The 27-year-old Koon pleaded guilty last week to four counts of rape among other charges, her attorney, Dan Wightman, told The Washington Post.
What is up for debate, Wightman said, is whether Koon should be considered a violent sexual offender. Earning that designation at a future hearing would give the former child caretaker a mandatory life sentence without parole, he said.
"It's very unusual to have a female charged as a sexual predator — almost unheard of," Wightman said. "Psychologists tend to think she's more along the lines of a battered woman. She was being influenced by her boyfriend."
Comment: Female sexual predators are less common, but they are capable of the same severity of abuse and are just as dangerous.
Authorities maintain that James Osborne instructed Koon to carry out the sexual assaults of children — including a 1- and 2-year-old — at ABC Kidz Child Care in March and April of 2013, according to the Chronicle-Telegram of Lorain County.
Comment: Listen to the SOTT editors interview Dr. Anna Salter, author of the best-selling book, Predators: Pedophiles, Rapists, and Other Sex Offenders, Who They Are, How They Operate, and How We Can Protect Ourselves and Our Children.
Behind the Headlines: Predators Among Us - Interview With Dr. Anna Salter