require notification to prosecutors and the King County Superior Court, both of which can object.
Requests would also be reviewed by the state’s Public Safety Review Panel. Ultimately, the court retains authority over whether Goosby is ever granted an unconditional release.
Komo News reported that the King County Prosecutor’s Office stated: “This does not mean that Mr. Goosby will be released to the streets, now, a week from now, or in the immediate future.”
Then-Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell previously called the killing an “unimaginable tragedy.”
Eina Kwon’s funeral at Acacia Memorial Park and Funeral Home on June 23, 2023, was open to the public.
