Auburn Mayor: ‘I had no idea’ South Hill rapist was released to Auburn

Kevin Coe, the man known as Spokane’s “South Hill Rapist,” was released from state custody after more than four decades behind bars and in civil commitment.

Coe, 78, registered as a Level 3 sex offender, is now at a home on 15th Street S.E. in Auburn, after plans to place him in Federal Way received pushback. According to the City of Auburn, leadership had no prior knowledge or communication that Coe would be moving into a home in the area.

“I had no idea until we heard it in the media,” Auburn Mayor Nancy Backus said on “The Jake and Spike Show” on KIRO Newsradio. “They were calling, asking us how we felt about Kevin Coe’s relocation to Auburn, and we were surprised. We had no idea that he had been released to an Auburn adult family home.”

Coe, 78, was arrested in 1981 and initially convicted on four counts of first-degree rape. Those convictions were partially overturned due to the use of hypnosis on victims, which raised concerns about the reliability of their testimony. A second trial in 1985 resulted in three convictions, but two were later overturned by the state Supreme Court, leaving only one conviction intact.

Coe is still linked to at least 43 rapes in the Spokane area between 1978 and 1981. His alleged victims were between 15 and 51 years old.

“What did Federal Way do when they heard this that allowed them to say no and forced Coe’s removal from their community?” KIRO host Spike O’Neill asked.

“My understanding is that they were notified well in advance, and the media was aware. I believe that there were media and outraged residents at the location when Kevin Coe was going to be placed at the adult family home, so they had a backup plan to relocate him to Auburn,” Backus answered. “So that’s what they did. And we had, again, no notice. Had we had notice? We would have had people there as well, so that he had to just continue to move on.

“I’m not wishing him on any other community,” Backus added. “This is not a situation that any community deserves to find themselves in.”

Clashing reports on Coe’s health

Coe was in custody for more than four decades, but, due to his advanced age and deteriorating health, multiple state psychologists believe he is no longer a threat to commit predatory acts of sexual violence, leading to his unconditional release. Coe was bound to a wheelchair when he was released and transported to Auburn.

“When our police officers went up to determine if he was actually residing there, he was not in a wheelchair,” Backus said. “So when we’re hearing that he has been that he’s resigned to a wheelchair, I don’t know that that’s the case.”

Coe is currently residing in a licensed family care facility in Auburn.

“The laws need to be changed, and I commit right now that I will be in front of the state legislature this year, making changes or asking for changes, because nobody wants this in their community,” Backus said. “Nobody deserves this. There has to be a better way. The state has to find a better way to do this.”

Listen to “The Jake and Spike Show” weekdays from noon to 3 p.m. on KIRO Newsradio 97.3 FM. Subscribe to the podcast here.