‘We just should not ever allow it to happen again’: Bill would make it harder to release serial rapists

OLYMPIA – A new bill spurred by the recent release of Kevin Coe proposed ahead of the upcoming legislative session would make it harder for serial rapists to be released from civil commitment.

If approved, offenders who have not sought treatment nor expressed remorse for their crimes would not be allowed to be released from the Civil Commitment Center on McNeil Island. The bill is sponsored by state Sen. Mark Schoesler, R-Ritzville, and cosponsored by state Sen. Marcus Riccelli, D-Spokane. The legislation has at least 15 other cosponsors.

“There’s people that believe in forgiveness, that believe that treatment can work,” Schoesler said in an interview Tuesday. “But if you reject those, you should not see the light of day.”

The legislation comes after Coe, who terrorized Spokane’s South Hill throughout the late 1970s, was released from McNeil Island this fall. Coe was released after the state could no longer prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he was a danger and likely to re-offend.

“It was a very black eye on our region, and we just should not ever allow it to happen again,” Schoesler said.

Coe died last week, about two months after he was released from custody. During his brief freedom, Coe moved to group homes in Federal Way and Auburn following community backlash.

According to court documents, Coe refused treatment during his 25-year prison term and 19 years in civil commitment. Coe also denied involvement and repeatedly filed unsuccessful appeals while in custody.

Coe is suspected of having raped 30 to 40 people, according to court documents and previous reporting from The Spokesman-Review.

“I’ve met with those people. I’ve talked to them on the phone,” Schoesler said of Coe’s victims. “They are certainly shocked that they would ever see this.”

While a member of the House of Representatives, Schoesler was among the legislators who supported a 1990 bill that authorized the state to civilly commit individuals who were found to be sexually violent predators after their sentences were completed.

As a compromise, those with the designation were held in a facility on McNeil Island, an unpopulated island located in Puget Sound.

As Coe’s sentence drew to a close, the Washington state attorney general’s office filed a petition to classify Coe as a sexually violent predator and civilly commit him for treatment on McNeil Island indefinitely. He was sent there in 2008.

“For a long time, people felt like the worst of the worst were not going to be out again. And if they were, it was under direct supervision,” Schoesler said. “And this caught everybody by surprise, and especially the victims of Kevin Coe, the families of the victims.”

The Special Commitment Center typically has around 200 offenders residing in it, and during a visit, Schoesler said he learned many had rejected treatment and denied responsibility.

“Those other people in the special commitment center aren’t going to get a free pass either now,” Schoesler said.

Despite more than four decades in custody, Coe was still regarded by experts as being in the first stage of changing his behavior. He declined to engage in sex-offender treatment in his time on McNeil Island, and not much was known about whether he endorsed, supported or wanted to engage in sexually violent activities, according to court records.

Coe’s treatment plan stated that he possessed a high level of psychopathic traits and engaged in grievance-based thinking, saying “I’m the real victim,” and “I’ve been treated unfairly.” He was also diagnosed with several sex-based disorders, court records say.

“They knew that he was in the Special Commitment Center where he was closely supervised. They knew he had never admitted guilt. They all knew that he had rejected all treatments because he was living this fantasy that he was innocent and someone else was the rapist,” Schoesler said of Coe’s victims. “They all knew this. So they never expected him to be out.”

After legislators were notified that Coe was likely to be released, Schoesler said nonpartisan staff began to research ideas “that could preclude this from ever happening again.”

The idea has found broad bipartisan support among senators, including Yasmin Trudeau, D-Tacoma, the vice chair of the Law and Justice Committee.

“This is not anything but public safety and treating victims with respect and dignity,” Schoesler said.

Schoesler said Tuesday he hopes that for victims and families, the legislation is “part of bringing it to closure.”

“I don’t know if they can ever get this horrible event out of their minds,” Schoesler said. “But it’s a piece of it, I think.”