SANDPOINT — A jury found a Naples woman guilty of sexually abusing two children under the age of 16 following four hours of deliberation after the trial wrapped up in two days instead of the anticipated week.  

Katherine Cowell, 51, was found guilty of two counts of lewd conduct with a minor stemming from allegations of sexual abuse between 2012 and 2016.  

After the verdict was read at 7 p.m. and a sentencing time was set, the victims and their families celebrated the verdict with hugs.   

Cowell will remain at the Bonner County Jail without bail until her sentencing hearing April 20. She could face up to the maximum of life in prison.  

The verdict followed a day of testimony, including both victims in the case, several of their family members, an expert witness and Katherine Cowell herself.  

When they took the stand, the victims outlined the alleged abuse they had experienced by Cowell and her husband, Richard, during their youth. Now adults, both shared their relationships with Katherine and Richard, with the oldest victim indicating signs of grooming before the alleged abuse.

To protect the identities of the survivors, who were minors at the time of the alleged abuse, the Daily Bee has omitted certain testimony and details in accordance with its policy of not naming victims of sexual abuse.

“Looking back on it, I was being groomed,” the eldest victim said. “I was the favorite ...  I was rewarded for the good deeds that I did, I was getting special treatment over others.” 

He went on to tell the jury how Cowell's alleged abuse escalated over time, and eventually included abuse by Richard, who has already been sentenced to serve 22 years in jail on related charges of criminal conspiracy and lewd conduct with a minor.  

Yet, according to the oldest victim, he never spoke about the abuse due to fear that was allegedly instilled in him by the Cowells.  

“She told me, ‘You can’t talk to anybody about this, nobody should know. This is a secret; I could get in trouble ... You would destroy our lives,’” he told the jury. 

The younger victim shared similar sentiments, noting that her main abuser was Richard Cowell, with Katherine participating in the abuse later on. When asked why the abuse stopped, she explained that she used her menstrual cycle, among other reasons, as an excuse to ignore participating in the alleged activity between her and the man.  

In a pre-sentencing investigation sheet, Richard Cowell admitted to having sexual relations with the younger victim, but only after she was 18 years old.   

In other public testimony, family members and detectives were questioned, all of whom were unaware of the alleged abuse before it was reported to authorities. When questioned by Enright, it was determined that almost everyone who took the stand was aware that Katherine and Richard were swingers — a point the defense capitalized on in closing statements to indicate why the victims, and their family members, would allegedly lie about the sexual abuse allegations.   

A video was also presented to the court of when Cowell was arrested and the interview leading up to her arrest. When questioned by law enforcement, Cowell shared that she didn’t have anything to say about the allegations, for fear of “going down a rabbit hole and getting herself in trouble.” 

When asked about her “rabbit hole” remark to law enforcement, Cowell told the court of an “incident” that had allegedly occurred involving the victim, and that she was unsure if the officer was talking about that.  

There was a shift in the courtroom when Cowell decided to testify in her own case, citing that a motive for the sexual abuse allegations was based on her husband’s family disapproving of her and their swinger lifestyle.  

“Even from the moment that I met Rich, I had had sexual relations before marriage, and Rich hadn’t, and so his family did not like me. My mom had been married and divorced several times, which his family never had,” Cowell said. "I think it [allegations] has to do with the swinging, and I think it has to do with the family finding out about the swinging, and not liking it in any way, shape or form.” 

Amid other reasons for a motivation to lie about the alleged abuse, including financial gain, Cowell indicated that she was unaware of Richard’s sexual abuse of the younger victim until after they were arrested. She said those incidents occurred while she was away with someone else.  

Cowell was the last to testify before closing sentiments were given by Marshall and Enright.  

In presenting their closing arguments, Bonner County Prosecutor Louis Marshall and chief deputy public defender Catherine Enright asked jurors to use common sense when deliberating on the truths of the case.