As an accused killer appeared in court for his bail hearing, the victims’ loved ones filled the benches to watch — and one of them, a friend, called the suspect out. She and the family of chiropractor Karen Koep, 62, and her husband, whose legal name is Davido, 68, want to know their whereabouts.
“Tell him to give that family some closure and tell them where the bodies are,” the friend said, according to Seattle CBS affiliate KIRO.
The defendant, Timothy Burke, 45, said nothing.
“Ma’am, ma’am,” Superior Court Judge John Skinder reportedly said in disapproval as the friend spoke.
Deputies in Thurston County, Washington, said that Burke is the person responsible for Koep and Davido going missing. Authorities think the couple is dead; investigators found their home to feature so much blood it was unlikely either survived.
Burke is being held without bail.
Timothy Burke, pictured right, murdered a couple, Davido and his wife Karen Koep, deputies said. (Image of the couple: Thurston County Sheriff Derek Sanders; screenshot of Burke: KIRO)
Koep’s sister, Pauline Dutton, told NBC News that Burke was one of the tenants who lived on the couple’s rental property, and that he did work for Davido in place of paying rent.
Though she did not know of any problems the couple had before the disappearance, she said, “there was always some drama with the tenants.”
Investigators learned from a witness that Davido was getting ready to evict Burke, according to court documents obtained by KIRO. Burke, who lived on an Olympia property that Davido owned, allegedly wrote “very negative” emails about him. For example, he claimed Davido put something in the water, authorities reportedly said.
Those who knew the couple, including Koep’s patients, have spoken lovingly of them and held a candlelight vigil in their honor.
“The outreach, the legacy that she is leaving is incredible,” Ann Rettemier, a patient and friend of Koep’s, said, according to WPDE. “I cry all the time. I’ve been praying all last week and I couldn’t even get the words out.”
“I’m so blessed to be able to hear that everybody is sharing these beautiful stories because they really are comforting our family at this time,” Dutton reportedly said.
Dutton told NBC she last communicated with her sister via text on Friday, Nov. 10. Deputies have said they responded to the couple’s home for a welfare check the following Monday after Koep missed work.
They arrived at the home in Lake Forest Development, discovering that the couple was missing. Authorities at the time simply described the circumstances of their disappearance to be suspicious. Law enforcement found their vehicle — reportedly a gray, four-door Toyota Yaris hatchback — near 67th Avenue SE and Rainier Road SE., which is about six miles from their home.
Other evidence included shell casings of Burke’s .45-caliber gun discovered in the couple’s home, authorities said. Blood was in Burke’s and Koep’s respective vehicles, according to Thurston County Deputy Prosecutor Jennifer Lord in the KIRO report. Blood in the couple’s garage matched where a car trunk would be.
The family is raising money through GoFundMe to cover expenses in the ongoing search for the bodies.
“Funds will be used to print flyers, organize and cover expenses for a search party, help keep utilities paid on their home and business as we continue our search and investigation into their disappearance, and support all ongoing efforts to locate our loved ones,” the fundraiser says.
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