Callum Jones
A mother was found dead just hours after serving an eviction notice to her 19-year-old son.
Shanelle Burns died on 7 February, with the preliminary results of an autopsy taken two days later revealing the cause of death as asphyxiation secondary to manual strangulation. Her death was ruled as a homicide shortly after.
It had emerged that the 43-year-old had filed an eviction notice against her son, Conner Kobold, in the days prior to her death.
As per charging documents seen by the Post-Tribune, Shanelle had specified that in order to avoid being evicted, a then-19-year-old Conner had 30 days to find a job, clean his room, and help with tidying common areas.
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Just hours after the notice was filed to him on 5 February, police in Valparaiso, Indiana, were called to a report of an assault after Conner dialled 911 numerous times.
Cops say they found an unresponsive woman after arriving at the scene. The individual was Shanelle, who sustained 'serious injuries'.
After passing away in hospital two days later, Conner has since been charged with murder and aggravated battery in connection with the death of his mother, as per court records.
The now 20-year-old has since pleaded not guilty.
According to reports from both WGN and the Post-Tribune, police officers claim that Conner told officers once in the cop car that there 'is a dead person inside of the house on the corner'.
After being questioned by officers, Conner allegedly responded: "Yeah, I killed somebody in that that (sic) house."
Upon entering the house, police officers found Shanelle not breathing and without a pulse.
Many issued emotional statements to pay their respects, including Karen Paciero, her colleague at Loyola University in Chicago.
She said: "Shanelle was very witty, kind, and poised. She had an exceptional ability to both strategically design and execute; she was a trusted advisor to many within Advancement and so many across the University.
"We all miss her and profoundly mourn the loss to our division and the University."
Shanelle's online obituary provides a good explanation on what she was like as a person.
"If you were to ask Shanelle’s friends what mattered most to her you would get a universal response: her son," it stated.
"Shanelle worked tirelessly to build an enviable life for the two of them, ensuring he had every opportunity to succeed.
"She took great pride in being a mother and poured all her resources into building a supportive and loving environment."
Conner is currently being held in the Porter County Jail awaiting trial, which is scheduled to take place in August.