A California man who tried to blame his identical twin for the rapes of a 9-year-old and a 32-year-old jogger more than 20 years ago was sentenced to 140 years in prison last week, according to authorities.
Kevin Konther, 58, accused his brother of committing the crimes, including the molestation of a former girlfriend’s daughter.
Orange County Superior Court Judge Richard M. King imposed the maximum sentence against Kevin Michael Konther of Highland on Friday.
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A jury convicted the pedophile in February 2023 of several felony charges linked to the assaults, including two counts of forcible rape and one count of lewd and lascivious acts with a minor.
Konther and his twin brother were arrested in 2019 following successful DNA testing that led Orange County detectives to both men, CBS Los Angeles previously reported. Authorities arrested the twins but quickly determined who the real suspect was.
Konther was booked on charges of rape, oral copulation with a child under the age of 14, lewd and lascivious acts with a child under the age of 14 and aggravated sexual assault. He was held on a $1 million bail before his arraignment.
Two of the crimes Konther was convicted of occurred nearly 30 years ago, however, there were no developments in those cases until advances in genetic genealogy led to DNA discovery in 2019.
According to the district attorney’s office, the first assault happened on Oct. 21, 1995, when authorities say Konther raped a 9-year-old girl in Lake Forest, California. Authorities reported that he snatched the girl and covered her mouth while taking her to a secluded park. After the assault, the girl ran home without her clothing and reported the rape to her mother.
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Nearly three years later, on June 2, 1998, police said that Konther raped a 32-year-old woman who was out jogging in Mission Viejo. Konther reportedly jumped out of a bush, only wearing shoes, and dragged her down an embankment before assaulting her and running away.
In 2018, detectives learned of Konther’s third crime thanks to genetic genealogy. Additionally, allegations arose that accused Konther of molesting his former girlfriend’s daughter.
Once Konther and his brother were in custody, “conversations that were covertly recorded” between the two allowed authorities to discover Konther was the suspect.
“The relentless pursuit of justice by the Orange County Sheriff’s Department and the Orange County District Attorney’s Office has ensured that another monster who preys on young girls and young women will never be free to jump out of the bushes again,” said District Attorney Todd Spitzer in a statement.
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