Portland strip club worker admits to murder, records show

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – A 23-year-old woman admitted to detectives that she stabbed a woman three times in the neck inside a strip club, according to newly obtained court documents.

Rinita Linelle Lowe, who is currently charged with murder, is asking a judge to set bail in her case. She remains in custody at the Multnomah County Detention Center.

KOIN 6 News first obtained new court documents in Lowe’s case on September 29 after the DA’s Office filed a motion requesting a judge deny Lowe bail.

According to the new court documents, when questioned by homicide detectives, Lowe said the knife she used was just on the table and that she picked it up and started swinging because she was being choked. She then claimed that someone inside the club give her the knife because he could see how scared she was.

Ultimately, Lowe admitted that the claims were made up.

“It’s my knife and I [expletive] stabbed this [expletive], it’s [expletive] [expletive],” Lowe said, according to court documents.

Lowe also admitted that she opened the knife while the knife was still in her purse. Records show the victim, Shantina Turner, never physically assaulted Lowe.

The stabbing happened on June 15 at Club Skinn, located in the 4500 block of Northeast 60th. Lowe was arrested inside in a convenience store located next door to the strip club. Two Portland police officers happened to be inside the store when Lowe ran inside.

According to court documents, Turner was a customer at Club Skinn and was seated at the bar. Video from the club shows Turner having “friendly conversations” with two people who were also seated at the bar.

When Lowe walked into the club, she went roughly 7 chairs away from Turner and had a short conversation. “She then immediately confronted Turner by walking over to where Turner was seated,” according to court documents.

There was roughly a 5 minute conversation between Turner and Lowe before the stabbing occurred, according to court documents.

One witness described Turner as “sitting and calmly talking with [Lowe],” according to court documents. The two people who were sitting near Turner told police that the two women were friends.

The bartender told police that she saw Lowe punch Turner. As the club’s bouncer was trying to pull Lowe back, she continued to swing at Turner, the bartender said.

“[Lowe] then reached into her purse with her right hand and kept that hand insider her purse momentarily. When [Lowe] withdrew her hand from her purse, she rapidly did so, and almost instantly the stabbing occurred as shown by the blood spatter appearing on the bar’s counter,” according to court documents.

When Lowe was arrested by the two officers inside the convenience store, she reportedly told them that she works at Tommy’s Too Club and that the club had just kicked out a woman for trying to start a fight with Lowe. It appears, based on the court documents, that the woman Lowe was referring to was Turner.

An autopsy report shows that Turner suffered three sharp-force injuries to her neck.

The knife reportedly used in the murder was recovered in the parking lot along the path that Lowe took as she fled.