Washington man, about to be evicted, saw landlord as threat to his daughter. So, he killed her and her husband before vacuuming away the evidence

Washington resident Timothy Burke will spend the rest of his life behind bars without the possibility of parole for the murders of his landlord, Chiropractor Karen Koep, 62, and her husband, Davido, 68. The 47-year-old was sentenced on Thursday morning following a jury conviction last month on two counts of aggravated first-degree murder while armed with a firearm, as well as two counts of second-degree murder while armed with a firearm.

According to Court TV, on November 13, 2023, after Koep failed to show up for work, deputies from the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office performed a welfare check at the couple’s home. They discovered that the doors and windows were locked with blinds drawn, and there were signs that someone had attempted to “drill” through the home’s exterior doors and deadbolts. Upon entering the garage, they were met with an “overwhelming smell of bleach.” 

Inside the living room, investigators found two large bloodstains. Court TV noted that a probable cause affidavit described towels, bedding, and clothing at the scene, with clear smear marks. During the trial, Thurston County Sheriff’s Detective Kyle Kempke noted, “You can see the vacuum marks, where somebody presumably vacuumed after the blood stain was there, because it’s bloody trails in the shape of a vacuum.”

Burke’s team tried to argue for leniency citing his mental health

As reported by Nisqually Valley News, the prosecution argued that Burke was in the process of being evicted by Davido at the time of the murders. Defense attorneys had unsuccessfully argued that Burke was innocent by reason of insanity, citing his mental state at the time of the crimes. 

Court documents reportedly indicated that Burke was in a state of mental crisis, having recently lost his daughter to a fentanyl overdose. His defense attorney claimed he held “numerous non-reality-based beliefs about Davido at the time of the shootings, including the belief that Davido was a threat to his living daughter.”

The bodies of the victims were eventually discovered in early December 2023 near a rental property they owned, specifically off Stedman Road Southeast at Joint Base Lewis-McChord. A child, who was out looking for dirt bike tracks, initially mistook Davido’s remains for a Halloween decoration. 

Per Court TV Kempke testified that the scene “was so heavily overgrown that I’m surprised that the child was able to locate the human remains to begin with. It was pretty deep in there and it was very thick foliage and it was very difficult to kind of smash our way through the bushes and stuff to get out there.” Upon finding Davido, officers saw Koep’s legs protruding from a culvert nearby.

The outlet noted that Burke himself addressed the court during the hearing, claiming that stress caused him to lose his mind. He alleged that Davido had called the police on him for no reason, and claimed he heard Koep discussing “tracking” his daughter. “The things I did were horrendous and unthinkable and it’s hard to believe that I did that,” Burke stated. Prosecutors noted that Burke felt “almost entitled or justified” in the killings due to his perceived conspiracies against him.

Additionally, during the sentencing hearing, family members shared the profound impact the loss of the couple had on their lives. Koep’s eldest son, Justice Dutton, spoke about how the victims never had the chance to meet his son. He expressed a deep sense of loss, stating, “These are the moments that I know would have brought them the most joy in the world.”

Thurston County Superior Court Judge John Skinder did not grant the defense’s request for an exception that would allow the possibility of parole. Instead, Court TV wrote that he sentenced Burke to life in prison without the possibility of parole. 

In his remarks to the defendant, Judge Skinder told him, “You have a gift, a gift that Karen and Davido do not have — you have a gift of life.” The Thurston County Prosecutor’s Office later released a statement expressing hope that the outcome provides a measure of accountability for the victims, adding that, “Despite the circumstances of their deaths, their legacy of love, generosity, and adventure will continue on.” 

This isn’t the only case where conflict over housing has resulted in a tragic consequence. In April, a Tennessee man allegedly set his mother on fire after she tried to evict him. Last year,  when informed of a rent hike, a UK man allegedly blew up his house while he was still in it.

Burke, who has been in custody at the Thurston County Jail since November 17, 2023, will now be transferred to a state facility to serve his sentence.