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Earlier this year, an eviction notice from a mother to her son escalated to the point of her death. Conner Kobold, who is now 20 years old, is behind Indiana bars on the allegation that he strangled Shanelle Burns on February 5, per PEOPLE.
Before her death, the 43-year-old mother had served him a conditional notice about living with her. At the time, he was 19 years old. Local prosecutors have charged him with murder and aggravated battery in response to the incident.
As mentioned, on the listed date, Burns presented her son with two alternatives: He had to meet certain conditions or get booted from her home. She reportedly gave her 19-year-old 30 days to secure a full-time job, clean his room, and maintain cleanliness in common areas of the house, per the Chicago Post-Tribune.
However, it appears that Conner did not take the eviction notice lightly. At some point on February 5, a confrontation ensued. After allegedly strangling his mother, Conner called 911 multiple times.
According to court documents cited by WGN9 Chicago, Conner asked the officer who pulled up to place him in handcuffs and put him in the patrol car. He reportedly admitted to the officer that he had “killed somebody” inside the home on the 1300 block of Diamond Boulevard in
Valparaiso, Indiana.
Conner reportedly had superficial scratches on his face, per the arresting officer. When cops entered his mother’s home, her lifeless body was lying in the living. There were reportedly signs of a struggle inside the house.
An autopsy later determined that Shanelle Burns died from asphyxiation secondary to manual strangulation.
Conner has reportedly pleaded not guilty to his charges. Earlier this year, he petitioned the court to represent himself.
When the judge asked whether he believed he had the “skills or abilities” to represent himself, his response went like this:
“I believe my case is so unique that the only person who can explain what happened and why it happened is myself,” Conner told the judge in February, per the Chicago Post-Tribune.
During that same hearing, Kobold reportedly revealed that he had been to five therapists and two in-patient mental health facilities.
According to PEOPLE, an online docket shows that the court appointed him a public defender in April. With his trial set to begin in August, the bizarre eviction notice story is now gaining traction on social media.
Meanwhile, the 20-year-old was previously denied bond and reportedly remains behind bars at Porter County Jail.
