In a brief status hearing Monday morning Conner Kobold, the 19-year-old Valparaiso man accused of strangling his mother, told Porter Superior Court Judge Michael Fish he intends to act as his own attorney in his murder trial.
Fish set another hearing for Friday morning to determine if Kobold is fit to represent himself.
“I will perform a thorough investigation of your ability to represent yourself,” Fish told Kobold, who joined the court via Zoom from the Porter County Jail wearing black and white jail garb.
Valparaiso Police were dispatched to the 1300 block of Diamond Boulevard at 3:48 p.m. on Feb. 5 after Kobold, according to court documents, made a call stating, “I need you to send a police car right now.” When police arrived, Kobold was waving them down at the intersection of Goodrich Road and Diamond Boulevard.
He told police he had killed someone in the house on the corner, and police noted superficial scratches on his face. A female, who has since been identified as his 43-year-old mother Shanelle Burns, was found unresponsive and not breathing in the living room.
She was taken to Northwest Health-Porter where medical staff found small ligature marks on her neck, according to charging documents. The medical staff believed she had suffered substantial brain damage.
Burns died at the hospital around 3:27 p.m. on Feb. 7. Preliminary results of an autopsy performed Friday by the Porter County Coroner’s Office show the cause of death as asphyxiation secondary to manual strangulation and ruled the death a homicide.
Kobold faces two counts: murder, a Level 1 felony that carries a possible sentence of 45 to 65 years in prison and a possible fine of up to $10,000 if convicted; and aggravated battery, a Level 3 felony that carries a possible sentence of three to 16 years in prison and a possible fine of up to $10,000 if convicted.
Charging documents state that Burns had sent Kobold an eviction letter outlining conditions he needed to meet during a 30-day timeframe to avoid eviction, including: securing a full-time job, cleaning his room, and contributing to the cleanliness of common areas in the home.
Shelley Jones is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
