A Valparaiso man who pleaded guilty but mentally ill in the February 2024 murder of his mother after she filed eviction papers against him was sentenced Dec. 4 to 48 years in prison, according to court documents.
Under the terms of the plea agreement, prosecutors dropped a Level 3 felony charge of aggravated battery against Conner Kobold, 21, who killed his mother, Shanelle Burns, 43, in their home on Valparaiso’s north side in the 1300 block of Diamond Boulevard, according to court documents.
Porter Superior Court Judge Michael Fish found as mitigating factors in the sentencing Kobold’s lack of a criminal history, his cooperation with law enforcement, his “significant mental health concerns,” and that the crime is unlikely to reoccur, per the sentencing order.
Burns 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, 2024. Results of an autopsy performed by the Porter County Coroner’s Office showed the cause of death as asphyxiation secondary to manual strangulation and ruled the death a homicide.
Kobold was served with an eviction notice in the days before the crime, according to court records, after Burns sent Kobold a Dec. 26, 2023, letter outlining conditions he needed to meet during a 30-day timeframe to avoid being evicted from their home.
Among the conditions listed were securing full-time employment and keeping his room clean, and contributing to the cleanliness of the residence’s common areas.
Valparaiso Police were dispatched to the 1300 block of Diamond Boulevard at 3:48 p.m. on Feb. 5, 2024, 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.
Kobold “immediately asked to be placed into handcuffs and in the back seat of the patrol vehicle,” charging documents state.
Unprovoked, Kobold told police, “There is a dead person inside of the house on the corner,” according to the charges. When an officer asked to confirm there was a dead person, Kobold said, “yeah, I killed somebody in that house,” which the officer also confirmed.
An officer observed superficial scratches on Kobold’s face, documents said.
Police conducted a protective sweep of the residence and found Kobold’s mother in the living room, unconscious and unresponsive, with no pulse and not breathing.
She was transported to Northwest Health-Porter while Kobold was taken to the Valparaiso Police Department for questioning. Police said in the charging documents that there was a sign of a struggle where Burns was located, including furniture that was disturbed.
