SPOKANE, Wash – In a move that’s been expected for several weeks, the Washington Attorney General’s Office has filed a motion that would release the man known for decades as Spokane’s South Hill Rapist.
Kevin Coe was accused of raping dozens of women in the late 1970s and early 80s. He was ultimately convicted of one charge and served 25 years in prison.
After his release, the state deemed Coe a sexually violent predator, committing him indefinitely to the state’s Special Commitment Center on McNeil Island.
He’s been there since 2008.
Coe, now 78, has petitioned for his release. A trial on the matter was scheduled for October 2nd in Spokane.
In his annual evaluation, an expert at the Special Commitment Center evaluated Coe and determined he no longer meets the criteria as a sexually violent predator.
The evaluation that says “Coe is not more likely than not to commit predatory acts of sexual violence if released because of his advanced age and deteriorating physical condition, including severe, treatment-resistant depression, reduced mobility and increased dependence on staff support.”
A second expert retained by the state agreed.
Because he no longer meets the criteria, the state can no longer keep him at the SCC and cannot meet its constitutional burden to hold him at the facility.
That’s why the AG’s office filed a motion to dismiss the petition that has held him there for the last 17 years.
In court last week, Coe’s attorneys said they have a bed waiting for him at an adult care facility in Western Washington, but since he will be unconditionally released, he technically has the right to move anywhere he wants.
He will have to register as a sex offender.
Coe’s annual evaluation says he uses a walker. One staff member says his “strength, agility and stamina were not very good… she had never seen him lift anything over five pounds and did not think he had the physical ability to abduct and sexually assault an able-bodied middle age woman.”
The report cites the fact that Coe’s crimes involved “substantial use of physical force against able-bodied females, primarily in their late teens, 20s and 30s.”
PAST COVERAGE: What some of Coe’s victims think of his release
Coe has never admitted guilt and has never undergone sex offender treatment, either in prison or at the Special Commitment Center.
The case is scheduled to go before a Spokane County judge next week. Judge Julie McKay has already said in court that if the state files for the dismissal, she has no discretion and no choice but to release him.
Judge McKay is still evaluating whether Coe’s victims will be able to speak at the hearing or if she’ll just accept written statements.
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