A man considered a high-risk offender said he wanted to plead guilty for violating a court order, but the judge urged him to consult with a lawyer first. Kevin Koehler made a brief appearance in a Kitchener courtroom on Friday and told Justice Pamela Borghesan, “I just want to get sentenced.” The 61-year-old was arrested in April. It’s alleged he broke two terms of a judicial order, imposed in October 2025, upon his completion of a 12-year prison sentence for manslaughter in the 2013 death of his roommate, Mary Anne May. Koehler is accused of possessing or consuming alcohol and failing to report an intimate relationship. It’s the second time he has been charged with breaching a court order since his release from prison. He pleaded guilty the first time and was released in February, after about three months behind bars. In court on Friday, Koehler admitted he drank when he wasn’t supposed to. “I’m an alcoholic so I’m going to drink every day,” he reasoned. Koehler also told the court he is shy and drinks to be sociable. “I use it so I can come out of my shell.” He didn’t report the intimate relationship, he said, because it only involved cuddling. Koehler also argued against restrictions on his behaviour as he had already served time for manslaughter. “I don’t believe that I should be under stipulations after doing a 12-year sentence,” he told the judge. Borghesan noted that, whether Koehler agrees with it or not, he was bound by the conditions of the judicial order. The question now was whether he had willfully breached those restrictions. The judge urged Koehler to get a lawyer, something he has repeatedly refused to do. Borghesan told him judges will only accept a guilty plea if it is voluntary and it is clear the accused believes they are indeed guilty. In Koehler’s case, the judge questioned whether he believed he was guilty of failing to report an intimate relationship. Koehler said he would plead guilty to that charge and get, what he called, his “spanking.” “There will be no spanking,” Borghesan replied. “I was just joking,” Koehler insisted. He will remain behind bars until his next court day on July 20. Borghesan urged him again to get a lawyer before then. “It can’t hurt,” the judge told him. Koehler said he probably wouldn’t but also indicated he might speak with duty counsel. “Hopefully you won’t be too harsh on me, I’ve already done 12 years, come on,” he told Borghesan. “I’ll just be in for life if you keep putting me in for drinking.” Koehler reiterated his plan to get his “spanking” over with, to do his time and then leave the province. “Hasta la vista, [to] B.C. I go. You won’t be seeing me again ever in Ontario. Never.”
