A Washington man will never walk free again after killing his landlords and claiming he did it by reason of insanity.
Thurston County Superior Court Judge John Skinder sentenced 47-year-old Timothy Burke to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the shooting death of Karen A. Koep, 62, and her 68-year-old husband, Davido Koep. Burke was found guilty and convicted by a jury of two counts of aggravated first-degree murder.
On Nov. 13, 2024, officers went to the couple’s home to perform a welfare check when they discovered a large amount of blood and evidence of foul play, but no bodies. Soon, investigators discovered that the Koeps had rented their property to the defendant, who was in the process of being evicted. Burke was arrested seven days after authorities discovered the victims were missing for suspicion of murder, according to Nisqually Valley News. Then, on Dec 2. 2023, they found the couple’s bodies at a creek on JBLM land, near the defendant’s residence.
An autopsy report showed both Karen and Davido suffered multiple gunshots.
During a six-week trial, Burke’s lawyer did not dispute that the defendant was responsible for the killing, but the fatal incident was by reason of insanity. The defense argued that Burke had a long history of mental health issues since adolescence. Furthermore, the defense argued the mental episode was triggered by the loss of Burke’s daughter to a fentanyl overdose, and his residence was burned down weeks before the fatal incident.
The jury disagreed!
“Based on the testimony presented at trial, both Davido and Karen were active members in the community who helped other community members in need,” McMullen wrote. “… Their deaths were a senseless act that extinguished their kindness. There are simply no facts present which indicate the appropriate use of leniency for this defendant, even if it was available to this Court. Moreover, many individuals in the community suffer from severe mental health issues and are not committing crimes, let alone the horrific crimes, and the attempted cover-up of said crimes, committed by the defendant in this case,” stated Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Elizabeth McMullen, reported The Olympian.
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