A Washington man will remain behind bars without bail, a Thurston County judge said Monday, following evidence that a missing couple may have been murdered.
According to The Olympian, Timothy Burke, 45, appeared in Thurston County Superior Court on Monday following the disappearance of Karen Koep and her husband, Davido.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, police began investigating when Karen Koep, a popular chiropractor, failed to show up for work at her clinic in Lacey last Monday. Deputies didn’t find the couple at their Lake Forest home, between Long Lake and Marvin Road, but later found their vehicles abandoned in Olympia.
According to court records, deputies responding to a welfare check discovered blood evidence in the couple’s home. Their vehicles also had blood in it, Deputy Prosecutor Jennifer Lord said, and bloody drag marks leading to their garage.
Now, investigators allege Burke killed the victims at the residence before disposing of their bodies and cars, which he allegedly drove away from the scene.
During court Thursday, the couple’s two children wiped away tears as Lord described the crime scene, claiming that the victims were likely murdered.
“The amount of blood that was in the home was unsurvivable. Further, there was blood found in both Mister Burke’s vehicle and there was blood found in Ms. (Koep’s) vehicle,” Lord said.
“It’s the state’s perspective, based on the quantities of blood and the opinions of the professionals involved in the determination of facts and evidence in this case, that murder is the appropriate charge rather than assault.”
FOX 13 News reports that investigators found a “partially completed eviction note,” filled out by Davido Koep and sent to Burke. Koep’s sister, Pauline Dutton, said she believes that the eviction is the motive behind the alleged murders.
Burke reportedly lived in a boarding house provided by the Koeps and did construction and repairs in exchange for rent.
“I just hope that, you know, all of it has been resolved. I just still keep thinking, gosh, is there more to this that we don’t know about? I hope that Tim Burke was the only one involved,” Dutton said.
Meanwhile, Lord pushed for Burke to remain behind bars without bail, given the severity of the evidence found.
Judge John C. Skinder subsequently denied bail, citing the evidence, which included Burke being caught on security footage using David Koep’s debit card. Burke was also allegedly found with a gun.
Court documents stated that investigators linked a bullet used during the alleged killings to Burke’s gun.
“These allegations alone, based upon the nature of the allegations, does give the court the ability to find by clear and convincing evidence that there is a propensity for violence that creates a substantial likelihood of danger to the community or any person,” he said.
Burke is facing one count of identity theft and probable cause for two counts of first-degree murder.
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[Feature Photo: Koep couple/Facebook]
