Wednesday, July 03, 2024 - A 19-year-old Indiana man is facing decades in prison after he was arrested for allegedly strangling his mother to death.
Conner Kobold, 19, has been charged with two counts of
murder and one of aggravated battery in connection with the death of his
mother, 43-year-old Shanelle Burns.
On February 5, police were sent to the home where Kobold and
Burns lived in Valparaiso. Burns was found unresponsive and not breathing in
the living room as Kobold shockingly confessed to strangling her. She was later
pronounced dead at a local hospital.
Kobold now faces mental health investigations over both his
decision to represent himself at trial and the reason he allegedly killed his
mother.
According to Mail Online, the mother and son's relationship
became strained, so she issued him with an eviction letter. She also gave
him 30 days to find a full-time job, clean his room, and help out around the
house.
As Kobold attempts to be his own lawyer, Superior Court
Judge Michael Fish called on a mental health professional to investigate his
competency.
'I want Dr. (Anand) Popli to chime in on whether you're
capable of representing yourself,' Fish said Friday.
Fish asked: 'I guess the most important thing out of
the gate here is for me to make sure that you understand the penalty for murder
is 45 to 65 years. Do you understand that?'
'Yes, your honour,' said Kobold.
Fish also tried to explain to him the advantages and
disadvantages of being your own attorney and the qualifications they usually
have.
He was then asked: 'Do you believe you have any skills or
abilities that would help you represent yourself?'
Kobold responded: 'I believe my case is so unique that the
only person who can explain what happened and why it happened is myself'
Fish asked Kobold about his educational background and his
experiences in a courtroom and with public speaking.
Kobold said he has a high school education and had done
public speaking while in school but had never been in court before.
He then admitted that he had been in mental health
facilities twice and had gone through five different psychologists.
Kobold said that despite his challenges, he would not be
affected in acting on his own behalf in court.
He was then asked if he planned to enter a plea or go to
trial in his first act as his attorney.
'Whatever I can do to help the court and the jury make the
best decision about my situation,' Kobold said.
After being informed he had to make that decision himself,
he said he would negotiate with the state first.
Fish gave Kobold a waiver to represent himself pending what
the doctor says about the defendant's mental health.
If convicted on all three counts, Kobold faces anywhere
between 45 and 84 years in prison and $20,000 in fines.
A trial date is set for August 6.
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