A 20-year-old Indiana man, Connor Kobold, has been charged with strangling his mother to death after she asked him to clean her room and find a full-time job. Kobold, a student at the United States Merchant Marine Academy, called 911 five times on Feb. 5, reporting that a person was dead in his Valparaiso home, according to court documents, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Post-Tribune.
When police arrived, Kobold surrendered, asked to be handcuffed and put in a patrol car. He allegedly confessed to the crime, saying, “There’s a dead person inside the house on the corner” and “I killed someone in that house,” according to reports. WGNTVOfficers also noticed superficial scratches on his face.
Upon entering the home, police found her mother, Shanelle Burns, 43, unconscious, “without a pulse” and with “serious injuries,” including ligature marks on her neck. Burns, an associate vice president for professional development at Loyola University Chicago, was hospitalized but died two days later.
According to court documents, she died of “asphyxiation” and her death was ruled a homicide by “manual strangulation.” Doctors reported that she had suffered significant brain damage prior to her death.
Kobold has been charged with murder. He has pleaded not guilty and is being held without bail in the Porter County Jail. He is scheduled to appear in court next month.
During a hearing in February, Kobold, who has a history of mental health issues, told a judge that he had been admitted to two facilities and had seen at least five therapists. He attempted to represent himself in court, claiming that only he could explain the circumstances surrounding the incident. However, a public defender was assigned to represent him despite his efforts to represent himself.
This tragic case highlights the complex interplay between family conflict, mental health issues and violent outcomes, underlining the importance of addressing mental health and providing support to those in danger.
