S30.E09: Buried Truth

[woodscommaelle]

Um, Todd's mom? Your son is 100% a monster.

I can't with this interviewer.

[druzy]

I think the mother was trying to create an insanity defense. 

[woodscommaelle]

28 minutes ago, druzy said:

I think the mother was trying to create an insanity defense. 

Ok. I can't with her either.

Edited to say: ...but I'm not a mother so maybe I can't understand. But still. Nope.

Edited November 13, 2016 by woodscommaelle

[CraftyHazel]

50 minutes ago, woodscommaelle said:

Ok. I can't with her either.

Edited to say: ...but I'm not a mother so maybe I can't understand. But still. Nope.

I'm a mother, and nope. If my child did something like that, I'd avoid the press like the plague! If I had to talk to them for whatever reason, I would not be explaining that my poor child killed a bike shop full of people for making fun of him, but oh, no...he's not a monster! He's a special little snowflake, according to his mother; not responsible for his actions.

[sskrill]

2 hours ago, woodscommaelle said:

Ok. I can't with her either.

Edited to say: ...but I'm not a mother so maybe I can't understand. But still. Nope.

Right??  I'm not a mother either but seriously ... she keeps placing blame on the victims.  Kala's boyfriend "smart mouthed" him, don't forget.  And the bike shop people laughing at him - I'm sure Scott's mother just guffawed at that poor man.

And a rapist at 15 .. but mom didn't tell us what the neighbor girl did to deserve her punishment.

Side note: the guy doing the interviews creeps me out.

 

ETA:  "Well what was he supposed to do with her?  She knew he had shot her boyfriend so he couldn't let her go."  Moms rationale for why Kala was locked in the container.

Edited November 13, 2016 by sskrill

[walnutqueen]

Face it, Todd's Mom, your son was born a monster.

How awful for the poor bike shop widow; the cops DNA test her baby TWICE and fuck it up?   Sheesh.

[BusyOctober]

Wow...Todd is not only a monster, but Todd's mom is a monster maker.  Todd did something crazy and has off the charts violent reactions to life's slings and arrows? Gotta be everyone's else's fault for provoking him!  He was upset at mom? Of course he had to claw hammer all his bedroom furniture! I shouldn't have bought pine when he likes maple better! A teenage girl walked by him when he was 15? Of course he had to kidnap and rape her!  The little hussy probably smiled at him once! He had to gun down those 4 people! Don't you know they laughed at him? Of course Todd had to murder that man for smart mouthing to him!  And what was he supposed to do with smart mouth's girlfriend after she saw him killed? Let her go?!?  Of course that little tattletale had to be chained up in the dark for 2 months! He made her comfortable.  He fed her, brought her food and drink!  Just...wow.

[CraftyHazel]

I have a feeling, after rewatching, that Mommie Dearest there is a bit of a monster herself.  For all the "crying" she did for the families of her son's victims, I saw very little in the way of actual tears.  I think most of us would have a a hard time holding ourselves together in such a situation (I'd be a blubbering mess!), but pretty much all she did was blame the victims and say, "I feel bad for the families."  Lady, I feel terrible for them, and my child had nothing to do with their deaths.  I mean, maybe she was drugged with some mighty intense mood stabilizers, but even knocking me completely unconcious wouldn't allow me to be that blasé about my child being a serial killer!

[editorgrrl]

The correspondent was David Begnaud. Todd Kohlhepp's mother, Regina Tague, told him, “Todd was not a monster. He’s not even close to it… He wasn’t doing it for enjoyment. He was doing it because he was mad and he was hurt.” She momsplained what her son did to Kala Brown: “He tried to make her as comfortable as possible, get her food. He had a dilemma.” 

Why did her special snowflake kill Charlie Carver? “Because he got nasty, and got smart-mouthed. And Todd had hired him to do some stuff, and Todd pays well. And the guy got mouthy about it, and from what I gathered, he said some smart things to Todd. And I guess Todd shot him.”

And what about poor Melissa Ponder, the Superbike Motorsports widow? The police "mislabeled" blood from another victim as her husband's, then claimed her son was illegitimate—twice. All because of an anonymous tip that Scott Ponder was sterile. No wonder she moved back to Arizona from South Carolina—and recorded her conversations with police.

[patty1h]

Not much to add other than to say this mother... sheesh.   I think I'm angrier at her than at her horrible son.  She says her son isn't as bad as Ted Bundy - well bully for him!  I wonder what she said to herself after he raped that girl while he was a teenager - just being a boy with raging hormones, or did she blame the girl?  I bet she thinks lil Toddy should get off cause he didn't kill for the enjoyment!  He can live with her so she can keep him on the straight and narrow.

They both should be shot into space.

[Intocats]

16 minutes ago, patty1h said:

 

They both should be shot into space.

 

Word to this.

Years ago, I heard a criminal psychologist say that in the making of a serial killer, look to at least one of the parents.

Well, there you go.

[ridethemaverick]

Y'all have already said it all. I just can't believe the son or the mother. I watched her segments with my mouth open. 

[tobeannounced]

I have no words for the massive dysfunction in that family, but I think this trying kids as adults crap and sticking them in jail with hardened criminals is complete BS.  Talk about how to make a monster.  I can't even imagine what happens to a 15 or 16 year old when they're in an adult jail.

[Fable]

Wow!!  While I can sometimes be somewhat sympathetic to the parents of criminals who come for these interviews for these shows, this woman made my eyes roll back so far in my  head, I thought they were going to get stuck there.  I also agree with the poster above who didn’t see a tear in her fake crying eyes.  What a piece of work! 

[sskrill]

I can't remember what was said about any treatment he ever got for his mental health.  I think I remember something about a therapist but it only made him act out more.  Did I miss more on that?  Didn't they say they realized he had issues at 15 months old?  Did they mention anything about meds?  

I could understand a mother saying we tried (insert list of interventions here) but it didn't really sound like he received much in the way of treatment.  I could understand a parent trying to explain they did their best to get him help, but somehow I think that nut prevented him from getting the treatment he needed.

[UsernameFatigue]

I was so annoyed with this show as they spend an entire hour and never once said ( unless I missed it and I don't think I did) what led police to search the property in the first place. A tip I would assume but they jumped from Melissa and her boyfriend going missing to the friend getting a phone call that she had been found. Sloppy journalism.

Edited November 14, 2016 by UsernameFatigue

[ByaNose]

So, Mom doesn't think her son is a monster. Okayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy! At first, I thought he was just sort of crazy and then go back about his history and that he had been in jail. Somehow, the mother still didn't think he was a bad person. OMG!! I'm not sure who is crazier!!

[UsernameFatigue]

One thing I don't understand is how someone who has been jailed previously for kidnapping and rape, and is on the sex offender registry to boot is able to get a realtor's license? I guess there is no such thing as criminal background checks in that profession.  One would think he is the last person you would want to have access to women alone, especially when they would presumably have no idea that they are with a registered sex offender! I thought maybe because of his age at the time of the first kidnapping that his records may have been sealed but I see no evidence of that, and there would be no reason to have him on a registry if it was not made public.

[walnutqueen]

18 minutes ago, UsernameFatigue said:

One thing I don't understand is how someone who has been jailed previously for kidnapping and rape, and is on the sex offender registry to boot is able to get a realtor's license? I guess there is no such thing as criminal background checks in that profession.  One would think he is the last person you would want to have access to women alone, especially when they would presumably have no idea that they are with a registered sex offender! I thought maybe because of his age at the time of the first kidnapping that his records may have been sealed but I see no evidence of that, and there would be no reason to have him on a registry if it was not made public.

He probably wasn't on the sex offender registry since his plea bargain deal dropped the rape charge, and he pled to kidnapping only.

[UsernameFatigue]

3 hours ago, walnutqueen said:

He probably wasn't on the sex offender registry since his plea bargain deal dropped the rape charge, and he pled to kidnapping only.

That is what I wondered but read in two different articles that I googled that he WAS on the sex offender registry. I just read some more and apparently he was registered as a sex offender. However he was able to obtain his license because he lied about his conviction and status as a sex offender on his application. So I guess the body that issues licenses doesn't bother to run a criminal background check. Interesting as my step daughter has just graduated as a registered massage therapist and after passing two provinicial exams on top of graduating from the school, had to also pass a criminal background check to be licensed. Not surprising, but personally I would not want to have a real estate agent who was sentenced to 15 years in prison for kidnapping! The real estate licensing body is way too trusting, apparently.

Edited November 14, 2016 by UsernameFatigue

[glowlights]

The police have not stated a motive for Carver's murder so take the mother's explanation with a giant grain of salt. I call bullshit on the alleged bike shop bullying, too.  I suppose that poor goldfish disrespected him along with the abused dog and the rape victim. Poor widdle psychopath.

So glad Kala has supportive friends to live with while she heals. 

[walnutqueen]

A guy who was interviewed on Crime Watch Daily said the bike shop owner & his guys were friendly jokesters.  Apparently the perp bought a bike there, which was then stolen.  He came into the shop again & someone asked him if he was going to buy another bike so it could get stolen, too.  I wasn't paying much attention, so missed how this guy knew the story.

The goldfish & the dog (and who knows how many other neighborhood pets) are proof positive this POS was a born serial killer.

[ari333]

1 hour ago, walnutqueen said:

A guy who was interviewed on Crime Watch Daily said the bike shop owner & his guys were friendly jokesters.  Apparently the perp bought a bike there, which was then stolen.  He came into the shop again & someone asked him if he was going to buy another bike so it could get stolen, too.  I wasn't paying much attention, so missed how this guy knew the story.

The goldfish & the dog (and who knows how many other neighborhood pets) are proof positive this POS was a born serial killer.

What did he do to the fish and the dog? I missed some bits of this show.

[glowlights]

23 minutes ago, ari333 said:

What did he do to the fish and the dog? I missed some bits of this show.

Killed his goldfish with bleach because he was mad that he didn't get a hamster. Put a dog in a crate and slammed it around. Rumors that he did other things to animals but those are the ones documented iirc.

According to the Sheriff, Carver and Brown were involved in illegal activities that he declines to name. The plot thickens, or totally coincidental to the murder/kidnapping?

[ari333]

1 minute ago, glowlights said:

Killed his goldfish with bleach because he was mad that he didn't get a hamster. Put a dog in a crate and slammed it around. Rumors that he did other things to animals but those are the ones documented iirc.

According to the Sheriff, Carver and Brown were involved in illegal activities that he declines to name. The plot thickens, or totally coincidental to the murder/kidnapping?

That is so horrible. The kid needed serious help even in childhood. If those are the documented incidents, no telling what  other horrors he inflicted.

[glowlights]

Yes he needed help, but according to his mother he should not have gone to jail for raping that poor girl at gunpoint because he walked her home so obviously he is not a bad person. It's in her letter to the court. I cannot with this woman. She left out the part where he actually fired the weapon at the girl but it misfired. Oh yes, you delusional dingbat, he was such a good boy.

[Court]

I'm only 15 minutes in and this mom is so delusional, I came right here to post. Well,he didn't know what to do so he chained her up! 

WTF? That is not a rational response and mama is all well he kept her comfortable. Wasn't that nice of him? She's batshit crazy.

In regards to them searching, they said they were acting on a tip regarding a missing person. I found that to be weird phrasing. Was the missing person Kayla? Or someone else. Who gave the tip?

[glowlights]

10 hours ago, Court said:

I'm only 15 minutes in and this mom is so delusional, I came right here to post. Well,he didn't know what to do so he chained her up! WTF? That is not a rational response and mama is all well he kept her comfortable. Wasn't that nice of him? She's batshit crazy. In regards to them searching, they said they were acting on a tip regarding a missing person. I found that to be weird phrasing. Was the missing person Kayla? Or someone else. Who gave the tip?

My understanding is it was the Spartanburg County Sheriff's office (not the local PD who took the original missing person report) who got the search warrant, based on combing through phone records after they got involved. The local PD already knew where Kala's phone had last pinged but did not act immediately because they had no indication of foul play (I think this is where the alleged illegal activity comes into it).

So maybe the phone records were the tip? 

This ep did not do a very good job of explaining things. They wasted too much air time on the damn mother imo.

[RedheadZombie]

Keeping someone comfortable means chaining them up and feeding once a day?  I call that neglect when it's a dog. 

[ari333]

36 minutes ago, RedheadZombie said:

Keeping someone comfortable means chaining them up and feeding once a day?  I call that neglect when it's a dog. 

THIS^^^

[glowlights]

16 hours ago, RedheadZombie said:

Keeping someone comfortable means chaining them up and feeding once a day?  I call that neglect when it's a dog. 

Well he let her out for walks. He's just a misunderstood hero!

[starri]

You know, perhaps due to my big, bleeding heart, I will often find sympathy for the parents of criminals.  Probably the best example here is Sue Klebold (not so much Wayne and Kathy Harris, but that's for another thread.  

I'm just agape at the mother.  The creepy correspondent is a better man than me, because I'd have been shaking her demanding "What the hell is wrong with you!?!?!"

On 11/16/2016 at 11:54 AM, glowlights said:

According to the Sheriff, Carver and Brown were involved in illegal activities that he declines to name. The plot thickens, or totally coincidental to the murder/kidnapping?

With a huge piece of secluded property, would, say, a pot-growing operation be hard to believe?  Or, actually, more likely, a meth lab?

[glowlights]

The way I took the Sheriff's words, I thought he was only referring to the victims as being involved in an illegal activity, not the killer as well. But I may have misinterpreted. What sort of activity would cause the police to not worry if you're reported missing? Drug mules? I have no idea. :( 

[starri]

No, I may very well be interpreting it incorrectly as well.  But knowing that the killer was paying them, that there was something illegal that they were involved in, and that he's got a giant piece of land in the middle of nowhere, I can't get it to add up to anything but some kind of drug operation.

[starri]

I started a thread over in the True Crime forum, because I think we're going to be learning a lot of stuff beyond what we saw in the episode and because I wanted people who don't watch 48 Hours to get to contribute.

[glowlights]

12 hours ago, starri said:

No, I may very well be interpreting it incorrectly as well.  But knowing that the killer was paying them, that there was something illegal that they were involved in, and that he's got a giant piece of land in the middle of nowhere, I can't get it to add up to anything but some kind of drug operation.

Yes, and the sheriff was deliberately vague, either because it's part of another ongoing investigation or because he doesn't want to prejudice people against the victims. Or he doesn't think there is enough evidence to say for sure they were involved (it was the other police department who originally had the case and didn't act quickly).  At the time her phone pinged the local police knew the general area but did not know whose property she was on. The sheriff's department did the eventual plane searches and narrowed it down. So there was no connection between them so far as the police knew back then. This is just what I have interpreted, there seem to be major pieces still missing to the puzzle.

I think if there were evidence of a grow operation or meth lab at the perp's property the police would have mentioned it by now. They are biohazards. Reporters would have seen clean up crews coming and going, too.

Anyone else think it's rather coincidental that Carver and Brown were both on a fetish site, and she ended up chained and confined, fed only once a day and allowed out when he permitted? Like a master/slave relationship, minus the consensual component? Hmmmm. Maybe that is the illegal activity the sheriff alluded to? That part of the country is not very progressive, they may think of kink as criminal.

[PepperMonkey]

Haven't seen this, wanted to watch it when Mr. Monkey is busy with something else because he hates my murder porn fetish, but after reading about the animal cruelty, I don't even want to hear about that in a news story.

I did want to say, though, vis a vis the real estate license: I got my Florida real estate license in 1998 and we went through an FBI background check: fingerprinting, paperwork out the wazoo, lots of background questions. I noted his was a "Carolinas" license, but still, I can't believe they are that careless that he can lie about his background and it's not found out.

Having access to people's homes and belongings is a huge fiduciary responsibility. That real estate commission should be ashamed.

[patty1h]

Saw online today that the horrible mother of the monster passed away.  Good riddance to her - she made me sick watching this episode, listening to her downplaying the terrible things her son did.  She should save a seat in hell for sonny, who I hope will be joining her soon.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/todd-kohlhepp-case-mother-of-suspected-south-carolina-serial-killer-found-dead/

[starri]

I'm glad the reporter who wrote that was as gobsmacked by her defense of him as we were.