25-year-old woman sentenced to 12 years in prison for killing man in Medical Lake

A 25-year-old woman who shot and killed 42-year-old Colin Bastow at a Medical Lake apartment was sentenced to 12 years in prison.

As part of a plea agreement, Cynthia Metsker pleaded guilty last month to first-degree manslaughter and first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm. Spokane County Superior Court Judge Charnelle Bjelkengren sentenced Metsker on June 5. She originally was charged with second-degree murder.

Court documents indicated Bastow and Metsker were arguing the morning of Dec. 23, 2022 inside an apartment at 227 S. Washington St., Medical Lake, when Metsker picked up a pistol and shot Bastow. A 16-year-old witness who was staying at the apartment told deputies Bastow was walking away from Metsker when she fired.

The witness and Metsker claimed Bastow was trying to rape her, court records show.

Metsker told detectives she and Bastow dated on and off for about four to five years. The morning of the shooting, Metsker said Bastow held her down on the couch and, at some point, was on top of her on the floor.

Bastow then backed a short distance away from her after she armed herself with a pistol, Metsker said in documents. She said she “accidentally” shot Bastow when she believed he was about to “lunge” at her.

Metsker said she and the 16-year-old girl followed the injured Bastow out the apartment to the doorway of another apartment unit at that location.

The teenager told deputies Metsker and Bastow were arguing the night of Dec. 22 and Bastow “smacked” Metsker one or two times in the face.

The teenager said she awoke the morning of Dec. 23 to Metsker on the living room floor with Bastow on top of her. As Bastow appeared to hold Metsker to the ground, Metsker said, “He’s trying to rape me.”

The teenager saw Metsker get one arm free and grab a gun. Bastow then got up and started to walk toward the apartment’s front door, the witness told deputies. She heard a gunshot and saw Bastow run out the front door.

A deputy who responded to the shooting saw Metsker and the 16-year-old standing in front of the apartment building and Bastow laying on the ground in the doorway of one of the units. Bastow took about two breaths before becoming unresponsive, the deputy wrote.

Bastow was shot one time in the left arm and upper left chest, according to documents.

Law enforcement were called to several domestic-related incidents involving Metsker and Bastow in recent years, documents say. Metsker was arrested for assault, arson and malicious mischief against Bastow in a couple of those calls.

Documents indicated Metsker has a chemical dependency that contributed to the killing.

As part of the plea agreement, Metsker is expected to plead guilty to theft of a motor vehicle, possession of a stolen motor vehicle and first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm in separate cases. The prosecution will recommend those sentences be served at the same time as the manslaughter sentence.

Metsker will serve three years of community custody when she’s released from prison.