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The shocking quadruple homicide in Chesnee

October 29, 2022 / 01:31:47

This episode discusses the 2003 Superbike Motorsports quadruple homicide in Chesney, South Carolina, and the subsequent investigation that led to Todd Kohlhepp's arrest.

The episode begins with the discovery of four bodies at Superbike Motorsports, including owner Scott Ponder, his mother Beverly Guy, and employees Brian Lucas and Chris Sherbert. The investigation reveals that all four victims were shot execution-style, raising questions about the motive behind the killings.

As the investigation unfolds, it becomes clear that Todd Kohlhepp, a former customer of the dealership, had a personal vendetta against the store. Kohlhepp believed the store was involved in the theft of his motorcycle and returned to the dealership to carry out the murders.

In a shocking twist, the episode also covers Kohlhepp's later crimes, including the kidnapping of Alana Jones and the murder of her boyfriend Charlie Carver. Alana's rescue from a shipping container leads to the discovery of Charlie's body and the eventual confession from Kohlhepp.

The episode concludes with the emotional impact on the victims' families and the legal proceedings against Kohlhepp, who was sentenced to multiple life sentences without the possibility of parole.

TLDR

The episode covers the Superbike Motorsports murders and Todd Kohlhepp's subsequent crimes and arrest.

Episode

1:31:47
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when 20 year old Matthew levison failed to return home after a night out clubbing in Sydney his loved ones were
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worried sick suspicion soon fell on Matt's partner 45 year old Michael Atkins after it was
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revealed that the pair were fighting on the night of Matt's disappearance but was that unfortunate timing or did
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Atkins have something to hide Maddie is the latest podcast from casefile presents a 10-part series
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narrated by Lauren O'Keefe from the missing persons advocacy Network Maddie from casefile presents is
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available to stream for free right now only on Spotify stay tuned until the end of today's
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episode to hear the trailer [Music] our episodes deal with serious and often distressing incidents if you feel at any
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time you need support please contact your local crisis center for suggested phone numbers for confidential support
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please see the show notes for this episode on your app or on our website the names of several individuals in this
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episode have been changed but like Motorsports in Chesney South Carolina wasn't just the motorcycle
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dealership for bike enthusiasts in the small town and its surrounding area the store was a
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place to hang out with like-minded people and even make friends 30-year-old Scott Ponder who owned the
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store worked there with his best friend Brian Lucas who was 29. the dynamic between the pair had added
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to the friendly atmosphere there were a number of regular customers who dropped by whenever they had spare
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time that was exactly what Noel Lee was doing on the afternoon of Thursday November 6
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2003. null had met Scott and Brian through the store and grew to consider them two of
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his closest friends the trio were all planning to go to a motocross race the following night and
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Noel wanted to stop by the store to collect the tickets he called the shop first at around 2 30
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pm to check if this Suited Scott's mother 52 year old Beverly guy answered the phone
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she helped out at the dealership with bookkeeping and other administrative tasks
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Beverly said it would be fine for Noel to drop in at around 3pm Knoll pulled his BMW into
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the store's parking lot set back from a stretch of a two-lane Highway called Paris Bridge Road
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Superbike Motorsports was one of the only retail spaces in the vicinity it boarded a cattle field and was
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surrounded by Rolling Hills and mostly residential buildings [Music] Noel parked in one of the five car
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spaces directly in front of the shop he immediately noticed something strange in the doorway of the dealership
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sprawled across the ground in a manner that propped the glass door open was a person
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it was the store manager Brian Lucas Noel Lee got out of his car assuming Brian was playing some kind of
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prank Noll moved towards the storefront when he abruptly stopped in his tracks partially hidden beneath the Bonnet of
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the car he'd parked next to was the body of Scott Ponder a pool of blood had formed around him
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[Music] [Music] foreign could see there was blood around Brian as well the glass from the door hold open by his
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body had been shattered realizing the severity of the situation Knoll raced past Brian's Body and into
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the store he headed to the sales counter and used the dealership's phone to call 9-1-1
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then he saw something else a third body was sprawled on the floor just outside the showroom in the middle
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of the dealership it was Scott's mother Beverly guy when Noel got through to a 9-1-1
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operator he cried out apparently everyone's been shot up here everybody's laying down in a pool of
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blood his mum has been shot the mechanics been shot although Knoll had only seen three
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bodies he believed there would be a fourth somewhere as well Chris Sherbert the dealership's 26 year
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old mechanic was always working at this time of day often in the garage area explaining this to the operator Noel was
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told not to go looking for Chris instead he should leave the store for his own safety and wait outside for the
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First Responders to arrive Knoll did as he was told exiting the dealership and walking across the road
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where he sat down in some grass foreign police descended on Superbike Motorsports and secured the building
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Scott Ponder Brian Lucas and Beverly guy were all deceased as Noel Lee had predicted the
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dealership's mechanic Chris Sherbert was also at the shop he was found slumped over a black Suzuki
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motorcycle in the dealership's garage he was dead too [Music] all four victims had been shot multiple
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times with a nine millimeter pistol including at least once in the chest and once in the forehead
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the headshots implied that the killings had been a deliberate execution rather than a random mass shooting
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the perpetrator had missed a very few of their shots even though some of their victims had been moving targets
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18 shell casings were recovered from the scene they were dusted for Prince but yielded
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none nor were there any unidentified hand or fingerprints elsewhere in the store
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investigators also had no luck sourcing foreign DNA the only clue they came across was a
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bill of sale for a black Suzuki motorcycle it appeared as though Scott Ponder had
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been in the process of writing the Bill when the shootings began it didn't include a buyer's name or any
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other identifying information such as a credit card number the bill was for the same black Suzuki
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that mechanic Chris Sherbert had been working on he had been prepping it for his new
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owner when he was shot and killed to police it seemed likely that the buyer of the black Suzuki and the
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shooter were one and the same based on the locations of the body they put together a theory of how the slaying
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set likely unfolded the shooter had left the store after arranging to buy the bike then they had
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sneaked into the garage via a rear door they shot Chris Sherbert from behind while he was preparing the motorcycle
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for delivery next the gunman headed through the showroom encountering Beverly guy and
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killing her Scott Ponder and Brian Lucas had heard the gunshots and were fleeing the same
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as the shooter pursued them Brian was gunned down in the store's doorway Scott had made it a little further
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outside to the parking lot after incapacitating all four victims the shooter had methodically walked to
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each one and fired a final shot into their foreheads [Music] investigators shut down Paris Bridge
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Road for three days as they processed the crime scene the attack was thought to have taken
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place at around 2 45 pm Superbike Motorsports customer Noel Lee had called the store at around 2 30 p.m
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and spoken to Beverly guy she'd just dropped by to run some errands after taking her mother to a
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chemotherapy appointment Beverly was planning to deposit some earnings at the bank but told Noel to
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drop in as Scott and Brian would both be there by the time Noel arrived 30 minutes
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later they were all dead although many vehicles drove by the store throughout the day there weren't
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that many customers around in the middle of a weekday afternoon consequently investigators didn't have
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many eyewitness accounts to go on a couple who were known to deal drugs had been seen near the store near the
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time of the shooting the woman had appeared upset and was heading away from Superbike Motorsports
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as her male partner chased after her officers managed to track the couple down but cleared them of any involvement
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in the crime several Vehicles were also spotted in the area one was red and an early 90s model
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perhaps a Honda Civic or Chevy Cavalier another was a dark blue late model Chevrolet pickup truck with chrome
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exhaust and bed rails and the third was a smaller sportier pale blue pickup truck
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officers asked for anyone with information about these vehicles to come forward [Music]
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very quickly the murders at the superbike Motorsports were being compared to another attack that had
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taken place five months earlier 31 miles Southwest of Chesney in the town of Greer there had been a robbery
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at Blue Ridge Savings Bank on May 16. a bank teller and two customers had been shot and killed execution style in a
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back room just like the superbike shootings the bank attack had taken place in the
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middle of the day with no witnesses around it didn't appear to be random and similar to the location of Superbike
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Motorsports the Blue Ridge Savings Bank was near a highway in a relatively isolated area
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[Music] a red car was seen driving to the bank at 1 24 PM six minutes before the
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shooting and a red car was spotted near Superbike Motorsports as well as of November 2003 the perpetrator of
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the bank shootings hadn't been caught or identified however while money was stolen from the
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bank in Greer investigators knew almost immediately that the superbike slangs hadn't been part of a robbery
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nothing had been taken from the store not even an envelope full of cash that had been left on a counter presumably
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the deposit Beverly had been planning to make the store also had numerous expensive
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items and a gold-plated award that Scott had received none of which were touched
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with the robbery ruled out as a motive investigators believed they were looking at a more personal attack
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[Music] Ponder had opened a Superbike Motorsports in January 2001 and the business had gone from strength to
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strength Scott hired his best friend Brian Lucas who was a skilled mechanic as well as a
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fellow motorcycle expert the pair's genuine passion for motorbikes was appealing to customers as
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one of the largest Suzuki dealerships across two counties it attracted a lot of clientele in the area
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but Scott wasn't satisfied with the just selling locally he utilized the internet
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to sell to customers all over the United States at the beginning of the 21st century
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online shopping was still in its infancy puts God ahead of the Curve as well as stocking motorcycles
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Superbike Motorsports also sold ATVs and go-karts this widened their customer base to
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outdoor enthusiasts and young families in its first year the store made more than one million dollars in sales
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this allowed Scott to expand quickly Remodeling and extending the dealership's garage and taking on more
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staff had Scott's success made he store the target of a rival business who was looking to get rid of their competition
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[Music] there were also rumors that the killer could have been a disgruntled customer
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one person who'd recently visited the dealership told the media that he'd seen buyers quote totally flip out upon
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receiving expensive bills investigators also heard stories that superbike's prices were sometimes
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considered excessive the dealership's customer base was examined but no one stood out as
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suspicious [Music] the investigative Spotlight highlighted Noel League the friend of Scott and
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Bryants who had discovered the crime scene Noel had a cell phone but had stepped
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over his friend's bodies and entered the store to call 9-1-1 from the phone inside
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for all he knew the killer might have still been in the building yet Noel opted to go in anyway
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he had also told the 911 operator that the dealership's mechanic had been shot even though he supposedly hadn't seen
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Chris sherbet's body or entered the garage at all Noel couldn't explain why he'd used the
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store's phone instead of his own except that he hadn't been thinking clearly due
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to shock [Music] he had presumed that Chris had been shot as well because the other three
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employees all were null was fingerprinted and had his car dusted for Prince he also took a
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polygraph test none of these results gave officers any further reason to be suspicious
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null Lee was cleared from the suspect list sheriff's deputies discovered that Chris
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Sherbert had been scheduled to front Court several days later on Monday November 10. he had been charged with
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some drug-related offenses some suspected that he was planning to turn States witness and testify against
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others in exchange for having the charges dropped if this was the case investigators
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wondered whether the murders were committed by someone who wanted to silence Chris
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but this Theory failed to gain momentum investigators were also interested to learn that Scott Ponder hadn't really
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known his father he had been raised more by his stepfather Terry Guyer Scott's biological father William Dean
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Ponder had an extensive rap sheet dating back to 1976. it included property crimes weapons
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violations and a drug and alcohol offenses in mid 1993 William had just been released from a stint in prison and was
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living in his parents home on Paris Bridge Road directly across the street from the
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store his son would open almost a decade later on the night of Saturday August 28 1993
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41 year old William went out drinking with some friends at a nearby bar he failed to return home
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five days past with no word from William he was then reported missing his friends claimed they'd dropped him
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off at the intersection of Paris Bridge and Martin Camp roads but William was never heard from again
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ten years later as Scott Ponder turned 30 and Was preparing to become a father himself he began digging into his
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biological father's mysterious disappearance [Music] it was known that Scott was trying to
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find his dad at around the time he was killed investigators wondered if perhaps somebody hadn't wanted him to succeed
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prior to his death Scott had attempted to make a call from his cell phone which was found with his body
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he had managed to dial the numbers 333 it was theorized that he'd been trying to call the number listed as the third
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favorite contact in his phone his wife Melissa brackman Melissa was originally from Arizona
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she'd met Scott several years earlier and the pair had commenced a romantic relationship after a period of being
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good friends Melissa was currently seven weeks pregnant with the couple's first child
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just two days earlier on Tuesday November 4 Melissa and Scott had attended their first prenatal checkup
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together and had listened to their baby's heartbeat for the first time on the morning of Thursday November 6
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Melissa stayed in bed a little longer to curb her morning sickness after a sleep-in she headed to work
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she and Scott spoke on the phone a couple of times that day the latest call being at around 2 15 or 2 30 P.M
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not long after that Melissa headed out on a work errand when she received a call from Scott's credit card vendor
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the vendor explained that she was trying to head over to Superbike Motorsports to
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perform a routine check on Scott's credit card machines but there was a roadblock preventing access to the store
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she had heard a rumor that there'd been a shooting in the area and wanted to check if everything was okay
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after hearing this Melissa immediately changed Direction and headed to Superbike Motorsports
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she repeatedly called Scott's cell phone and office number along the way but none
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of her calls were answered as Melissa Drew closer to the store on Paris Bridge Road she saw the area was
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swarming with police and media helicopters her efforts to get to the store were interrupted by officers who escorted her
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back home after learning who she was when officials informed Melissa that Scott had been shot and killed at work
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she asked to speak with Scott's mother Beverly it was then she was told that the entire
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staff of Superbike Motorsports were dead by the time Melissa gave birth seven months later the investigation into her
00:20:14
husband's murder had stalled Melissa had named her son Scott Jr after his father but everyone took to calling
00:20:22
the little boy Scotty [Music] roughly a year after the shootings he investigators met with Melissa for a
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regular catch up she brought baby Scotty with her and had to change his diaper at one point
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after the meeting investigators retrieved the discarded diaper from the rubbish Melissa was unaware that the catch-up
00:20:46
was a ruse investigators had received a tip-off that Scott Ponder had been sterile and
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was unable to father children they obtained a DNA sample from baby Scotty's diaper and compared it to Scott
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Ponder's DNA which was taken from the crime scene it wasn't a match Melissa brackman was asked to attend the
00:21:13
Spartanburg County Sheriff's Department this time she should leave Scotty at home
00:21:20
deputies ushered Melissa into a meeting room and shut the door one Deputy then informed her
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your son's DNA does not match up with his fathers [Music] Melissa appeared stunned by the
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revelation she insisted that wasn't possible and offered to have Scotty's DNA tested
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again investigators agreed the result was the same however a familial link was found to
00:21:53
exist between Scotty and another victim from Superbike Motorsports testing confirmed that Scott's best
00:22:01
friend Brian Lucas was the father of Melissa's son [Music] had also been married and had two sons
00:22:12
with his wife but his mother Lorraine Lucas had suspected he wasn't entirely happy in his relationship
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about two weeks before the shootings Lorraine had been visiting her son and noticed that his wife seemed to be
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pulling faces as Lorraine and Brian chatted Brian grew unhappy about this and stated
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this is my mother I want you to treat her with the respect this led to an argument between the
00:22:42
couple Brian had also been looking at new houses without his wife's knowledge on the day of his murder he had gone to
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visit one property with a friend of his who was a realtor it seemed plausible to investigators
00:22:58
that Brian and Melissa had been having an affair perhaps the murders were the result of
00:23:04
this secret somehow coming to light Scott's stepfather Terry guy was especially troubled by the infidelity
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rumors he'd not only lost his stepson in the shooting but his wife Beverly as well
00:23:20
Terry had suffered depression in the aftermath of their deaths and lost 70 pounds due to grief and stress
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when he heard that Melissa could have been involved he sat her down and asked did you have anything to do with it
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if proof comes out that you did wherever you're at I'll come and get you and bring you back myself
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Melissa was adamant she wasn't involved in the slayings and refused to admit that she'd been having an affair
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for 18 months investigators continued to pursue this line of inquiry they ran more DNA tests and received
00:24:05
another unexpected result according to their samples Beverly guy hadn't actually been Scott Ponder's
00:24:13
mother they compared Beverly's DNA to Brian Lucas's sample revealing a match as investigators knew this couldn't be
00:24:23
possible they worked to discover what had happened Scott and Brian's DNA samples had gotten
00:24:31
mixed up when they were taken at the crime scene with Scott's sample marked as Brian's and vice versa
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this had likely happened because the two bodies were lying almost side by side [Music]
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this Revelation was hugely vindicating for Melissa brackman from the beginning she had insisted that
00:24:53
she'd never cheated on her husband and knew that he was her baby's father Melissa suffered from endometriosis and
00:25:02
Scott had a low sperm count which had resulted in the couple needing medical assistance to conceive Scotty
00:25:09
since the beginning of the investigation she had been open and honest with the sheriff's deputies handing over love
00:25:16
letters she and Scott had written to each other and answering intimate questions about their relationship
00:25:23
Melissa had even agreed to be polygraphed when investigators told her that both DNA tests proved that Scott wasn't
00:25:32
Scotty's father she was willing to have her husband's body exhumed so another sample could be taken
00:25:40
with the DNA bungle exposed Melissa's name was cleared but she still suffered the Fallout from having been suspected
00:25:49
in the 18 months that had passed since this line of inquiry began one of Scott's grandmothers had died believing
00:25:56
he'd never fathered a child [Music] having lost her husband and her reputation Melissa moved back to her
00:26:04
home state of Arizona [Music] Kelly Sisk was a member of the National Guard and a regular customer at
00:26:16
Superbike Motorsports on the day of the shootings he decided to stop in at the store to make a
00:26:22
payment on a go-kart he was buying for his four-year-old son Kelly took his son with him and the pair
00:26:29
arrived at the store around 2PM they spent between 30 and 45 minutes wandering around at the dealership floor
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admiring the latest bikes and ATVs it was quiet with only one other customer in the store
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the other customer was a white male who looked to be between 25 and 40 years old
00:26:53
he was about six feet tall and 170 to 200 pounds with dark feathered hair thin lips small eyes and a narrow jaw
00:27:05
the man was wearing jeans and a leather jacket which struck Kelly as odd because
00:27:10
it was a warm day the customer was admiring a black Suzuki motorcycle when Kelly saw Scott Ponder
00:27:19
approach him hey this is a good beginner's bike Scott said Kelly was confused the bike was big and didn't look
00:27:30
suitable for a beginner in his opinion but he figured Scott would know better than he did
00:27:36
when Kelly and his son left a few minutes later the customer was still chatting with Scott
00:27:44
by the time Kelly arrived at home reports about The quadruple homicide at Superbike Motorsports were all over the
00:27:51
news Kelly was shocked he couldn't believe that he'd just been there with his young
00:27:57
child right before the attack unfolded Kelly reported what he had seen to the Spartanburg County's sheriff's
00:28:05
department but it would take more than a month for investigators to track him down
00:28:11
they eventually came to realize that Kelly Sisk was their most crucial Witness the man that he'd seen in the dealership
00:28:20
that day was most likely the Killer Kelly helped them create a composite sketch of the suspect and the image was
00:28:28
widely distributed but Kelly wasn't happy with the picture he didn't think it was a good likeness
00:28:35
of the man at all no solid leads resulted from the suspect's sketch it was featured on
00:28:45
popular television programs such as America's Most Wanted and Unsolved Mysteries
00:28:51
tips would trickle in after age screening but nothing that led to a break in the case
00:28:57
former FBI agent and renowned a serial killer profiler John Douglas was brought in to create a profile of the unknown
00:29:05
suspect in his opinion the killer was mission oriented the entire attack was probably over
00:29:13
within 45 seconds and the motive was very different to other crimes Douglas had investigated
00:29:21
quote it's not a type of case like other serial killers who I've interviewed where it's a fantasy this is Revenge
00:29:30
this is retaliation in 2012 an updated sketch of the suspect was released which I witnessed Kelly
00:29:40
Sisk said was a much better likeness of the mystery customer it depicted a man with dark hair parted
00:29:48
down the middle and a face that was wider at the top and narrowed towards his chin
00:29:54
his eyes were somewhat narrowed and his mouth turned downwards at the corners in November 2013 the Sheriff's Office
00:30:04
sent out a letter to their database of Superbike Motorsports customers in the hopes it might jog someone's memory
00:30:12
no one responded to them more than a decade after the shootings there had been over 750 leads that all
00:30:21
fizzled out but Sheriff Chuck Wright refused to admit defeat telling the Spartanburg
00:30:28
Herald Journal in 2015 I don't call it a cold case I call it an old case because we're still working on it
00:30:46
case File will be back shortly thank you for supporting us by listening to this episode's sponsors
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you support casefile to continue to deliver quality content at the beginning of September 2016 a
00:33:29
woman named Joanne schifflett was worried about her son 32 year old Charlie Carver who lived in
00:33:37
Anderson County South Carolina hadn't replied to a text message Joanne had sent him
00:33:44
this was very out of character the two normally spoke every day when Joanne did some digging she found
00:33:53
out that she wasn't the only one who hadn't heard from Charlie lately his father hadn't spoken to him in days
00:33:59
either Charlie and his new girlfriend 30 year old Alana Jones had also failed to show
00:34:07
up for a dinner scheduled with one of Alana's friends on Wednesday August 31. Alana had been excited to introduce
00:34:16
Charlie to her friend so it seemed odd that they never arrived or explained their absence
00:34:23
the last time anyone had heard from the couple was during the day of August 31. when people tried to call them their
00:34:31
phones went straight to voicemail Joanne schiffler decided someone needed to check the apartment in Anderson where
00:34:39
the couple lived Charlie and Alana had only started dating a few months prior but had
00:34:45
already moved in together Charlie's Car was missing from the complex but Alana's was still on site
00:34:55
on Saturday September 3 Joanne asked that the building's manager if she could check on her son
00:35:02
the manager agreed to perform a welfare check she knocked on the apartment's door
00:35:10
nobody answered the manager let herself in the couple weren't there but all of their clothing and prescription
00:35:19
medication had been left behind along with Alana's glasses and contact lenses Alana's dog her Pomeranian named Romeo
00:35:29
was all alone in the residence with no food or water it looked as though he'd been neglected
00:35:36
for several days Alana's loved ones were adamant that she would never take off without making sure
00:35:43
Romeo was cared for the dog was like a baby to her and she loved him dearly although the couple's friends and family
00:35:53
knew something must be wrong for them to disappear without warning and fail to make contact police were less concerned
00:36:01
they suspected the pair had just decided to go away together for a few days missing person reports were filed for
00:36:11
both Alana and Charlie but law enforcement in Anderson County said there was little else they could do
00:36:19
[Music] it didn't take long for the couple's loved ones to rally and start searching
00:36:26
for themselves Charlie's father wondered if perhaps they'd gotten into an accident in
00:36:32
Charlie's 2002 white Pontiac Grand Prix he searched creek beds and Ravines throughout the county in case they'd
00:36:40
gone off the road [Music] meanwhile Charlie and Alana's friends started Facebook groups seeking
00:36:47
information and handed out flyers plastered with the couple's descriptions Alana was five foot eight with short
00:36:55
dyed red hair and green eyes Charlie was six foot with brown hair blue eyes glasses and a neatly trimmed
00:37:04
beard photos on the Flyers showed the couple both individually and together with
00:37:11
their smiling faces pressed together as Alana snapped a selfie As Time wore on police joined in the
00:37:20
search they submitted applications to obtain data from the couple's cell phones which
00:37:27
had either died or been switched off a month went by with no answers and people began to fear the worst that the
00:37:36
couple hadn't been in an accident but had met with Foul Play Charlie and Alana's parents all appeared
00:37:44
on National Television segments to raise awareness about the double missing person's case
00:37:51
then on Saturday October 1 new posts suddenly appeared on Charlie Carver's Facebook page for the first time in over
00:37:59
a month it appeared he was using the account to log major life events retrospectively
00:38:07
he posted that on Friday July 1 2016 he and Alana discovered they were expecting
00:38:14
a baby girl exactly one month later on Monday August 1 they bought a house and a month after that on Thursday
00:38:24
September 1 the couple got married rather than reassuring their friends and family the posts on Charlie's page
00:38:33
alarmed them none of these Milestones fit with what they knew about the couple and they
00:38:40
still hadn't heard anything from them the posts didn't stop there although Charlie had never been a big
00:38:50
social media user odd memes and out of character comments were suddenly cropping up all over his page
00:38:57
one red I wonder if I said hello how many people would say it back let's try it hello
00:39:08
another featured lyrics from the song Hotel California by the Eagles [Music] last thing I remember I was running for
00:39:17
the door I had to find the passage back to the place I was before relax said the nightmen we are
00:39:25
programmed to receive you can check out anytime you like but you can never leave
00:39:33
one of the most disturbing posts read sometimes late at night I dig a hole in the backyard to keep the nosy neighbors
00:39:42
guessing Charlie's friends were certain he wasn't making these posts and suspected that
00:39:50
the person responsible for the couple's disappearance was behind them they began commenting on the posts
00:39:58
is that what you did to Alana and the real Charlie asked one person another added
00:40:06
are you hinting at what you did with them you know it's sad that someone like you is using his Facebook page when his
00:40:13
family and friends are worried about both him and Alana whoever was using Charlie's account
00:40:20
didn't answer these questions but continued to like and share posts about the missing couple that had been made by
00:40:27
their families some people close to Charlie suspected they knew who was behind the disturbing
00:40:36
posts when Charlie and Alana got together he had been going through an acrimonious
00:40:42
divorce Charlie and his ex-wife Nicole Nunes hadn't had a good relationship when he decided they needed to split up
00:40:52
Nicole was upset about it her distress only increased when she found out about Charlie's new
00:40:59
relationship with Alana Nicole began stalking the couple one day Charlie returned home to their
00:41:08
apartment to find Nicole inside he'd confided in his father about the incident and said he was too scared to
00:41:16
take further action against Nicole he was worried that if he was too harsh something bad would happen
00:41:25
on Wednesday August 31 the last day anyone had seen or heard from Charlie and Alana Nicole made a strange Facebook
00:41:33
post that read my beloved husband rest in peace Charlie's loved ones noticed that the
00:41:44
posts that started appearing on his page from Saturday October 1 featured spelling and grammatical errors that
00:41:50
Nicole was known to make in one comment directed at another Facebook user the person using Charlie's
00:41:59
account asked how the other individual knew my hubby Charlie's mother Joanne had also
00:42:06
received the text messages from Nicole stating your son never wants to see you again he
00:42:13
contacted me there at the beach [Music] one day a representative at the Telecommunications Company at T received
00:42:24
a call from the lead investigator on the Charlie Carver and Alana Jones case the investigator was hoping to find out
00:42:32
where and when Charlie's cell phone had last pinged signal Towers when the at T employee asked for the
00:42:40
investigator to spell out their name the investigator failed to do so correctly they were also unable to provide a badge
00:42:49
number suspicious the at T representative placed to the investigator on hold and
00:42:56
made a call to the police officers confirmed that the call was not legitimate and began to trace where it
00:43:04
had come from it was made by Charlie Carver's ex-wife Nicole Nunes three days later Nicole was arrested and
00:43:15
charged with impersonating a police officer yet despite this development investigators couldn't find any evidence
00:43:23
connecting Nicole with the couple's disappearance meanwhile the case's real investigators
00:43:33
finally had a breakthrough when they actually did receive the data from Charlie and Alana's cell phones
00:43:40
now they were able to see which Towers the phones had connected to in the hours and minutes before their batteries died
00:43:49
from Wednesday August 31 both phones had pinged a tower in the nearby town of Woodruff which was located roughly 50
00:43:57
miles Northeast of Anderson in neighboring Spartanburg County Alana's phone had continued to connect
00:44:05
to the tower up until Friday September 2 which was two days after the couple were
00:44:10
last seen [Music] the tower was in the vicinity of a rural 95-acre property this was significant as Anderson County
00:44:21
investigators had recently received a tip-off that Alana Jones was buried on a 100 Acre property in Woodruff
00:44:29
the 95-acre property was the only one in the area that fit the bill investigators flew a helicopter overhead
00:44:38
to get a better look but saw no sign of the couple or Charlie's white Pontiac of
00:44:43
Grand Prix instead they saw a dense Woodland and Ravines as well as several small
00:44:49
buildings there was no electricity there just some solar panels investigators began to wonder if they
00:44:59
were looking at a grow house a term for a property used for the production of cannabis or rather illicit substances
00:45:07
as the property was privately owned they had to obtain a search warrant to take a
00:45:12
closer look on foot on the morning of Thursday November 3 sheriff's deputies headed out to the
00:45:20
rural property armed with a warrant her tall chain link fence surrounded most of the farm with signs attached
00:45:27
that red warning private property no trespassing it was rare to see a fence like this on
00:45:35
similar properties in the area a wide gravel path LED from the main road into the property's entrance and
00:45:44
snaked through the privately owned land investigators made their way along the path
00:45:52
most of the property was wooded but they observed a few buildings as they went there was a gardening shed a workshop
00:46:00
garage with what looked like an apartment on top and a 30-foot long green shipping container
00:46:07
as police meticulously combed through the Woodland they suddenly made a discovery inside a ravine
00:46:15
a white car that was smeared with what looked like brown paint had been dumped in the sloping space
00:46:22
some branches and foliage had been placed on top of it as though whoever had left the vehicle there was trying to
00:46:28
camouflage it investigators identified the car as Charlie Carver's Pontiac Grand Prix
00:46:39
the discovery confirmed that the couple had been at the property next the deputies searched the buildings
00:46:48
no one was on the premises as officers examined the garage with the first floor apartment
00:46:55
on the walls of the upstairs loft apartment were several heavy chains with padlocks attached
00:47:03
next they looked at the Shad before heading towards the shipping container it was what is known as a Conex box a
00:47:12
kind of Cargo Carrier that the US Army had started using during the Korean War there were five heavy padlocks on the
00:47:21
Conex box preventing the deputies from opening it up realizing there must be something
00:47:27
important inside if someone was so determined to keep it locked the officers began trying to remove one of
00:47:34
the locks by hitting it repeatedly with a sledgehammer for 15 minutes they tried to break it
00:47:41
but it wouldn't open then one of the deputies suddenly called out stop she thought she could hear a banging
00:47:50
from inside the container her colleagues stopped and listened they heard something too though it
00:47:59
wasn't clear if it was coming from the woods or the container two of the investigators made their way
00:48:07
along the right side of the container where the noise was louder one of them knocked on the exterior
00:48:14
steel wall a knock came back in reply and a voice screened help me get me out of here
00:48:26
realizing someone was inside the shipping container the deputies felt an overwhelming sense of urgency
00:48:34
using a circular power saw and a crowbar they found on the property they cut through the steel padlocks and forced
00:48:41
open the container doors inside was a long and totally dark hallway using flashlights to see they passed a
00:48:51
tall narrow cage and some storage shelves that lined either side of their container
00:48:57
towards the back of their container a woman wearing gray tracksuit pants and a black sweater was sitting on a mattress
00:49:04
with her legs outstretched she held her hands above her head to show she was unarmed
00:49:12
her wrists were handcuffed together one of her ankles was cuffed to a chain that was attached to the wall
00:49:20
her neck had a heavy padlocked chain around it as well which was also attached to the wall
00:49:27
the woman was Alana Jones footage of the rescue was captured by the deputies just a girl just a girl how are you
00:49:38
honey this is their business oh yeah okay we're going to get you out of there okay
00:49:43
this ain't loose blowing anybody I need a handcuff key handcuffed key I don't I got a right here hold up don't slide
00:49:49
back let me see you later you can put your hand in there sweetheart you're okay we're here okay
00:50:00
light on or off we'll get the rest of it here let's get her out of here we're getting bolt
00:50:10
cutters honey don't don't you got pictures of the cups he's both feet just one let me see okay
00:50:21
and my next catch the wall up here okay all right all right we're gonna get you out okay
00:50:29
foreign just no just right there at her hand Brandon we'll get it off we'll get it off here
00:50:46
cut it right here [Music] do you know where your buddy is Charlie yes you shot him who did douche Todd Cohen
00:51:01
Charlie Carver three times in the chest wrapped him in a blue tarp put him in the bucket of the tractor lots of me
00:51:08
down here and I never seen him again he says he's dead and buried he says there's several bodies dead and buried
00:51:14
out here and he says that the dogs will be ruined if they go looking because there's red pepper we're gonna step you
00:51:18
up as the deputies used bolt cutters to free Alana from her restraints she told them that the man responsible for her
00:51:25
ordeal was the owner of the property his name was Todd colehap Alana said kolhap had shot her boyfriend
00:51:35
Charlie three times in the chest then wrapped his body in a blue tarp using a tractor he'd moved Charlie to
00:51:44
another location of the property and buried him Alana never saw Charlie again kohlhepp had told Alana he had other
00:51:54
bodies hidden on the property as well he'd scattered red peppers around which he thought would mask the scent of human
00:52:01
remains from police dogs deputies let Alana are out of the container and into an ambulance so she
00:52:10
could be taken to a hospital for treatment as she was being transported to the hospital investigators continued to
00:52:18
question her Alana Jones had met Todd colhab through a mutual friend in around 2011.
00:52:27
the two became Facebook friends and occasionally stayed in touch eventually Alana started cleaning some
00:52:35
of the properties listed by colehaps Agency for extra cash on Wednesday August 31 she and Charlie
00:52:44
had gone to the rural property after kolhap offered to pay them to clear some brush
00:52:50
when they arrived he'd given them hedge clippers and a bottle of water before pointing out the areas that needed
00:52:57
tidying colehap then went into the garage to get something when he returned he was holding a gun
00:53:07
before the couple could register what was going on kolhaps shot and killed Charlie
00:53:14
as Alana had stared down at her boyfriend's body in shock culheb grabbed her from behind handcuffed her and bound
00:53:22
her ankles he apologized about killing Charlie but said he had to let Alana know he was
00:53:29
serious kohlhepp made her watch as he wrapped Charlie's body in the tarp then he led her to the storage container
00:53:39
where she was forced to stay for the next two months Alana said she was kept chained up
00:53:46
almost the entire time culheb would visit her at the property between 1 and 3 P.M every day and move
00:53:55
her from the shipping container to the apartment then he would bait her and quote make me
00:54:03
do whatever he wanted sexually before transferring her back to the container he'd leave for a while before returning
00:54:12
between 5 and 7 pm and repeating the process all over again if Alana said no to any sex acts carlhep
00:54:21
wanted to do he wouldn't physically force her because he claimed he didn't believe in rape
00:54:28
but Alana said he made it very well known why she was there and she knew that if she didn't submit to his demands
00:54:36
he would shoot her too sometimes kohlhepp would let Alana walk around outside for a little bit
00:54:45
he liked to show her the makeshift grave where he had buried Charlie's body a second empty grave laying next to it
00:54:55
kohlhepp told Alana if she ran away she would end up there too kolhaps said Alana was beautiful and
00:55:05
that's why he'd chosen her he reassured her that one day Stockholm syndrome would kick in and she would be
00:55:12
happy living with him too he would build a special house with a soundproof room where she would be kept
00:55:20
permanently Cole happened bragged to Alana that he was a serial killer and a mass murderer
00:55:28
he claimed that his victims numbered in the higher two digits but he planned to kill more because he dreamed of taking
00:55:36
hundreds of lives foreign had always been a troubled child after his parents divorced in 1973 when
00:55:54
he was two he was raised by his mother Regina in South Carolina Regina noticed how he struggled to play
00:56:01
with his peers at preschool often he would just sit in a corner the only way he seemed capable of
00:56:09
interacting with them was in an angry manner as he Grew Older his behavior worsened
00:56:17
culheb would deliberately damage other students work and was kicked out of the Boy Scouts for repeatedly misbehaving
00:56:25
when he asked his mother and stepfather for a pet gerbil they told him no as he already had a goldfish
00:56:32
culheb responded by pouring Clorox bleach into the fish tank which his parents thought he did deliberately to
00:56:39
kill the fish would always insist he'd just been cleaning the tank and didn't understand
00:56:46
that bleach was toxic another time he was reported to have shot at a dog with a BB gun
00:56:54
[Music] by the time kohlhepp was nine years old his reputation for having an explosive
00:57:01
temper and fixation with sexual content was cemented when people did something he didn't like
00:57:08
he lashed out once when his mother bought him a new set of bedroom furniture he destroyed it
00:57:15
all with a claw hammer another time he attacked a girl on his school bus after she said something that
00:57:21
made him angry and stabbed her in the leg his mother Regina sent him to therapy and a mental health hospital but his
00:57:30
behavior didn't improve kolhap hated his stepfather and repeatedly asked if he could go and live
00:57:37
with his biological father in Arizona he'd spent his summer with his father at age 12 after not having seen him in
00:57:46
eight years Regina began to wonder if her son's issues were stemming from not knowing
00:57:52
his dad when kolhap was in his early teens Regina finally caved and allowed him to
00:57:59
move to Arizona on the evening of Tuesday November 25 1986 fourteen-year-old Katie was at home
00:58:10
in Tempe Arizona babysitting her two younger siblings her five-year-old brother and
00:58:17
three-year-old sister were both sleeping so it was an easy job Katie was sitting on a love seat
00:58:24
studying when the doorbell rang she answered it and found 15 year old Todd kohlhab who lived Three Doors Down
00:58:32
Standing on her doorstep hey explained that another boy who Katie had a crush on was around the corner and
00:58:40
wanted to talk to her but Katie refused to leave she explained that she was babysitting
00:58:47
and shut the front door yet kolhap wouldn't leave after repeatedly trying to coax Katie
00:58:56
outside he went around the back of her house to the rear door and said just come out
00:59:03
hoping that if she did as he asked he would finally leave Katie stepped outside culhead pulled out a gun and held it to
00:59:12
her head stating you're coming with me at gunpoint he forced her out of her backyard and into an alley that ran
00:59:22
behind the row of houses Katie didn't even have shoes on and could feel stones and broken glass
00:59:29
pressing into her bare feet angry and terrified she suddenly fought back grabbing the barrel of the gun
00:59:38
in response cohab pulled the trigger the gun misfired if it had gone off the bullet would have
00:59:48
struck Katie in the head realizing kolhap wouldn't hesitate to kill her Katie didn't fight back again
00:59:57
at culhaps urging she walked into his home where he was staying alone while his father was away on a business trip
01:00:05
kohlhepp forced Katie into his bedroom then bound her hands with rope and put duct tape over her mouth
01:00:13
he held a knife to her throat and raped her back at Katie's house her little brother
01:00:22
woke up and was scared to find his sister missing the five-year-old boy called 9-1-1 and
01:00:29
soon police and their parents arrived at the property as they were gathered inside Katie
01:00:36
appeared at the back door kohlhepp had seen the police car lights from his bedroom window and panicked
01:00:45
Katie had begged to be allowed to leave saying she would just tell the police they'd been out looking for a missing
01:00:50
dog kolhap eventually agreed but said that if she said anything about what really
01:00:57
happened he would murder her whole family although Katie initially told her parents and the police that she'd been
01:01:06
looking for a dog they could see from her demeanor that something terrible had happened
01:01:12
after some coaxing Katie began to cry and told the truth officers immediately went to kohlhepp's
01:01:20
house to arrest him kolhap answered the door with the 22 caliber rifle behind his back
01:01:28
pulling out her own handgun an officer demanded he leave the house immediately or she would shoot him
01:01:36
coldhepper did as he was told and then asked I just need to know how much I am going
01:01:43
to get for this although he was only 15 colehab was charged as an adult he agreed to plead guilty to kidnapping
01:01:55
if the sexual assault charge was dropped to avoid having to go to trial after a court-ordered psychological
01:02:03
assessment kolhap was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder he said that he'd attacked Katie because
01:02:10
he was angry and wanted to rebel against these often absent father colhab's mother Regina sent a letter
01:02:19
requesting leniency in sentencing writing they don't stop to think that he even walked the girl home does that sound
01:02:28
like a dangerous criminal despite her request the judge gave colehab 15 years to be served in an
01:02:36
adult prison in Arizona the adult probation officer noted that Todd colehap was quote
01:02:44
the type of individual one with little or no conscience who presents the greatest risk to the community
01:02:54
in November 2001 colehap was released from prison at the age of 30. it wasn't long before he moved back to
01:03:03
South Carolina although he had to add his name to the state's sex offender registry kohlhepp
01:03:13
also set about rebuilding his life he worked as a graphic designer using vocational training he'd completed in
01:03:21
prison and obtained a business degree from the University of South Carolina upstate
01:03:28
in 2006 he applied for a South Carolina real estate license the application didn't require a
01:03:36
criminal background check but applicants did have to note any convictions themselves
01:03:42
kohlhepp explained away his felony conviction as being due to a heated breakup he'd had with his girlfriend
01:03:50
during the argument colehaps dog escaped and the two teenagers had to go looking
01:03:55
for it meanwhile his girlfriend's parents hadn't known where their daughter was and called the police
01:04:04
I was charged with the felony of kidnapping due to the fact that I did have a firearm on me regardless that she
01:04:11
didn't know about it and I had told her not to move while we talked this out coldhapp wrote
01:04:18
at this time Arizona was coming down very hard on Miners and anything to do with Firearms due to the heavy gang
01:04:25
activity out there and I received a sentence of 15 years for which I served every day no parole required
01:04:34
[Music] his application was approved and by 2008 kolhap was a successful real estate
01:04:42
agent the following year he registered his own company Todd colehap and Associates
01:04:50
the business grew with about a dozen agents on staff kolhap began driving BMWs and owned
01:04:57
multiple properties to cars and a motorbike [Music] in 2013 he achieved a childhood Dream by
01:05:06
obtaining his pilot's license his life appeared to be successful but there were cracks in the facade
01:05:17
kolhap was known to boast about his wealth and how he was an expert with firearms
01:05:23
he openly discussed his sex offender status while lying about how he'd received it
01:05:30
some potential clients instinctively found him creepy and off-putting at work he was known for openly watching
01:05:38
pornography in his office he had a dark sense of humor and talked about how he chased people off his
01:05:45
property while wearing night vision goggles and carrying guns equipped with silencers
01:05:51
according to colehap he owned an arsenal of weapons even though in South Carolina
01:05:57
it is illegal for violent felons to own firearms in the close-knit neighborhood where he
01:06:05
lived kohlhepp kept to himself in 2014 he bought the sprawling 95-acre property in Woodruff where Alana Jones
01:06:15
would be found two years later kolhap paid eighty thousand dollars to install an expansive chain link fence
01:06:24
and installed deer cameras and bear traps throughout the property these weren't intended to deter animals
01:06:32
but humans an Amazon account in Todd colehaps name revealed that around the same time he'd
01:06:41
bought padlocks knives targets tactical gear and gun accessories he often left reviews for these items
01:06:50
that hinted at how he intended to use them when reviewing a knife he wrote haven't stabbed anyone yet but I am
01:07:00
keeping the dream alive and when I do it will be with a Quality Tool like this for a padlock he wrote
01:07:09
looks great also if someone talks back go old school on them by putting this in a sock and beating them
01:07:17
they will not appreciate the hardened steel like you will [Music] the review for another set of padlocks
01:07:25
made a reference similar to one someone had posted on Charlie Carver's Facebook page while posing as him
01:07:32
quote now my locks have locks places Hotel California now when investigators trace the Lana's cell
01:07:46
phone to the vicinity of the rural property owned by colehab they'd applied for his cell phone data too
01:07:53
they saw that it had been in the same area repeatedly during the two months that Alana and Charlie were missing
01:08:00
this was enough for a search warrant to be granted while one team of investigators went to
01:08:07
the rural property another group headed to the house where kohlhepp lived just eight miles away
01:08:15
kolhap answered the front door to his red brick home dressed in a blue t-shirt and shorts
01:08:21
deputies informed him that they had information indicating he was the last person to have seen missing couple Alana
01:08:28
Jones and Charlie Carver and had a search warrant for his other property didn't seem bothered and sat on a chair
01:08:37
in his house as foyer while making small talk with the investigators one Deputy received a call and went
01:08:45
outside to take it it was a colleague who was at kohlhepp's rural property informing him how they'd
01:08:52
found Alana chained up in a storage container the deputy went back inside and confronted Cole hap with this
01:09:00
information kolhap responded by tilting his head to one side and saying excuse me
01:09:10
the deputy continued she has told us that you shot and killed Charlie culheb was informed that he was being
01:09:20
arrested when asked where Charlie's body was and why he had kidnapped Alana kolhap
01:09:26
replied I won an attorney probably a good thing the deputy retorted before having cold hair put in
01:09:36
the back of a police vehicle it didn't take authorities long to recover Charlie Carver's body from a
01:09:46
shallow grave on the property once Todd colhepp learned the body had been found he agreed to make a full
01:09:53
confession with some conditions he wanted to talk to his mother before making any more statements and asked
01:10:01
investigators to pass along our special picture to her he also wanted to transfer some money to
01:10:09
the daughter of a friend to help pay her college tuition the investigators agreed to these terms
01:10:18
said he targeted Alana and Charlie because he was angry with Alana he confirmed things she had already told
01:10:27
investigators when they asked if the empty freshly dug grave next to Charlie's had been
01:10:34
intended for Alana he said yes adding she came real close really asked one investigator
01:10:45
she has no idea kohlhepp replied more than once agreed to take investigators to the
01:10:56
place on his property where he'd buried two more bodies both were so badly decomposed that they
01:11:03
had to be identified from their tattoos and other identifying features they were married a couple Johnny and
01:11:11
Megan coxy who'd lived in Spartanburg and had a son together 26 year old Megan had a history of
01:11:19
heroin usage and was charged with neglect in late 2015 when her child tested positive for the drug
01:11:27
both she and Johnny were placed in jail until Megan asked her mother to bond her
01:11:33
out so she could work a job she wanted to fix her life and provide for her family
01:11:40
her mother agreed but never heard from Megan again both she and Johnny were reported
01:11:47
missing on Tuesday December 22 2015. with few leads the case never really got off the ground
01:11:58
it turned out that kohlhab had met 26 year old Megan at a waffle house where she waited tables and he liked to lurk
01:12:07
he gained a reputation for leaving generous tips and inviting waitresses back to his home
01:12:14
kolhap had creeped out most of the female staff so much that one of the male Cooks started taking his orders
01:12:20
instead kolhap had offered Megan money to clean his property this was the job she had
01:12:28
told her mother about colehab told the deputies that Johnny had jumped in with a knife trying to rob
01:12:37
him once they were out at the property he'd kill Johnny in self-defense by shooting him in the chest
01:12:44
kolhap began to panic as he knew he wasn't allowed to own guns due to his criminal record and also had illegal
01:12:51
drugs on the property unsure of what to do with Megan he put her in the shipping container
01:12:59
kolhap claimed that sometimes Megan was calm but other times she went quote batshit crazy
01:13:08
he insisted that he hadn't sexually assaulted Megan but investigators were unconvinced
01:13:16
kolhaps said that after five or six days he struck a deal with Megan he would give her four thousand dollars
01:13:23
and drive her to Tennessee then they would go their separate ways he said that Megan was happy as hell
01:13:31
with this arrangement but when kolhap checked on her the next day she tried to burn down the shipping
01:13:38
container and was quote going nuts he walked her outside of the container then shot her in the back of the head
01:13:48
kolhap assured the investigators that the similarities between the attacks against the two couples were purely
01:13:55
coincidental the land was supposed to be My Sanctuary not my killing field he laughed
01:14:04
yet it quickly became clear that kohlhepp's violent Acts were not limited to his rural property in Woodruff
01:14:14
following Alana Jones's rescue from the shipping container she told a police officer that kohlhepp had bragged about
01:14:21
being a serial killer and a mass murderer then she added he also told me that a few years back he
01:14:30
walked into a bike shop in Anderson and shot four people [Music] although Alana thought the shop was in
01:14:41
Anderson and not Chesney There was little doubt what case coal hap had been referring to
01:14:48
massacre at Superbike Motorsports was the most notorious Cold Case in Spartanburg County the same county where
01:14:55
colehap had lived and committed his other crimes carlhep also bore an uncanny resemblance
01:15:02
to the second sketch that had been made of The Suspect with the same downturned mouth and squinting eyes
01:15:11
investigators asked colehap to walk them through his dealings with the store in 2003 Todd kohlhab was in his early
01:15:21
30s and two years out of prison he was studying at Greenville Technical College and that same year he also
01:15:29
bought a motorcycle from Superbike Motorsports kohlhepp soon realized that the bike was
01:15:36
too big for an inexperienced motorcyclist like him he'd only owned it for two weeks when it
01:15:43
was stolen from out the front of the apartment complex where he lived kohlhepp received an insurance payout
01:15:50
and decided to buy another bike he started visiting Superbike Motorsports again to look at different
01:15:57
models after hearing colehap planned to replace his stolen bike the manager Brian Lucas
01:16:04
said to him great now we'll have another one to go pick up kohlhepp interpreted this to mean that
01:16:13
the store was behind the theft of his first bike he left the store but continued to Stew
01:16:21
about what Brian had said kolhap became angrier and angrier he continued to visit Superbike
01:16:29
Motorsports where he would sit on the store's bikes and eavesdrop on Scott Ponder and Brian Lucas quote
01:16:36
basically talk trash eventually Cole have decided to purchase a Beretta nine millimeter pistol and
01:16:45
went back to the store one final time on the afternoon of Thursday November 6 2003.
01:16:51
he inspected some bikes while scoping out the store and trying to ensure that Scott Brian and mechanic Chris Sherbert
01:16:59
were all there he deliberately chosen a quiet time of day as he wanted no other customers
01:17:06
around quote collateral damage is not cool hepb wasn't thrilled when Scott's mother
01:17:15
Beverly guy arrived telling investigators I prefer not to shoot women if I can but her presence didn't deter him and
01:17:26
finally when all four store employees were the only other people in the building colhepp told them he wanted to
01:17:33
buy a particular bike Scott and Brian began sorting out the paperwork while Chris Sherbert took the
01:17:41
motorcycle out the back to prep it after a few minutes kohlhepp followed him to the mechanics area
01:17:50
he pulled out his pistol and shot Chris twice in the chest fell to the ground and lay still
01:17:59
cohab then headed towards the front of the building just as Scott Brian and Beverly all moved to the mechanics area
01:18:06
to investigate the sound they just heard the three of them stood in front of kolhap
01:18:14
as Beverly was the closest he shot her two or three times in the chest as she fell Scott and Brian ran for the
01:18:23
door as they ran kohlhab shot Brian in the back they named it Scott as he was raging the parking lot
01:18:34
after all four victims had fallen kohlhepp went to each body and shot them in the forehead
01:18:42
this was a detailed investigators had withheld from the press and convinced them that kohlhab was telling the truth
01:18:51
a check would reveal his name had also been in the store's customer database that the original investigators had
01:18:58
received on the 10th anniversary of the murders kohlhepp had received one of the many
01:19:04
letters that were sent out to Superbike customers asking if he knew anything about the crime
01:19:11
he had never replied kohlhepp described the slangs as being like playing a video game and used a
01:19:20
military-style language to detail each action he boasted about how quick the mass
01:19:27
shooting had been telling the interviewing detectives I cleared that building in under 30
01:19:33
seconds I'm sorry but you guys would have been proud Scott Brian and Beverly's loved ones
01:19:44
were shocked to hear the case had finally been solved 13 years later Tom Lucas the father of Brian Lucas had
01:19:52
become an advocate for families in the area who lived with unsolved crimes he had been gathered with some of them
01:20:00
the day before Carl hepb confessed and had sensed something powerful at the time
01:20:06
when Tom and his wife Lorraine received a call the following day to say the perpetrator was in custody he couldn't
01:20:13
believe it Lorraine would later say she went completely numb [Music] Scott Ponder's wife Melissa brackman was
01:20:23
phoned by a detective who she had a good relationship with he instructed her to sit down then said
01:20:31
we got him Melissa began to cry she had made peace with the fact that she might never know who killed her
01:20:40
husband and the father of her son Scotty who was now nearly 13 years old Terry Guy Beverly's husband and Scott's
01:20:50
stepfather was also relieved but at the same time he empathized with colab's family
01:20:57
quote my emotions are running from Joy to crying even feeling sorry for the family
01:21:04
of kolhap I feel for them there was less relief for the families of Charlie Carver Johnny coxy and Megan
01:21:14
coxy who were only just learning that their loved ones were dead a close friend of Johnny Cox's mother
01:21:22
Cindy issued a statement on her behalf stating Cindy came about a year ago requesting
01:21:30
prayer for her son Johnny and his wife Megan who were missing we have been praying for about a year
01:21:37
now that they would be found and we would know what happened today they received the news
01:21:44
the family is in shock grieving and are not comfortable talking to anyone at this time
01:21:50
they have asked for people to please try and understand and give them time to heal
01:21:59
Todd colehap agreed to plead guilty to seven counts of murder two kidnapping charges and one count of criminal sexual
01:22:06
assault in exchange for his plea prosecutors took the death penalty off the table
01:22:15
on Friday May 26 2017 kohlhepp was sentenced to seven consecutive life sentences without the possibility of
01:22:24
parole surviving victim Alana Jones did not attend due to an ongoing struggle with
01:22:31
post-traumatic stress disorder but the courtroom was packed with family members of those who'd been killed
01:22:39
they addressed him in turn [Music] in an emotional voice Scott Ponder's wife Melissa brackman stated
01:22:48
I have missed motorcycle riding on the back of his bike having him there to rub my pregnant belly to feel Scott Jr kick
01:22:56
and take him bike riding motorcycle riding I lost so much her son Scott Jr who had just finished
01:23:07
seventh grade said I'm always going to wonder what it would have been like if my dad was here
01:23:16
Megan Cox's mother Mary cried as she spoke of how her seven-year-old grandson had looked for his mother everywhere
01:23:23
after she disappeared then the day came when we found out where his mum was it was one of the worst Days of Our
01:23:32
Lives to tell him that his mum was dead outside Court Charlie Carver's parents spoke of how they hoped to heal now that
01:23:42
their son's killer was behind bars his mother Joanne said that for a while she couldn't think of Todd colehap
01:23:50
without feeling Furious but now she just considered him a sad man foreign [Music]
01:24:02
sentencing his lawyers had assured the court that he had no other victims but some found this hard to believe
01:24:11
his first serious crime had been committed when he was just 15 and he second followed only two years after his
01:24:18
release from prison it seemed unlikely that a repeat offender with a violent streak and an
01:24:25
easily triggered inferiority complex had been a law-abiding citizen between late
01:24:30
2003 when he committed the superbike massacre in 2015 when he murdered Johnny and Megan coxy
01:24:38
[Music] when he provided a detailed confession to investigators he claimed that he'd
01:24:45
also shot and killed a boy in Tempe Arizona when he was 14 as part of a gang initiation
01:24:51
[Music] kohlhepp said he couldn't recall any names investigators in Arizona looked into
01:24:59
this claim but weren't able to verify it they also looked into other unsolved homicides and missing persons cases
01:25:07
between 1983 to 1986 the years colehab was living in the area nothing else appears to have been linked
01:25:15
to him but there may have been another unsolved rape in Tempe that kohlhepp committed
01:25:23
16 days before culhapp abducted and raped his neighbor Katie in 1986 a college student in her early 20s was
01:25:31
attacked in her home she lived just blocks away from cohab in the early hours of the morning she
01:25:40
awoke to a man standing over her sticking duct tape on her mouth he bound and then raped her
01:25:50
the woman would later say he was like an awkward fumbly teenager as though he didn't know what he was doing
01:25:57
Katie later described him the same way after the assault the man whispered that he would kill the woman if she told the
01:26:07
police then left the victim did call police however and they came over to take a statement and
01:26:15
evidence she never heard from them again and records show the evidence was destroyed
01:26:22
two years later decades later the story of Todd Cole have serial killings and previous rape
01:26:29
conviction made national news and the victim wondered if he was responsible for the crime against her as well
01:26:38
Alana Jones said kohlhepp had bragged that his victims numbered in the higher double digits though it wasn't clear if
01:26:45
this was just him boasting following his sentencing in 2017 he told authorities in South Carolina that he'd
01:26:54
actually killed two more people he'd buried them near Interstate 26 in Spartanburg County and agreed to take
01:27:02
investigators to the spot as of late 2022 this claim has not been confirmed there have been no updates as to whether
01:27:13
any remains were found in 2018 a South Carolina man named Dustin Lawson pleaded guilty to 36
01:27:24
federal firearms charges after admitting he'd illegally sold guns and silencers to Todd kolhap
01:27:32
Lawson had been aware that kohlhab had a previous felony conviction and wasn't permitted to own firearms
01:27:40
he was sentenced to seven years and four months in prison Alana Jones and a number of victims
01:27:49
family members filed civil suits against Todd kohlhepp seeking damages a judge ordered that kohlheppey Alana
01:27:57
6.3 million dollars other victims were also awarded significant amounts call heps of various assets were
01:28:07
auctioned off and the money distributed amongst the victims but his assets weren't enough to cover the amount he'd
01:28:14
been ordered to pay to this day the families of cohab's victims communicate in a group chat
01:28:22
together those who lost loved ones in the superbike Motorsports murders have offered support to the families of coal
01:28:29
Hap's later victims Terry guy who lost both his wife and stepson in the superbike murders formed
01:28:37
a strong bond with the sister of victim Brian Lucas the two grieved together and found
01:28:44
comfort in each other eventually they fell in love and married for Melissa brackman there was a lot of
01:28:53
sorrow in the fact that her husband never got to meet his son Scotty but Scotty was also away for Scott to
01:29:01
live on as Melissa told a journalist from the CBS program 48 hours quote I got to hold a piece of him again
01:29:13
I had his flesh and blood with me [Music] [Music] casefile presents a new Spotify
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exclusive podcast Maddie no one is ever prepared for a loved one to suddenly disappear
01:29:55
that's the thing about missingness when someone you love vanishes into thin air every family that experiences it has to
01:30:04
figure it out for themselves we started running around match friends what the hell is not doing at work and why hasn't
01:30:10
even called them I just sat there again oh my God oh my God something wasn't right the leversons grew more worried by
01:30:17
the minute he's walking up and down like a cage line and he's sweating and he's clammy the man has no emotions at all
01:30:23
towards the end he wouldn't let Matt out of his sight narrated by Lauren O'Keefe
01:30:28
the founder of the missing persons advocacy Network and host of case File presents podcast what's missing the
01:30:35
police informed Mark and Faye levison that they're no longer considered Matt a missing person I told they know that the
01:30:42
case had been transferred to homicide and he said I've called the police I found a grave there's a medic in the
01:30:48
bush the receipt showed that two items had been purchased duct tape and a garden Master brand Matic I think we
01:30:55
were in shock for ages after that the world just seemed to stand still hear how her family took on the system to try
01:31:01
and find Justice for their son for the very first time made us feel like the police and us were no longer on the same
01:31:09
side and then he sat there and said to me it was Matt's lifestyle that had him murdered no I just said the [ __ ]
01:31:15
stops now that's that's ridiculous some people in this world never take no for an answer especially when they're
01:31:21
fighting for someone they love nothing's perfect and we thought you know with a chance of finding math to play one in a
01:31:26
movie one in 10 million but it wasn't zero so we've got to give it a go he was never going to win against us not for
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a justice system it's just a system

Badges

This episode stands out for the following:

  • 90
    Most shocking
  • 90
    Biggest twist
  • 85
    Most heartbreaking
  • 85
    Most intense

Episode Highlights

  • Tragic Discovery at Superbike Motorsports
    Noel Lee finds the bodies of Scott Ponder, Brian Lucas, and Beverly Guy at the dealership.
    @ 03m 24s
    October 29, 2022
  • DNA Revelations
    Investigators discover shocking DNA results linking Melissa's son to Brian Lucas instead of Scott Ponder.
    @ 21m 53s
    October 29, 2022
  • Melissa's Struggles
    Melissa Brackman faced intense scrutiny but maintained her innocence throughout the investigation.
    “she'd never cheated on her husband and knew that he was her baby's father”
    @ 24m 53s
    October 29, 2022
  • The Search for Answers
    Kelly Sisk becomes a crucial witness in the investigation of a quadruple homicide.
    “Kelly was shocked he couldn't believe that he'd just been there with his young child right before the attack unfolded”
    @ 27m 52s
    October 29, 2022
  • A Disturbing Discovery
    Investigators find a white car belonging to Charlie Carver, confirming he and Alana were at the property.
    @ 46m 33s
    October 29, 2022
  • The Rescue of Alana Jones
    Alana Jones is rescued from captivity after being held for two months. "We're going to get you out of there, okay?"
    “We're going to get you out of there, okay?”
    @ 49m 42s
    October 29, 2022
  • Kohlhepp's Confession
    Todd Kohlhepp confesses to multiple murders, revealing chilling details about his crimes. "She has no idea."
    “She has no idea.”
    @ 01h 10m 45s
    October 29, 2022
  • Kohlhepp's Sanctuary
    Kohlhepp describes his property as a sanctuary, despite the horrors committed there. "The land was supposed to be my sanctuary, not my killing field."
    “The land was supposed to be my sanctuary, not my killing field.”
    @ 01h 14m 00s
    October 29, 2022
  • The Superbike Motorsports Massacre
    Todd Kohlhepp's violent acts culminated in a notorious mass shooting at Superbike Motorsports.
    @ 01h 14m 50s
    October 29, 2022
  • Families React to the Confession
    Families of the victims express shock and mixed emotions upon learning the case was solved.
    @ 01h 19m 44s
    October 29, 2022
  • Kohlhepp's Sentencing
    Todd Kohlhepp was sentenced to seven consecutive life sentences for his crimes.
    @ 01h 22m 19s
    October 29, 2022

Episode Quotes

  • Apparently everyone's been shot up here!
    The shocking quadruple homicide in Chesnee
  • This is my mother!
    The shocking quadruple homicide in Chesnee
  • I don't call it a cold case I call it an old case.
    The shocking quadruple homicide in Chesnee
  • We're going to get you out of there, okay?
    The shocking quadruple homicide in Chesnee
  • She has no idea.
    The shocking quadruple homicide in Chesnee
  • My emotions are running from joy to crying.
    The shocking quadruple homicide in Chesnee

Key Moments

  • Worry Sets In00:07
  • DNA Confusion24:31
  • Urgent Rescue48:20
  • Twisted Sanctuary1:14:00
  • Bragging about murder1:14:21
  • Mass shooting1:14:50
  • Victims' families unite1:28:25
  • Finding peace1:28:51

Words per Minute Over Time

Vibes Breakdown