Kevin Konther was arrested on January 11, 2019, and charged in three sexual assaults that took place in the Lake Forest Community in Orange County, California. On October 21, 1995, a 9-year-old girl was walking to her home from a nearby convenience store when she was dragged into a wooded area and sexually assaulted. On June 2, 1998, a 31-year-old woman was jogging in the area was kidnapped, dragged into the bushes and sexually assaulted.
Konther may be linked to another case involving the sexual molestation of a 12-year-old girl that took place on numerous occasions around 2002 or 2003.
The FIGG investigation was conducted by Barbara Rae-Venter and a team that worked on the investigation into the Golden State Killer, including Stephen Kramer, Melissa Parisot, Monica Czajkowski, and Kirk Campbell. The investigation in this case identified two twin brothers as matching the crime scene DNA. They were both initially taken into custody. Regular policework, rather than forensic science distinguished them, and led to the arrest of Konther.
Konther has pled not guilty, and his case is pending in Orange County Superior Court. His jury trial began on January 25, 2023. Konther’s attorney, Jessica Ann Sweeny, stated that Konther’s twin Stephen is the guilty party. She also stated that Stephen was treated better than Kevin while growing up. A stepdaughter of Kevin has also stated that he molested her in 2003. Sweeny states that the allegations against Kevin stem from a “disgruntled ex-girlfriend.”
Konther was convicted by an Orange County Jury in February of 2023 for offences against all three victims. He will be sentenced in March of 2023.
Sources:
Anderson, Paul. “Trial Begins for Former Huntington Beach Man Accused of Rapes in 1990s.” LA Times, January 26, 2023. Accessed January 29, 2023. https://www.latimes.com/socal/daily-pilot/news/story/2023-01-26/trial-begins-for-former-huntington-beach-man-accused-of-rapes-in-1990s.
Barbara Rae-Venter. Personal Communication. January 3, 2024.
City News Service. “Garage Repairman Linked to 1990s Cold Case Rapes Through Genealogy DNA.” NBC 4 Los Angeles, January 11, 2019, last modified January 12, 2019. Accessed December 24, 2020. https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/garage-repairman-linked-to-1990s-cold-case-rapes-through-genealogy-dna/4745/.
Conklin, Audrey. “California Man Who Accused Twin Brother of 2 Rapes in 1990s is Convicted of Crimes.” Fox News, February 24, 2023. Accessed February 28, 2023. https://www.foxnews.com/us/california-man-who-accused-twin-brother-2-rapes-1990s-convicted-crimes?intcmp=fb_fnc.
Contributing Editor. “Man Ordered to Stand Trial on Sexual Assaults of Three Victims.” MyNewsLA.com, July 25, 2019. Accessed December 24, 2020. https://mynewsla.com/crime/2019/07/25/man-ordered-to-stand-trial-on-sexual-assaults-of-three-victims/.
Do, Ann. “Rape Suspect Arrested in 1990s Cold Cases After Familial DNA Leads Investigators to Twin Brother.” Los Angeles Times, January 11, 2019. Accessed December 24, 2020. https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-rape-arrest-20190111-story.html.
Emery, Sean. “Attorney for Man on Trial for California Cold-Case Rapes Alleges Client’s Twin is Guilty.” Mercury News, January 26, 2023. Accessed January 29, 2023. https://www.mercurynews.com/2023/01/26/attorney-for-man-on-trial-for-orange-county-cold-case-rapes-alleges-clients-twin-is-guilty/.
Ludwig, Ashley. “Lake Forest Cold Case Sexual Assault Suspect Will Stand Trial.” Patch, July 26, 2019. Accessed December 24, 2020. https://patch.com/california/lakeforest-ca/lake-forest-cold-case-sexual-assault-suspect-will-stand-trial.
Superior Court of California, County of Orange. “Case Detail: Case Number 12CF0990.” Superior Court of California, County of Orange. Accessed December 28, 2021. https://ocjustice.occourts.org/Vision_PublicNS/Case.do#formAnchor.