A former Port Angeles doctor who used a baseball bat and ax to bludgeon his wife to death in 1998 may be released from a state mental hospital.
Clallam County Prosecuting Attorney Christopher Shea says he will do “everything I can to stop this from happening.”
Bruce Rowan, now 38, was acquitted in the murder by reason of insanity and committed for an indefinite term in Western State Hospital in Steilacoom for psychiatric treatment.
Shea said he was told in a letter from Western State officials that Rowan “seems to be much better,” no longer showing suicidal tendencies and able to deal with stressful conditions.
Therapists who work with Rowan believe he is ready for “provisional release,” which is one step below being freed back into the community, Shea said.
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