Other LanguagesAttorney General’s Office opposed habeas corpus petition by convicted Spokane South Hill rapist
A federal judge in Tacoma has agreed with the Attorney General's Office that convicted South Hill rapist Kevin Coe is not entitled to a new trial. Coe will remain confined at the state’s Special Commitment Center on McNeil Island.
“My SVP team works hard every day to keep our communities safe from the most dangerous sex offenders,” Attorney General Bob Ferguson said. “I’m pleased to see a federal court agree the process Mr. Coe’s case has gone through was correct, fair and necessary.”
Coe was convicted of rape in 1985 in Spokane County. He was due to be released from prison in 2006 when the Attorney General’s Office stepped in and obtained a jury verdict labeling Coe a sexually violent predator and a danger to the community, and confining him to the Special Commitment Center.
During that process, the Attorney General’s Office linked Coe to 36 sex offenses, including 18 rapes, which had never gone to trial.
Under Washington’s civil commitment law, prosecutors had to demonstrate Coe suffers from specific mental abnormalities and/or personality disorders that cause him to have serious difficulty in controlling his dangerous behavior and make him likely to engage in predatory acts of sexual violence unless confined to a secure facility.
Last year, Coe asked for a new trial. The Attorney General’s Office opposed Coe’s request, which had already been denied by the state courts. Late last week, U.S. District Judge Robert J. Bryan denied Coe’s petition, ruling that Coe’s conviction and sentence were legally proper. Coe will remain confined to McNeil Island.
In 1990, Washington became the first state in the nation to pass a law permitting the involuntary civil commitment of sex offenders after they serve their criminal sentences. The AGO’s SVP Unit was established shortly thereafter.
The AGO SVP unit is responsible for prosecuting sex predator cases for 38 of Washington’s 39 counties (King County being the exception). In the year ending June 30, the unit tried 14 cases, won nine civil commitments and secured one recommitment. Three trials ended in hung juries and one trial involved an offender who didn’t meet the criteria to be committed as a sexually violent predator.
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The Office of the Attorney General is the chief legal office for the state of Washington with attorneys and staff in 27 divisions across the state providing legal services to roughly 200 state agencies, boards and commissions. Attorney General Bob Ferguson is working hard to protect consumers and seniors against fraud, keep our communities safe, protect our environment and stand up for our veterans. Visit www.atg.wa.gov to learn more.
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Alison Dempsey-Hall, Acting Communications Director