Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Marine accused of killing gay Army reservist due in court

Attorney: “No time waiver,” case set for trial later this month

Kevin Albert Richard Coset, 23, is due in San Diego Superior Court next Tuesday, to confirm his trial date for later this month. Coset pleads not guilty to murder and denies the special circumstance of “lying in wait,” which could make him eligible for the death penalty.

Corporal Kevin Coset was a Marine stationed at Camp Pendleton, California, when he was arrested on suspicion of killing Army reservist Alvin Bulaoro, 24. The victim was last seen alive the night of December 21, 2012.

Sheriff’s investigators found Alvin Bulaoro’s body zipped in a sleeping bag in the back seat area of his own vehicle, parked at a local grocery store, on January 3, 2013.

At a preliminary hearing March 25, 2013, a pathologist testified that the victim suffered 44 stab wounds and two gunshots to the back of his head.

The murder case is proceeding forward quickly, and defense attorney Pal Lengyel-Leahu confirmed that his client had not waived right to a speedy trial, as of April 10, 2013.

Attorneys Shannon Dorval and Vince Imhoff, from the law firm Imhoff & Associates based out of Los Angeles, have joined Pal Lengyel-Leahu to form the defense team, according to Lengyel-Leahu.

At the March hearing, an investigator testified that he found a notebook labeled “personal journal of Kevin Coset” in a locked drawer underneath Coset’s bed, in his Camp Pendleton barracks. The first page was dated December 21, 2012, the witness said, and he read aloud the first handwritten page: “Tonight I had to kill for the third time. It was a guy named Alvin Bulaoro out in Fallbrook. It was definitely a him-or-me situation. I get no joy out of killing but I feel I must keep doing it to survive in my fight against the evil Musgrove Organization. They have been plotting against me for years now, as well as entering my mind and stealing my intelligence. They are responsible for getting me kicked out of school, as well as destroying my chance of me having a normal future. Murder is justice.”

Two weeks ago, on April 18, prosecution requested a handwriting “exemplar” from the accused man, according to his defense attorney.

Prosecution claims that the accused man met Alvin Bulaoro in the parking lot of an Albertson’s grocery store near the victim's home, the night of December 21 2012. Prosecutors claim to have video showing a man getting into Bulaoro’s vehicle, and then the car drove away. Witnesses testified that Kevin Coset’s credit card was used to rent a hotel room half-mile down the same street in Fallbrook, California, and a DNA expert said they found Alvin Bulaoro’s blood in that hotel room.

Surveillance video and use of cell phones and credit cards were used as evidence to suggest the movement and activity of both the victim Bulaoro and the accused man, Coset, in the timeframe around the killing.

Kevin Albert Richard Coset, 23, is due in department 5 of San Diego's North County Superior Courthouse at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, May 7, 2013.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all

Previous article

Trump names local supporter new Border Czar

Another Brick (Suit) in the Wall

Kevin Albert Richard Coset, 23, is due in San Diego Superior Court next Tuesday, to confirm his trial date for later this month. Coset pleads not guilty to murder and denies the special circumstance of “lying in wait,” which could make him eligible for the death penalty.

Corporal Kevin Coset was a Marine stationed at Camp Pendleton, California, when he was arrested on suspicion of killing Army reservist Alvin Bulaoro, 24. The victim was last seen alive the night of December 21, 2012.

Sheriff’s investigators found Alvin Bulaoro’s body zipped in a sleeping bag in the back seat area of his own vehicle, parked at a local grocery store, on January 3, 2013.

At a preliminary hearing March 25, 2013, a pathologist testified that the victim suffered 44 stab wounds and two gunshots to the back of his head.

The murder case is proceeding forward quickly, and defense attorney Pal Lengyel-Leahu confirmed that his client had not waived right to a speedy trial, as of April 10, 2013.

Attorneys Shannon Dorval and Vince Imhoff, from the law firm Imhoff & Associates based out of Los Angeles, have joined Pal Lengyel-Leahu to form the defense team, according to Lengyel-Leahu.

At the March hearing, an investigator testified that he found a notebook labeled “personal journal of Kevin Coset” in a locked drawer underneath Coset’s bed, in his Camp Pendleton barracks. The first page was dated December 21, 2012, the witness said, and he read aloud the first handwritten page: “Tonight I had to kill for the third time. It was a guy named Alvin Bulaoro out in Fallbrook. It was definitely a him-or-me situation. I get no joy out of killing but I feel I must keep doing it to survive in my fight against the evil Musgrove Organization. They have been plotting against me for years now, as well as entering my mind and stealing my intelligence. They are responsible for getting me kicked out of school, as well as destroying my chance of me having a normal future. Murder is justice.”

Two weeks ago, on April 18, prosecution requested a handwriting “exemplar” from the accused man, according to his defense attorney.

Prosecution claims that the accused man met Alvin Bulaoro in the parking lot of an Albertson’s grocery store near the victim's home, the night of December 21 2012. Prosecutors claim to have video showing a man getting into Bulaoro’s vehicle, and then the car drove away. Witnesses testified that Kevin Coset’s credit card was used to rent a hotel room half-mile down the same street in Fallbrook, California, and a DNA expert said they found Alvin Bulaoro’s blood in that hotel room.

Surveillance video and use of cell phones and credit cards were used as evidence to suggest the movement and activity of both the victim Bulaoro and the accused man, Coset, in the timeframe around the killing.

Kevin Albert Richard Coset, 23, is due in department 5 of San Diego's North County Superior Courthouse at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, May 7, 2013.

Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Julie Harper may claim self-defense

Jury selection for Carlsbad murder trial set for next week
Next Article

Homecare nurse accused of felonies was found guilty of two misdemeanors

Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader