Kevin Coe, the man known as Spokane’s South Hill Rapist, was released from Washington state custody on October 2, 2025, after nearly 44 years in prison and civil commitment, and died of natural causes two months later, on December 3, 2025, at age 78, in an adult family home in Federal Way.1Spokane Public Radio. Convicted Spokane South Hill Rapist Kevin Coe Dies at 78 His release drew sharp opposition from the cities asked to house him, prompted a bipartisan bill in Olympia, and reopened trauma for the women he had assaulted decades earlier.
The Spokane Attacks
Between 1978 and 1981, a serial rapist attacked women in Spokane’s South Hill neighborhood, and the case dominated local news coverage. Fred “Kevin” Coe, born February 2, 1947, was arrested on March 10, 1981, at age 34.2KHQ. Background on Kevin Frederick Harlan Coe
At his later civil commitment trial, the state presented evidence that Coe had committed 18 rapes and 15 other sex offenses over a 15-year span in Spokane. Some investigators believed the true number of victims could have reached 32.3Washington State Attorney General. State Supreme Court Rejects Appeal of South Hill Rapist4Fox 13 Seattle. WA South Hill Rapist Kevin Coe Dies Coe’s father, Gordon Coe, was managing editor at the Spokane Daily Chronicle and had overseen that newspaper’s own coverage of the South Hill investigation before his son was charged. He recused himself once Kevin was arrested.5The Spokesman-Review. Former Chronicle Editor Gordon Coe Dies
Why Only One Conviction Survived
Coe was originally charged with six rapes, and his path through the courts turned on a single piece of police work: the use of hypnosis on witnesses to help them recover memories.
A 1981 jury convicted him on four counts of first-degree rape. Judge George Shields sentenced him to consecutive terms totaling life plus 75 years.6The Spokesman-Review. Brockett, Coe Deaths So Close Together The Washington State Supreme Court threw those convictions out in 1984, ruling the hypnosis-tainted identification testimony inadmissible.7FindLaw. In Re Det. of Coe The case was retried in King County in July 1985, producing three new convictions. The state Supreme Court overturned two of them in 1988 on the same grounds.8Washington Courts. Court Eclips Report
That left one conviction standing: the first-degree rape of Julie Harmia. In 1980, Harmia, then 27, was abducted after stepping off a bus at 22nd Avenue and Rebecca Street. Coe beat her and shoved his fist into her mouth, a signature move investigators had tied to multiple attacks. Unlike other victims who saw their attacker only from behind, Harmia glimpsed Coe’s face when the headlights of a passing car lit it up. She helped police produce a sketch and later picked him out of a lineup.9NBC News. South Hill Rapist Survivor Speaks Out10The Spokesman-Review. Spokane South Hill Rapist Coe Is Released as Victims Relive Their Trauma Years later, a long-lost evidence slide from her rape kit surfaced in a police evidence room, and DNA testing confirmed Coe’s guilt in her case.
Coe was sentenced to 25 years for the Harmia rape. He maintained his innocence throughout his incarceration and refused to attend parole hearings or sign Department of Corrections documents.2KHQ. Background on Kevin Frederick Harlan Coe
Civil Commitment at McNeil Island
As Coe approached the end of his 25-year sentence, the Washington State Attorney General’s Office filed a petition on August 30, 2006, to civilly commit him as a sexually violent predator. Washington law allows the state to keep detaining offenders who finish their sentences but suffer from a mental abnormality or personality disorder that makes them more likely than not to commit new predatory acts of sexual violence.11Washington State Attorney General. Rapist Kevin Coe Loses Appeal, Remains on McNeil Island He was transferred to the Special Commitment Center on McNeil Island.12Kent Reporter. South Hill Rapist Residing in Federal Way Dies
A unanimous jury found Coe to be a sexually violent predator in October 2008 after a monthlong trial that included evidence of 36 uncharged sexual assaults. The Washington State Court of Appeals affirmed the commitment in March 2011, and the state Supreme Court unanimously upheld it on September 26, 2012.8Washington Courts. Court Eclips Report7FindLaw. In Re Det. of Coe
Coe refused sex-offender treatment while committed, which was his constitutional right as a civilly committed person, and he never expressed remorse for his crimes.13The Spokesman-Review. What the Release of the South Hill Rapist Tells Us
The 2025 Release
By 2025, Coe was 78, in failing health, with heart disease and limited mobility. Two psychology experts, one from the Department of Social and Health Services and one retained by the attorney general’s office, concluded he was unlikely to reoffend. The state declined to contest those findings. Spokane County Judge Julie McKay ruled that he no longer posed a danger to the community and ordered his release.14KREM. South Hill Rapist Kevin Coe Release
The release was unconditional. The state did not choose or control where Coe would live, and no specialized supervision or ongoing treatment was imposed. He was required to register for life as a Level 3 sex offender, the state’s highest risk designation.15Federal Way Mirror. South Hill Rapist Leaves Auburn, Goes to Federal Way Coe waived his right to appear at the hearing. He walked out of custody on October 2, 2025.16MyNorthwest. Kevin Coe South Hill Rapist Dies
Placement Fights in Federal Way and Auburn
Housing Coe proved immediately contentious. He was initially slated for a group home off South 288th Street in Federal Way, but that plan collapsed after community backlash. He was then moved to a group home in Auburn near the Muckleshoot Casino. Auburn Mayor Nancy Backus and the city’s police department said they were never consulted. Working with the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe and community members, Auburn police coordinated his removal from the residence.17The Center Square. Kevin Coe Placement Controversy
Coe ended up in an adult family home in southwest Federal Way, near Brigadoon Elementary School. Federal Way Mayor Jim Ferrell said the city had no legal authority to prevent the placement. Under Washington law, there are no restrictions preventing a Level 3 sex offender from living near schools, daycares, or playgrounds. Ferrell urged the state legislature to revisit those laws, and the city worked with the King County Sheriff’s Office to notify residents within a quarter-mile of the address.15Federal Way Mirror. South Hill Rapist Leaves Auburn, Goes to Federal Way
What Survivors Said
One victim, who stayed anonymous, attended the Spokane County Courthouse hearing on her 67th birthday. She said she still lived in fear of Coe and saw no legal avenue to keep him confined given his failing health.18Washington State House Republicans. Spokane South Hill Rapist Coe Is Released as Victims Relive Their Trauma
Julie Harmia, whose case produced the only surviving conviction, told KHQ in September 2025 that she viewed the release as inevitable but placed responsibility on the state. “I kept the monster in the cage,” she said. “If they release him, they are the ones liable.” She said the interview would be her last public comment on the case. “I’m done. I’ve done what I could to keep people safe.”19KHQ. I Represent Those Who Didn’t Get Their Day in Court
Senate Bill 5854
Coe’s release prompted a bipartisan legislative response. State Sen. Mark Schoesler, a Republican from Ritzville, prefiled a bill on December 8, 2025, aimed at making it harder to release serial rapists from the Special Commitment Center. Senate Bill 5854 was formally introduced on January 12, 2026, and referred to the Senate Committee on Human Services.20Washington State Legislature. Senate Bill 5854
The bill would block release of a convicted rapist to a less restrictive placement if the state can show the person refused sex-offender treatment while confined and has not expressed remorse. It also sets out “fair share principles” for county placements, letting local jurisdictions reject a sexually violent predator if the commitment did not originate in their county. Twenty co-sponsors from both parties signed on, led by Sen. Marcus Riccelli, a Democrat from Spokane.21Sen. Mark Schoesler. Schoesler Introduces Bipartisan Bill Making It Harder to Release Serial Rapists
Schoesler said several of Coe’s victims had contacted him. “During his years in confinement, Kevin Coe refused treatment and he never apologized or showed remorse,” he said. “He should not have been released by the state.”21Sen. Mark Schoesler. Schoesler Introduces Bipartisan Bill Making It Harder to Release Serial Rapists
Death in Federal Way
At about 5:30 a.m. on December 3, 2025, Federal Way police responded to a medical emergency at the adult family home where Coe was living. They found him unresponsive. Firefighters performed CPR, but he was pronounced dead at the scene. Police said they believed he died of natural causes. He had been free for roughly two months.22KHQ. Kevin Coe Known as the South Hill Rapist Reported Dead23KIRO 7. South Hill Rapist Kevin Coe Dies
Spokane County Prosecutor Preston McCollam said: “Mr. Coe’s passing was as unimpressive as his life.” Julie Harmia said she felt “a tremendous relief” at the news, adding, “I pray for his soul.”22KHQ. Kevin Coe Known as the South Hill Rapist Reported Dead Donald Brockett, the Spokane County prosecutor who had tried the original case against Coe, had died weeks earlier, on November 14, 2025, after a long battle with cancer.6The Spokesman-Review. Brockett, Coe Deaths So Close Together