Convicted South Hill Rapist moves to group house one block from WA elementary school

Federal Way Mayor Jim Ferrell confirmed the move in a statement to local media: “We are disappointed to hear the news that Kevin Coe is moving to Federal Way and want to acknowledge community concerns regarding that move. We do not have a say in this matter, and we certainly understand the concerns surrounding it.”

Coe, notorious as the “South Hill Rapist” for a series of assaults that terrorized Spokane in the late 1970s and early 1980s, was unconditionally released earlier this month. He was first slated for a group home off South 288th Street in Federal Way, but community pushback scuttled that plan. He was then placed in Auburn near the Muckleshoot Casino, without prior notice to Auburn officials, before being removed from that residence.

“Through the quick, coordinated work of the Auburn Police Department, the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe of Indians, and engaged members of our community, Mr. Coe has since been removed from his Auburn residence and is no longer living in our city,” Auburn Mayor Nancy Backus wrote Tuesday on Facebook. “Their diligence and rapid action ensured that Auburn did not bear the burden of a decision on which we were never consulted.”

Neighbors near the new Federal Way location say they’re alarmed, especially given its proximity to Brigadoon Elementary. “It makes me feel unsafe,” Linda Wilson, who lives next door to the group home, told the Center Square. “We have grandkids… it’s just kind of an uncomfortable situation.” The couple says the home has operated as a group residence before and has been largely vacant in recent months, with people coming and going mostly at night.

Coe was accused of committing dozens of sexual assaults across Spokane’s South Hill neighborhood over several years, sparking one of the largest manhunts in the area’s history, and although he faced multiple convictions, many were overturned. Coe only served time for a single rape conviction.

In 2006, he was committed to the Special Commitment Center on McNeil Island after being deemed a “sexually violent predator.” The court cited his refusal to participate in treatment programs during his prison sentence as a key factor in his civil confinement.

In 2021, Democratic lawmakers passed legislation requiring the redistribution of offenders into communities across the state, rather than long-term confinement at McNeil Island. Governor Bob Ferguson, then attorney general, has supported depopulating McNeil Island and beginning in 2023, the state started releasing Level-3 sex offenders, whom federal officials have called “the worst of the worst,” and most likely to re-offend, into residential neighborhoods through privately operated halfway homes.

McNeil Island previously housed approximately 200 people convicted of serious sex crimes, including rape and child molestation, who were found by courts to be likely to reoffend due to mental abnormalities or personality disorders.

Because Coe was released unconditionally, despite being classified as a Level 3 sex offender, there are no state restrictions on living near schools, daycares, or playgrounds. Ferrell called that gap unacceptable: “I am personally deeply troubled that current state law permits a Level 3 sex offender to reside in proximity to an elementary school. I strongly urge our State Legislature to re-examine these laws and consider whether it is in the public's best interest to allow such individuals to live near any school.”

The city says that because Coe is Level 3, it is working with the King County Sheriff’s Office to send notifications to all neighbors within a quarter-mile of the address, including a photo and location details.

In a letter to families obtained by the Ari Hoffman Show, Brigadoon Elementary Principal Vicki Lopez said the district learned of Coe’s presence the previous afternoon and that Federal Way and the Sheriff’s Office “are managing the official response,” including community notification. Lopez emphasized that schools maintain strict safety protocols: gated and controlled entries, mandatory office sign-in, cameras, fully fenced perimeters, and adult-supervised recess and arrival/dismissal.

Federal Way officials stress they have no authority to block the move but are coordinating notifications and monitoring.