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The Thursday before last, 27-year-old Heather Koon appeared in an Ohio courtroom and admitted to raping four toddlers more than three years ago while employed by an Elyria daycare center. She faces 15 years to life in prison when sentenced in September.
In an interview on Thursday, the mother of one of Koon's four young victims tells PEOPLE she is hoping for the latter.
"I want them to give her the max," explains the mother, who spoke with PEOPLE on condition of anonymity. "The judge has the opportunity to impose life without parole and should, because I believe she deserves every single day of that sentence."
After initially denying any wrongdoing, Koon ultimately pleaded guilty to four counts of rape.
She also pleaded guilty to four counts of kidnapping, another four for pandering obscenity involving a minor, three counts of illegal use of a minor in nudity-oriented material and one count each of tampering with evidence and engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity.
A trio of civil lawsuits filed by the families of Koon's victims is still pending. The suits also name Koon's onetime employer, ABC Kidz Child Care. ABC Kidz Child Care declined PEOPLE's request for comment.
In addition to abusing the children left in her care, Koon took obscene photos of them.
Koon's defense attorney Daniel Wightman tells PEOPLE his client's actions were driven by the demands of her fiancé, convicted sex offender James Osborne.
During a separate court appearance, Osborne pleaded guilty to four counts of complicity to rape, complicity to kidnapping and pandering obscenity involving a minor, a Loraine County Court official confirms to PEOPLE. He also pleaded guilty to engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, failure to register as a sex offender and illegal use of a minor in nudity-oriented material, the official confirms.
Wightman says that Koon regrets her crimes – but the victim's mother isn't buying it.
"I feel no remorse from her and I'm glad we don't have to go through a trial," the mother says. "I'm glad she didn't drag it out with a trial, because she obviously knew it wasn't going to work out for her."
• Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter.
The mom tells PEOPLE she's anxious for the sentencing so her daughter and her family "can finally put this all behind us and move on a little bit. I'm glad she won't be able to victimize anyone else."
The victim's mother says she never imagined she'd be putting her daughter in harm's way by enrolling her in daycare.
"To a certain degree, you completely trust these people to do the same job you are doing," the mother explains. "When working with all-female childcare givers, your expectation is that this won't happen. You don't think a woman is going to do something like this."
In an interview on Thursday, the mother of one of Koon's four young victims tells PEOPLE she is hoping for the latter.
"I want them to give her the max," explains the mother, who spoke with PEOPLE on condition of anonymity. "The judge has the opportunity to impose life without parole and should, because I believe she deserves every single day of that sentence."
After initially denying any wrongdoing, Koon ultimately pleaded guilty to four counts of rape.
She also pleaded guilty to four counts of kidnapping, another four for pandering obscenity involving a minor, three counts of illegal use of a minor in nudity-oriented material and one count each of tampering with evidence and engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity.
A trio of civil lawsuits filed by the families of Koon's victims is still pending. The suits also name Koon's onetime employer, ABC Kidz Child Care. ABC Kidz Child Care declined PEOPLE's request for comment.
In addition to abusing the children left in her care, Koon took obscene photos of them.
Koon's defense attorney Daniel Wightman tells PEOPLE his client's actions were driven by the demands of her fiancé, convicted sex offender James Osborne.
During a separate court appearance, Osborne pleaded guilty to four counts of complicity to rape, complicity to kidnapping and pandering obscenity involving a minor, a Loraine County Court official confirms to PEOPLE. He also pleaded guilty to engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, failure to register as a sex offender and illegal use of a minor in nudity-oriented material, the official confirms.
Wightman says that Koon regrets her crimes – but the victim's mother isn't buying it.
"I feel no remorse from her and I'm glad we don't have to go through a trial," the mother says. "I'm glad she didn't drag it out with a trial, because she obviously knew it wasn't going to work out for her."
• Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter.
The mom tells PEOPLE she's anxious for the sentencing so her daughter and her family "can finally put this all behind us and move on a little bit. I'm glad she won't be able to victimize anyone else."
The victim's mother says she never imagined she'd be putting her daughter in harm's way by enrolling her in daycare.
"To a certain degree, you completely trust these people to do the same job you are doing," the mother explains. "When working with all-female childcare givers, your expectation is that this won't happen. You don't think a woman is going to do something like this."
Daughter Hasn't Been the Same
Koon's victim's mother says her child hasn't been the same since the assaults. The girl's personality has been subdued since 2013, she says.
"I think it's always in the back of my mind that this could have lasting effects on her, but I'm hoping she was young enough where it won't," the mother explains. "But it's always in the back of my mind that it could forever impact her. She has regressed on quite a few things that would have been easy for her, had this not happened."
Before the assault, the woman claims her daughter was potty trained. "But she regressed after this happened," the mom says. "She was a very avid talker, too. Very talkative. But now, she has a stutter whenever she gets very nervous and very excited. She also doesn't like to go to different people now. She has trust issues when it comes to adults."
While her daughter's friendships have grown stronger the last few years as she's excelled in school, the mother tells PEOPLE she can't help but feel somewhat guilty over what her child's been through.
"I sometimes think that something was wrong, and I didn’t notice it," the mom confides. "She was telling me something without words and I just wasn't listening to her. Knowing she was trying to tell me something, I feel very guilty about that. I can't help it."
The mother tells PEOPLE she's looking forward to addressing Koon when she's sentenced.
"I have been writing my impact statement for a couple of years now, and have been changing it, adding to it," the mom explains. "It's up to five pages right now. I have plenty to say to her. There are some things I need to say to her before I never have to see her again."
But the healing can't begin for her family until Koon is sentenced.
"This whole thing is still going on for us – it's not finished yet," she says. "Over the years, you heal a bit here and there. But then the bandage gets ripped off whenever there's another hearing or another delay. We're ready to put this behind us and not have to worry about the next court date."
"I think it's always in the back of my mind that this could have lasting effects on her, but I'm hoping she was young enough where it won't," the mother explains. "But it's always in the back of my mind that it could forever impact her. She has regressed on quite a few things that would have been easy for her, had this not happened."
Before the assault, the woman claims her daughter was potty trained. "But she regressed after this happened," the mom says. "She was a very avid talker, too. Very talkative. But now, she has a stutter whenever she gets very nervous and very excited. She also doesn't like to go to different people now. She has trust issues when it comes to adults."
While her daughter's friendships have grown stronger the last few years as she's excelled in school, the mother tells PEOPLE she can't help but feel somewhat guilty over what her child's been through.
"I sometimes think that something was wrong, and I didn’t notice it," the mom confides. "She was telling me something without words and I just wasn't listening to her. Knowing she was trying to tell me something, I feel very guilty about that. I can't help it."
The mother tells PEOPLE she's looking forward to addressing Koon when she's sentenced.
"I have been writing my impact statement for a couple of years now, and have been changing it, adding to it," the mom explains. "It's up to five pages right now. I have plenty to say to her. There are some things I need to say to her before I never have to see her again."
But the healing can't begin for her family until Koon is sentenced.
"This whole thing is still going on for us – it's not finished yet," she says. "Over the years, you heal a bit here and there. But then the bandage gets ripped off whenever there's another hearing or another delay. We're ready to put this behind us and not have to worry about the next court date."
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