THURSTON COUNTY, Wash. — The man accused of killing a Thurston County couple who were missing for several weeks pleaded not guilty in court on Tuesday.
Timothy Burke pleaded not guilty to two counts of aggravated murder in the deaths of Karen Koep and her husband, Davido.
Burke will be held without bail, and his trial is set to begin in January.
Deputies responded to reports of a body near Stedman Road Southeast on JBLM property on the afternoon of Dec. 2, and ended up finding a second during the investigation.
Burke was renting a garage on property owned by the couple and was in the process of being evicted, according to prosecutors.
Koep's sister said it was a blessing the remains were found before Tuesday's court appearance.
"A lot of prayers were answered," said Koep's sister, Pauline Dutton.
She said the discovery of the remains strengthens the state's case against Burke.
Dutton said it also provided the family with some relief.
"It brought a lot of comfort to us, because we could stop worrying," said Dutton, "We could stop worrying and wondering. And that is exhausting.”
Burke was arrested on Nov. 17, four days after the couple's disappearance. Deputies said he was found hiding from law enforcement off the side of a trail.
According to court documents, deputies found two large blood stains and an "overwhelming smell of bleach" at the couple's home, indicating someone tried to clean up the blood. The deputies responding to the couple's home said the amount of blood found was "beyond what a human could survive," court documents detailed.
Investigators learned that Koep's car was not in the garage. They did find blood spatter in the garage.
Neighbors told deputies they heard gunshots on Friday or Saturday night around 8-9 p.m. The neighbor's report matched the possible bullet holes found in the wall and in the living room, according to court documents.
Davido's debit card was used on Nov. 12 - the day before the couple went missing - at two credit unions in Washington state.
Officials initially arrested the suspect for identity theft, but he was released on Nov. 14 because there was not enough cause to connect him to the couple's suspected murder at the time.