A mother was found dead hours after she served her 19-year-old son an eviction notice.
Shanelle Burns, 43, who lived in Indiana and was a Loyola University Chicago employee, had filed the eviction notice against her son, Conner Kobold, who is now 20 years old.
According to charging documents seen by the Post-Tribune, Burns had specified that in order to avoid being evicted, Kobold had 30 days to find a job, clean his room, and help with cleaning the common areas of the home.
However, just hours after she served him the notice on February 5, police in Valparaiso, Indiana, were called to a report of an assault after Kobold phoned 911 numerous times.
Upon arrival at the residence, police say they found an unconscious woman - later identified as Burns - with "serious injuries".
According to reports by WGN and the Post-Tribune, Burns died two days later, with authorities determining she had been strangled, and Kobold is accused of committing the crime.
Kobold has been charged with murder and aggravated battery in connection with the death of his mother according to court records, but has pleaded not guilty.
According to reports from WGN and the Post-Tribune, once in the police car, officers allege he told them: "here is a dead person inside of the house on the corner.”
When the officer asked: "A dead person?", Kobold allegedly responded: "Yeah, I killed somebody in that that (sic) house."
Officers also noted superficial scratches on Kobold's face at the time.
Upon entering the home, officers allegedly found Burns not breathing and without a pulse, and also noted there appeared to have been signs of a struggle.
Burns was an assistant vice president in advancement at Loyola University in Chicago, and her colleague Karen Paciero shared a heartfelt statement following her death.
Paciero 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."
According to Burns's online obituary, the Indiana native loved traveling and had many creative talents, adding: "hanelle taught herself to play piano, classical of course, a hobby that carried on throughout adulthood.
"She also would journal voraciously, writing poetry and stories that showed her creative and organizational prowess."
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The obituary added: "If you were to ask Shanelle’s friends what mattered most to her you would get a universal response: her son.
"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."
According to Kobold's LinkedIn page, he'd started studying at the United States Merchant Marine Academy in 2022.
He is currently being held in the Porter County Jail awaiting trial, which is scheduled to begin in August.
According to reports from the Post-Tribune, Kobold had filed a waiver to represent himself in February, but an online court docket indicates that he was appointed a public defender in April.
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