SANDPOINT — A Boundary County woman guilty of sexually abusing two minors has been given an underlying life sentence for the crimes.  

Katherine Cowell, 52, was given a life sentence, with 20 years fixed, for being found guilty by trial of two charges of lewd conduct with a minor under 16.  

The penalties will run concurrently, and she will remain in prison for 20 years before becoming eligible for parole.  

First District Judge Susie Jensen handed down the sentence from the bench after hearing statements from Cowell, Prosecutor Louis Marshall and public defender Catherine Enright.  

Victim impact statements were not read during the hearing, as Marshall told the court the victims felt their testimony had been heard on multiple occasions, including both Cowell’s case against her and the case against her husband, Richard Cowell, who resides at Bonner County Jail on similar charges.  

He pleaded guilty to criminal conspiracy and lewd conduct with a minor, receiving a fixed sentence of 17 years and five years indeterminate.  

Marshall said that it would be easy to recommend Katherine serve a 22-year sentence like her husband, but shared that there were key differences in their cases — Richard spared the victims from having to testify at a jury trial, whereas she had not.  

“He at least, in a sense, showed some accountability,” Marshall said.  

He recommended the 20-to-life sentence after telling the court that he believed Katherine to be the main perpetrator of the cases between herself and Richard, noting that her actions were a “heinous crime and warrant a life sentence.” 

Enright shared a vastly different stance when recommending a sentence for her client.

She noted that Cowell maintained her innocence and would be filing an appeal to her guilty verdict. Enright recommended a period of probation for Cowell, arguing that she was not a risk to the community and that she had, and continues, to lead a law-abiding life.  

Enright also asked that if the court was not open to probation, Cowell would be given the same sentence as her husband, asking the court “not to punish her for taking the case to trial.” 

When given a chance to speak, Cowell sniffled through her statement, noting her disappointment with the justice system, specifically for “failing innocent people.”  

“My heart is broken ... I am not a danger to [—], my community or society. You already know, I do not admit to these allegations, and I maintain that they are categorical lies,” Cowell said. “I have a good heart, and I care for people, and I try to help them. I have even been helping women I have met at jail, and I have learned so much about the justice system and hope to use this experience to advocate for others.” 

In front of approximately 20 people, Jensen gave Cowell a sentence worse than her husband’s, following Marshall’s life sentence recommendation, with 20 years fixed. 

The difference between Katherine and Richard, said Jensen, lay in the foundation that Katherine had been found guilty of committing lewd crimes on two victims, compared to Richard’s one.  

“The allegations and the convictions against him, at least physically, are for one child. You have been convicted of abusing two, and I don’t think the same sentence is appropriate,” Jensen said.  

Jensen further pointed to Cowell’s actions as a “profound violation” of the individuals she harmed, and that she “failed to protect them in every way possible.”  

“The trauma of what you did and the damage that you caused will remain with them for their entire lives, because you did not contemplate that your criminal conduct would cause or threaten harm. No sane person would think that your actions would not cause harm. There is no way that you knew or thought that your actions would do anything other than cause this grievous harm, not just physically, which I'm sure there was, but mentally, spiritually, emotionally. This was a profound violation.” 

She further noted Cowell’s lack of accountability and that her amenability to treatment would likely be ineffective because she refuses to acknowledge the crimes.  

In sharing the sentence, Jensen recommends that, while treatment may not help her acknowledge the sexual abuse she committed, it may help her move forward from the abuse she endured as a child, actions that were disclosed in a pre-sentencing investigation sheet. 

“While you certainly have stated that you're amenable to treatment, and I do think treatment for other issues, for your own personal trauma, would be appropriate and would be beneficial, specific sex offender treatment again requires some admission of wrongdoing, some acknowledgment of your behavior, and that is simply not here,” Jensen said.

Before recessing the court, Jensen, in hand with Marshall’s prior comments made during his sentencing recommendation, acknowledged the victims in the case with hopes it would give them some closure.  

“I would act on Mr. Marshall's sentiments that coming forward and testifying, not just once, but multiple times over and over again. That's on top of forensic interviews, that's on top of police interviews, that's in front of strangers and family members and friends, and baring your soul in what can only be incredibly traumatic experiences, takes a very strong person. I would acknowledge the strength that took, the courage that took, and hope that their victims in this case can move on from here,” Jensen said. 

The case has drawn public attention since Katherine Cowell and her husband, Richard, were arrested in February 2025 in Boundary County after allegations that the pair had committed acts of sexual abuse.   

Police arrested the couple Feb. 5, 2025, at their Naples home, which doubled as an unlicensed child daycare. 

Court documents indicate the abuse occurred between 2012 and 2015, several years before the daycare opened its doors. However, the daycare permanently closed its doors six days after the pair’s arrest.   

At a joint preliminary hearing, the alleged victims testified that they were coerced into sexual relations with the couple as minors. At Richard’s sentencing, both victims provided statements as well, noting Richard’s lack of accountability for the actions he pleaded guilty to.