Serial Killer Todd Kohlhepp

Welcome to Homicide Inc. In this podcast we’ll be looking into serial Killer Todd Kohlhepp’s life and crimes. Kohlhepp was an unassuming baddie working as a realtor and moonlighting as a real creep. Multiple murders, assaults and a particularly disturbing kidnapping for starters. Let’s get into the background and case of this disturbed killer… 

Murder, kidnapping and assault - an ideal resume for an American Serial Killer. Realtor by day, serial killer by night, our man of the hour is the notorious Todd Christopher Kohlhepp. A man who committed at least seven murders, although police believe the body count is a lot higher, two cases of kidnapping and two cases of sexual assault, however police still don’t actually know if that’s the final number. 

So, what do police know about Todd Kohlhepp? 

Todd was born in March 1971, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Two years later his parents divorced, and it was from this point, that life for Todd became somewhat challenging. His mother had sole custody and it was only a year later that she had gotten remarried to a man that would go on to perhaps forge the framework of a troubled youth. Todd was at odds with his new stepdad, the classic case of the dreaded stepparents, and stepdad’s feelings for Todd were more than mutual and let it be known with regular beatings. He insisted on numerous occasions that he wanted to live with his biological dad, but his mother refused. He endured the abuse until his mother finally wised up and divorced him, only to remarry him again! 

Throughout his early years Todd was known as a troubled child, who often exhibited violent tendencies. During his time at nursey school, he often was aggressive towards other children, at times he would purposely destroy their personal items. The older he got the more emotionally unstable and volatile he became- prone to fits of rage and took this out on the other kids. Eventually his teachers and parents had had enough and at the age of 9 years old he was taken to a psychiatric facility to have him evaluated. This wasn’t of much help.

So, it was decided that Todd was to undergo counseling to help him deal with his rage. He was also deemed to be preoccupied with sexual desires, in addition to a very disturbing personality trait that was discovered by his therapist; he was incredibly cruel to animals. A huge red flag. A serial killer was in the making. 

According to scientists, there are nine early warning signs in a child that could exhibit signs of becoming a serial killer. These include Antisocial behavior, Arson, killing or harming animals, poor family life, childhood abuse, substance abuse, voyeurism, high intelligence, and shiftlessness. If Todd were playing a game of serial killer bingo right now, he would be cashing in.   

In one instance he admitted, with no guilt or remorse, that he had hunted down a dog that he killed with a BB gun. And if that wasn’t disturbing enough from a 9 – year old boy, he killed a goldfish with Clorox Bleach. Bear in mind this had all happened before he had even reached the dreaded teenage years. The next time you complain about your sulky teen, be thankful he isn’t stalking the family dog. 

Because of this behaviour and the worrying rage that he carried, Todd was sent to the Georgia psychiatric hospital, where he spent 3 months as an in-patient. The reason for his long-term stay was that he was unable to get along with other children. When he was released from the hospital his mother had decided that he would go stay with his biological father in Arizona, as his mom and stepdad had separated …. again. Todd had finally gotten what he had wanted for years, or so it seemed. He soon found out that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side.

Life was good for a short time with his biological dad, they spent their days making bombs and blowing things up, something that Todd quite enjoyed. Considering his upbringing and mental health this perhaps wasn’t the best thing for our killer in the making. But like all good things have to end, this didn’t last long. Todd began growing tired and weary of his father, who spent all his time and money collecting weapons, and on his numerous girlfriends. His father was spending less and less time at home, leaving Todd alone. On numerous occasions he asked his mom to take him back, but she always had an excuse no to. Feeling betrayed, disowned and hurt by both his parents, Todd lashed out, in the only way he knew how. 

The date was November 25, 1986, Todd Kohlhepp stood outside her home in the midday heat, he knew she was there, inside. He had awoken that morning angry, which had festered and boiled until he could think of nothing else but hurting her. She was only fourteen, hardly strong enough to fight him. He stood studying the house for a couple of minutes and when he was sure the coast was clear he moved. Getting inside was easy, pressing the .22 Caliber revolver against her back was easy as well. She screamed, he would shoot, he warned her, whispering into her ear. Terrified she allowed him to lead her to his home, his dad was out again, and he tied her hands behind her back with a thick rope. Her pitiful cries had annoyed him, so he taped her mouth shut. Rage coursed through his veins, he had no control over it as he brutally raped her. When he was finished, he removed the tape and untied the rope. He had one thing left to do, walk her home. 

The walk on the way back was tense, he had the gun pressed against her back, concealed to any passers-by. Just before they reached her house, he pressed his lips against her ear and whispered. “You tell anyone about this, and I’ll kill your younger siblings!”

And just like that, at the disturbing young age of 15 Todd Kohlhepp had become a rapist and a kidnapper, all in a day’s work. 

His threats, however threatening and gruesome, were fruitless as the crime was reported to the police and he was apprehended shorty thereafter. During his interrogation he admitted to kidnapping and raping her, he also added that he committed the crime unwilling. He explained that he only did it in rebellion to his absent father, claiming that it was because of the abuse he suffered throughout his childhood. When his mother heard what had happened, she came to his aid immediately, perhaps out of guilt, and wrote a letter to the probation officer. In her letter she had pleaded for leniency as he knew what he did was wrong was remorseful. Shockingly the officer complied, and the sexual assault charges were dropped, instead they charged him with kidnapping and committing a dangerous crime against children. He pleaded guilty to both and was sentenced to prison for 15 years in 1987 as well as being added a list of sexual predators. 

During his stay in prison Todd underwent psychiatric testing where it was discovered that he was incredibly smart with an IQ of 118, well above the average of 100. His attorney had indicated that this was the reason behind his violent behaviour, he felt that the world owed him. His attorney also argued that Kohlhepp’s anger was in check.… which backfired. During his stay at prison, he was written up for violent behaviour on multiple occasions.

Life in prison wasn’t all bad for Todd Kohlhepp. A prison-rehabilitation program had him earning a degree in computer science from Central Arizona University. The idea behind the program was that it was supposed to provide him with a decent job upon release from prison, to tame his criminal tendencies, and to help with transition back into society. He was eventually released in August 2001 after serving fourteen years, and moved back to South Carolina to be near his mother. 

The first couple of years out of prison were tough on Todd, but he had managed to find work as a graphic designer for a company in Spartanburg. He still felt unfulfilled though, so he decided to go back to school and get another degree, this time a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration-marketing. He started the degree at Greenville Technical College in 2003 but transferred a year later to the University of South Carolina Upstate and graduated in 2008. Kohlhepp was well-educated, bright and very employable.

In 2006, while still in university working on his BA in Science degree, the ambitious Kohlhepp put his surplus of smarts to good use, and became a certified real-estate agent. Can sex offenders be real-estate agents you may ask? Well not exactly, Todd had lied on his application forms claiming he hadn’t committed any felonies. This is an excellent example of why background checks are of vital importance, perhaps if it had been done a lot of people would have been spared a lot of hurt.

Despite his checkered past and unpleasant upbringing, Todd’s real-estate business was killing it (so to speak) between the years of 2006 and 2016. His company had employed a dozen agents. Things were going so good that he had been recognized as the top selling agent in South Carolina. He was swimming in cash, so much so that he now had seven properties in and out of state, had acquired a pilot’s licence and bought himself a 100-acre piece of land at a cost of around $300k. But it needed a fence, so he spent another $80 000 on fencing the entire property.

On the outside Todd had it all but his true colours slowly began to make their way to the surface. Many people who attended classes with him had said they hadn’t noticed any strange behaviour. One of his teachers claims that Todd was a bright student and that she did not observe anything remarkably out of normal. Cherry Laurens, one of Todd’s best friends from the university years, once said that Todd seemed like a decent person and that she found it difficult to believe he could ever commit the heinous crimes he was convicted of later.

Many of Todd’s friends from those days claim that he was a very hard-working man, but of the many people that had met Todd or worked with him could all attest to one thing, there was something not right about him. One of his customers had said that while Todd was very business-like and sociable, he spent a lot of time talking about his weapons collection or he would often make sexual innuendoes that left them uncomfortable. His employees had nothing nice to say about him either. Some claimed that he was verbally abusive, often talking to them in a condescending manner. One male employee walked in on Kohlhepp watching porn in the office - Well, he certainly wasn’t going to be winning that boss of the year award. Even the waitresses at the local Waffle house were creeped out by him and refused to take his orders -  the male cook had come out from the kitchen to take his orders. He would leave substantially large tips for the waitresses to coax them to come over to his home. 

What people didn’t know about Todd back then was that the anti-social behaviour was just the tip of the iceberg. 

On November 6, 2003, Todd Kohlkhepp shot and killed 4 employees from a motorbike store called Superbike Motorsports in Chesnee. The four victims of the shooting were owner Scott Ponder and his mother Beverly, service manager Brian Lucas, and mechanic Chris Sherbert. The entire staff was killed off in a rage-filled flurry of gunshots. 

According to Scott Ponder’s wife, Todd was a disgruntled customer who had come into the store several times acting aggressively and verbally abusive. Apparently, he wanted to return the motorcycle he bought and get a refund. But the employees would not accept the bike back or give him a refund. And according to Kohlhepp’s mother, the shop staff had humiliated him for not being able to ride a bike. 

That grisly November morning, Kohlhepp armed with a revolver, entered through the back of the shop where he first encountered Scott Ponder and Chris Sherbert doing maintenance on a bike. Sherbert was the first to be murdered. Ponder, with absolutely nothing to ponder, ran for his life out the back as Kohlhepp hustled to the showroom where he shot Scott’s mother. Lucas was next, he died in the doorway of the store. Kohlhepp then tracked down Scott Ponder in the parking lot where he murdered him and sped away. 4 innocent lives taken brutally at the hands of a butt-hurt madman. The case was cold. Cold-blooded and cold. Authorities were at a loss as to who the killer may be. There answer came 13 years later when Kohlhepp confessed to the murders.

So, thinking that he had gotten away with his killing spree, life went on for Todd Kohlhepp. His business was booming and things were good, that is until August 2016, when Kala Brown entered his life. 

Kala Brown who was 30 at the time and had just gotten serious with her boyfriend Charles Carver.  They decided to move in together after a couple months of dating. But it was becoming increasingly difficult for them to make ends meet. To make a little extra money Kala began cleaning houses- one client was Todd Kohlhepp. He hired her and then boyfriend Charles to clean his home which was situated on a 100-acre piece of land in rural S. Carolina. They had accepted his offer because Kala was an acquaitance. They had met 5 years earlier through an ex-boyfriend. The Todd she knew back then was a charismatic businessman, outgoing, friendly, likable. Little did she know Kohlhepp would wind up being her worst nightmare.

On August 31, 2016, the young couple packed their bags and made their way to his property out in the boondocks of S. Carolina. They were excited. It was beautiful territory and with the money they could quickly save they could get on their feet, and transition to something with a future back in the city, together. Those dreams were quickly shattered. When they arrived at the property they were greeted by Todd, and like any good host, he asked them to wait outside a moment. They had presumed he had gone in to fetch something, you can imagine their shock when he reopened the door with a gun in his hands. It happened in a split second, and Kala had watched in terror as Todd let off three gunshots point blank into Charles’ chest. Kala was thrown into a state of shock. She simply couldn’t believe what had just happened. There was no warning, no provocation, nothing. Kohlhepp didn’t speak a word before murdering Charles in cold blood. Kala barely had enough time to right herself as Todd grabbed her arms and placed her trembling hands into handcuffs. Then he forced her into a metal shipping container, which would be her home for the next two torrid months. Kohlhepp did, however, give her a choice, so it wasn’t a complete autocracy- she either lived in the shipping container, no complaints or join Charles dead in the ground. Hmmm, let’s see OK I’ll take option A. Shipping container homes are in vogue after all! Kohlhepp chained her by the neck, feet, and hands so she couldn’t get away, “Chained up like a dog!” He had once told her smugly. 

Her captivity had a disturbing routine of abuse and sexual assault. Each day, 1-3 pm was when he would let her out of the container and into his home where she was forced at gunpoint to sexually please him in any manner that he desired. He told her over and over again that she was only alive to please him, so she better keep it up. No pressure. 

On top of being a real stand-up guy, Todd was also an attentive host. He made sure she had one bathroom break a day and every other day he would give her a pot of water to wash with. It’s important as a host to make sure your guest is entertained, so he would leave a couple of crime novels strewn across the floor within arm’s reach. So, she could read in the dimly lit container he caged her in. Can you imagine the horror and stress she must’ve felt every waking hour? 

Kala Brown’s absolute nightmare played out for two full months and couldn’t end soon enough. But Todd’s somewhat delusional domestic bliss was going to come to an end very shortly. Todd’s mother hadn’t heard from him since August 31, the day Kala had arrived, and she was worried about him. Todd and his mother were very close, they spoke or texted with each other every day, and it was very unlike Todd not to have contacted her. In her gut she knew something bad had happened to him, and reported him missing on September 1st. Little did she know it was completely the other way around. 

Meanwhile, Kala’s close friend was also getting very worried, she had been trying everything to get a hold of Kala. She texted, phoned, and stopped at their house multiple times, leaving notes for her. But still nothing. Her friend was missing. What really seemed to get authorities to believe that she was indeed missing was Kala’s mother, Bobbie Newsome. Bobbie told authorities that she found Kala and Charles's dog inside their apartment with no food or water. Kala loved her dog like it was her baby, there was no way she would leave him like that. So, on September 5 Kala was reported missing. The police were now looking for both the kidnapper and the kidnapped.   

But that wasn’t all, friends of Charles started to receive messages from him asking for money for drugs. They thought this was odd since they knew that Charles didn’t do drugs. People became even more suspicious as Charles’ Facebook page had suddenly started posting tons of milestones. Unusual as he wasn’t always that active on Facebook. Milestones like he and Kala had gotten married, they’ve bought a house and now they’re expecting. Right away friends and family knew this was suspicious, they were convinced that someone else was using his account. Believing that the couple were in danger they approached the police who filed for warrants for Kala and Charles’ Facebook accounts. They received these warrants a whole month later on October 14, an eternity for Kala Brown.  

As investigators searched through the couple’s messages, they noticed a couple of conversations leading up the 31st of August, where they discussed going to Todd Kohlhepp’s place to clean for the day. This was also the last day that Charles Carver’s mother had received a text from him. Police dug a little deeper and were able to determine through the signals on both Kala and Charles's cell phones that they hadn’t actually left Kohlhepp’s property. Well with that knowledge it was pretty clear to authorities where they needed to go. On November 3 they raced to Todd’s property and were in for a most disturbing surprise. 

When authorities arrived they heard a banging noise coming from the metal shipping container. They broke the lock and found a terrified and broken Kala Brown, chained, bruised, and distraught. When they removed her from the container, they asked her where Charles was, she told them Kohlhepp had killed and buried him. Police found his remains on the property, next to a freshly dug hole which they presumed would have been Kala’s. Thankfully it was never used. But that wasn’t all they discovered.

As they searched the property, Police found two more buried bodies; husband and wife, Johnny Joe and Meagan Leigh Coxie. They also were hired to clean his property, just like Kala and Charles. Meagan actually knew Todd, she was one of the waitresses at the Waffle House. Both were killed by gunshot wounds on December 25 or 26 2015. They also found numerous weapons, including 9mm pistols fitted with silencers, semi-automatic rifles, and an undetermined amount of ammunition , which were all acquired illegally.  Todd was arrested shortly after. 

His mother was the first person he actually confessed to, he told her that he had actually killed a lot more people and when she asked how many he replied: “You don’t have enough fingers.” Creepy. Todd also told his mother that the only reason he had killed Charles was because he had a smart mouth. 

And if the police didn’t believe he was a psychopath, then, they certainly did after interviewing Kala. She told them that Todd had hoped she would fall in love with him, a classic case of Stockholm Syndrome. He told her he would build them a home, with a special sound proofed room so no one would be able to find her. Todd had called her his “Good Kitten.” 

A chilling discovery made by police investigations were numerous product reviews on Amazon written by Todd Kohlhepp. Reviews on padlocks, shovels, tasers, and gun accessories among others. His reviews were often written in a whimsical manner, like one review on a padlock “solid locks.. have 5 on a shipping container. won’t stop them.. but sure, will slow them down till they are too old to care." Another, written for a folding shovel, read, "keep in car for when you have to hide the bodies and you left the full size shovel at home.... does not come with a midget, which would have been nice.” This dude is clearly a sick individual. 

Kohlhepp confessed to the murders of Charles Carver, Meagan and Johnny Coxie and the four employees at the bike shop in 2003. His confession of the bike shop murders sent shockwaves, as while the case was technically unsolved, much of the blame was cast onto Scott Ponder’s widow had been a prime suspect in the public’s eye. He also confessed to his mother and step-father that he had also shot someone in Arizona, when he was still living with his biological father. Police were still looking into that claim. 

On May 26, 2017, Kohlhepp pleaded guilty to seven counts of murder, two counts of kidnapping and one count of criminal sexual assault and was sentenced to seven consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole in a plea bargain that spared him from the death penalty. He’ll have plenty of time to work on another college degree or 2.

As Kohlhepp had such a large sum of money to his name, most of his assets were sold at auctions, the money sent to families of the victims. The family of Johnny Coxie had also sought out 26 million in damages against Kohlhepp. 

Kala Brown received a $6.3 Million settlement from Kohlhepp’s estate, offering a small bit of light to a pitch black chapter in her life.   

Todd Kohlhepp still claims that there were more victims but refuses to tell the police any details. This is in typical fashion of serial killers boasting about numerous other murders they’ve yet to be suspected of or charged with. They take pride in their work. Officials in Greer, South Carolina have named Kohlhepp as a person of interest in a bank robbery and triple homicide, but Todd remains adamant he had nothing to do with it.

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