California Man Sentenced to 140 Years for Attempting to Shift Blame to Twin in Rape Cases
A troubling case that spanned decades has come to a conclusion with the sentencing of Kevin Konther, a California man found guilty of raping a 32-year-old jogger and a 9-year-old kid.
The Orange County District Attorney’s office announced this week that Konther, now 58 years old, has been sentenced to 140 years to life in prison for these heinous crimes, which occurred in 1995 and 1998, respectively.
The breakthrough in this cold case came in 2019 when genealogy technology led investigators to Konther and his identical twin brother.
Initially, Konther attempted to shift blame onto his brother, but covertly recorded conversations between the two siblings following their arrests revealed damning evidence against Kevin Konther.
According to the district attorney’s office, these recordings captured Konther making multiple incriminating statements, including admissions of his involvement in the assaults.
Despite the shared DNA between identical twins, the twin brother has not been charged in connection with these crimes. Recorded conversations showed his shock at the allegations facing his brother, further highlighting Kevin Konther’s guilt.
California Chilling Assaults
The punishment, which was issued by a judge on Monday, signifies the most severe consequence permitted by the legal statutes.
Konther was convicted by a jury in February on two counts of forcible rape, along with additional charges related to the molestation of a third victim, the 12-year-old daughter of a former girlfriend.
The details of the assaults are chilling. In 1995, Konther raped a 9-year-old girl at knifepoint as she walked home in Lake Forest, a city in Orange County. Three years later, he ambushed and raped a 32-year-old woman who was jogging in Mission Viejo.
Despite the passage of time, justice has been served for the victims and their families. However, the trauma inflicted by Konther’s actions remains. The attorney who represented Konther declined to comment immediately following the sentencing.
The aforementioned instance from California highlights the value of persistence in cracking cold cases and the critical role technological innovations, like genealogy software, can play in apprehending criminals even decades after their crimes were done.
