SPOKANE, Wash – One of Spokane’s most notorious criminals could soon be a free man, as the man known as the “South Hill Rapist” is asking for his release from a special commitment center for sexually violent predators.
Kevin Coe was accused of a string of rapes that terrorized Spokane in the 1970s and 1980s.
He was ultimately convicted of one of those rapes and served 25 years at the state penitentiary in Walla Walla.
After his release, the state petitioned to have Coe declared as a sexually violent predator. A jury agreed and sent Coe to the Special Commitment Center on McNeil Island.
He’s been there ever since.
During his prison term and confinement at the Special Commitment Center, Coe has never admitted guilt and never participated in mental health counseling.
Court records show over the last two years, Coe has begun petitioning the court to be released on what’s known as an LRA, or Less Restrictive Alternative.
That requires people released from McNeil Island to follow strict conditions upon their release, including undergoing specific mental health treatment and living in a place that has restrictions in place.
Coe is specifically asking to be released to an adult group home called Avalon Home in Spanaway, Washington.
The man who owns the facility said he has a contract to house other LRA releases and can provide the level of security required to house Coe.
A trial to determine Coe’s future is now set in Spokane County for October 2.
In a joint filing submitted by the Washington Attorney General’s Office and attorneys representing Coe, it appears Coe is likely to be released.
That’s because the state’s expert and the forensic examiner for the Special Commitment center have both determined “that they cannot opine Coe currently meets the definition of a sexually violent predator.”
Because the state cannot meet its burden of proof that Coe still qualifies as a sexually violent predator, the parties anticipate the state will drop the petition to hold Coe at the Special Commitment Center.
‘Coe’s signature’
During years of terror that began in 1978, dozens of women came forward and told police they were raped.
Many of the attacks happened near bus stops; the final attack happened to a woman who was jogging at Hart Field.
Spokane Police formed a serial rape squad, identifying what they eventually called “Coe’s signature”, which was a hand, shoved down the victims’ throats. The attacker would then speak vulgar language to the victims as he sexually assaulted them.
Police arrested Coe, the son of a prominent family and a newspaper editor, in March 1981.
His mother Ruth was charged with trying to hire someone to kill the judge in the case.
The case was the subject of the book ‘Son’ and eventually a CBS made-for-TV movie called ‘Sins of the Mother.’
Coe was sentenced to prison in 1985.
‘Feeble and emaciated’
In the files related to his possible release, doctors say Coe, now 77, is “feeble and emaciated.”
The doctor said he has “frequent episodes of incontinence” and was at risk of falls.
An SCC psychiatrist said Coe is exhibiting cognitive decline with “difficulty engaging in meaningful conversation, social withdrawal and low motivation to engage in basic acts of selfcare.”
The doctor said, “I believe Mr. Coe’s risk for sexual recidivism has been substantially mitigated by advancing age and declining mental/physical health,” while also saying, “I cannot state to a reasonable degree of psychological certainty that his paraphilic and personality disorders seriously impair his ability to control his behavior or render him likely to engage in predatory acts of sexual violence if unconditionally released to the community.”
The doctor said an adult group home setting would be most appropriate.
History of refusing treatment
As part of the civil commitment process, the state is required to provide an annual evaluation of people living at the Special Commitment Center.
The most recent evaluation in Coe’s court records is from 2024.
In that evaluation is a letter from the CEO of the Special Commitment Center, who writes that Coe’s progress indicates it should be able to be moved to a secure community transition facility off the island and in Pierce County.
The evaluator wrote that Coe lived in a “high management housing unit” and mostly kept to himself.
They note that he has a “longstanding history of treatment refusal.”
He didn’t have a job in the facility, didn’t participate in recreational programs and “rarely left his unit for meals or medical appointments.”
“Medical reports indicate a decline in Mr. Coe’s functioning in recent years,” they wrote, citing treatment for malnourishment, deep vein thrombosis and atrial fibrillation.”
They say he suffered a stroke and congestive heart failure in 2021 and that he has hip and back problems and walks with a limp.
They believe he suffers from clinical depression.
Risk of Reoffending
Because he has not engaged in any psychological treatment, the evaluator writes that “limited information is available regarding Mr. Coe’s recent psychosexual functioning.”
They do write that Coe has a pervasive pattern of grandiosity, consistent with Narcissistic Personality Disorder. Also, that he demonstrates antisocial behavior.
In assessing his potential to reoffend, the evaluator said Coe is considered Risk Level III (average risk) for being charged or convicted of a new sex offense, while also noting “his advanced age of 77 and declining mental/physical health do appear to significantly decrease his motivation and ability to sexually reoffend.”
Voices of the victims
State law says crime victims have the right to share their testimony about the release.
Complicating matters is who would get to share their testimony. Through appeals, Coe was ultimately only convicted of one rape, but at his civil trial, attorneys brought evidence of 36 possible victims.
The court has scheduled a hearing for next week on whether or not any of those possible victims could testify about his release.
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