Serial killer with shipping container dungeon: My victims had it coming
The South Carolina serial killer who kidnapped a woman and kept her chained inside a shipping container, has spoken publicly for the first time since his November arrest — and his words are almost as brutal as his crimes.
In a chilling letter mailed to The Post last week, Todd Kohlhepp claimed the seven people he murdered were “criminals” and that he was merely trying to “save” the 30-year-old woman he had viciously imprisoned after killing her boyfriend.
“No one wants to really look at who they were, families, connections,” the 46-year-old killer wrote of his victims.
The cold-blooded murderer shot and killed seven people over the span of 13 years, burying three of the bodies across his 95-acre spread in rural northwestern South Carolina.
Kohlhepp, who’s serving seven consecutive life sentences after pleading guilty to the killings, went on to accuse the woman he kept in a metal cargo container for two months, Kala Brown, of being “as big a criminal as I am.”
She “wasn’t raped,” he claimed in his barbaric, victim-blaming diatribe, written neatly in script on two double-side looseleaf pages.
“All of my victims were criminals,” he declared.
In his only hint of remorse, he then wrote, “Not that it makes it right, I was wrong to do what I did.”
He provided no further details, and authorities dismissed his accusations.
Kohlhepp is an “attention seeker” who “needs to stay in prison and be forgotten,” said Murray Glenn, a spokesman for the Spartanburg County prosecutor.
Brown’s rep said she was not yet ready to discuss her ordeal or comment on Kohlhepp’s missive from prison.
The killer was captured after a terrorized Brown, 30, was rescued by police on Nov. 3, 2016. They had used her cell phone records to trace her steps to Kohlhepp’s home.
She was found chained by the neck inside a dark-green 30-foot-long container tucked among rows of trees far back on Kohlhepp’s property, where she said she was raped “twice a day, every day.”
Kohlhepp “let me know that if I tried to run, he’d kill me. If I tried to hurt him, he’d kill me. If I fought back, he would kill me,” she told Dr.Phil.
Brown and her boyfriend, Charlie Carver, 32, went missing in August 2016.
They had gone to Kohlhepp’s property to help him with yardwork. They had previously worked several jobs for Kohlhepp over a three-month period, Brown said, and nothing ever set off warning bells.
But when Kohlhepp went inside a shed to retrieve gardening tools, he came out with a weapon and shot Carver “three times in the chest [and] wrapped him in a blue tarp,” Brown told investigators.
The murderer, who once worked as a real estate agent, bizarrely claimed in his letter to The Post that he was trying to save Brown.
“She was in [the] shipping container because I didn’t want to hurt her, refused to turn her over to someone else who would and was buying time while I figured out a way to resolve this non-violently,” he wrote.
Again, he provided no further details or evidence.
After Spartanburg, S.C., officers freed Brown, she helped lead them to Carver’s body and indicated there were others.
Kohlhepp eventually confessed to Carver’s murder and six others — four employees of the Superbike Motorsports shop in Chesnee, S.C., in 2003 because they wouldn’t allow him to return a motorcycle; and Meagan Leigh McCraw Coxie, 25, and her boyfriend Johnny Joe Coxie, 29, who had been missing since December 2015 when Kohlhepp also recruited them to do “yard work.”
In his letter, Kohlhepp accused the bike shop of being a “chop shop” with “$80,000 cash sitting in [a] safe.” He made no mention of the Coxies.
The killer had previously served 14 years in prison for kidnapping and raping a 14-year-old girl in 1986.
In a psych evaluation that same year, court psychiatrist Dr. Roger Martig said Kohlhepp had an “above average” IQ of 118, but described him as “extremely self-centered” as well as “touchy and defensive.”
The exam concluded he was not psychotic, but was “distrustful of others and generally unconcerned or lacks understanding as to how his behavior affects others.”
Teen charged with 5 felonies after shooting at deputies – hitting one
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) A teenager has been charged with five felonies including attempted murder after investigators say he fired on Douglas County Sheriff’s deputies with a 12-gauge shotgun, hitting one.
The 17-year-old was charged Friday with two counts of attempted murder, one count of second-degree assault and two weapons counts. The Associated Press generally does not name juveniles charged with crimes.
Pregnant woman forced to deliver baby after being set on fire by boyfriend
A Maryland woman who was seven months pregnant was forced to deliver her baby after she was set on fire by her boyfriend, according to reports.
Andrea Grinage, 31, was critically burned Friday when she was doused with gasoline on Friday in the bathtub of her apartment in Capitol Heights, outside Washington, Fox 5 DC reported. She was taken to the hospital where she delivered a baby girl. Both were in critical condition.
Despite suffering burns over a large part of her body, Grinage told police what happened and who was responsible. She also warned her mother that the boyfriend was on his way to her apartment to harm her, the station reported. He was arrested before he got there.
“She was very brave,” Prince George’s County police spokesperson Jennifer Donelan said, according to the station. “We want her family to know how brave she was, suffering as badly as she was, critically burned, worried about her unborn child, dealing with those injuries and was able to share that information with us so that we could get moving with our investigation and locate this person.”
Police haven’t identified the boyfriend.
Grinage was still on fire as she banged on neighbor’s doors, according to the station.
Neighbors told WRC-TV they heard Grinage and her boyfriend arguing Thursday night.
Grinage’s father told the station the baby was born seven weeks premature and was doing okay.
“She’s hanging in there,” Arthur Grinage said. “She’s doing fine. She’s beautiful.”
Police question Robbins officer after baby found abandoned near dumpster in Matteson
A Robbins police officer is being questioned after a baby was found abandoned in Matteson Thursday night, police said.
The boy is 6 to 9 months old and police did not say what the officer’s relationship with the boy is. He was found buckled into a car seat by a woman who says she was out walking and heard the child’s cries near a dumpster behind some apartments in the 3700-block of 214th Street not far from the Old Plank Trail walking path at about 10 p.m., police said.
Authorities said the child was treated for a slight fever and remains in the custody of the Department of Child Family Services. Police said Friday afternoon they believe they have identified the child and multiple family members. Authorities haven’t said how they were able to identify the child and multiple family members. Sources close to the investigation said the baby’s mother had dropped off the child to his father and had no idea what had happened.
“You never know what people’s situation is, so it’s just heartbreaking to hear something like that,” said neighborhood resident Isaiah Mitchell.
From the start, police said it was obvious the baby had been well cared for. He appeared to be in good health, but had a soiled diaper and wet socks. The baby also had a blanket, toys and baby food along with diapers and wipes.
Police asked for the public’s help in finding the child’s parents after a canvass of the neighborhood yielded no leads. As authorities search for more answers, most are just glad the baby is ok.
“I think it would take some extreme problems and sense of desperation for someone to leave a baby there like that so I’ll just have to keep them in my thoughts,” said neighborhood resident Seth Whitson.
Anyone with information is asked to call Matteson police at (708)748-5931.
Woman charged after pipe bomb found in her car in NW Indiana
A woman was charged Saturday after police said a pipe bomb was found in her car in northwest Indiana.
The Porter County Sheriff’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal Team was called about 11:30 a.m. to the area near Woodruft Drive and Division Road near Center Township for reports of a possible pipe bomb in a vehicle, according to a statement from the sheriff’s office.
Katrina Franzen, 32, of Valparaiso, was charged with a felony count of possession of a destructive device after police found a pipe bomb on the passenger side floor of her black 2011 Hyundai, the sheriff’s office said.
Franzen said the pipe bomb was her ex-boyfriend’s, and she had been traveling with it in her car for two weeks. Franzen said she planned to take it to a friend’s house to “make it safe,” police said.
Division Road was reopened Saturday afternoon after being closed from County Road 250 W to County Road 325 W when “the device” was rendered safe, the sheriff’s office said.
A few nearby homes were evacuated, and other residents in the area were advised to stay inside their homes while the disposal team worked.
“The incident is still under investigation, however there is no reason to believe this subject had any intention of driving to a crowded area or specific location to cause harm with the item,” the sheriff’s office said.
“At this time there is not reason to believe there are additional devices or that there is any further threat to the public,” the sheriff’s office added.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire – Copyright Chicago Sun-Times 2017.)
WLS-TV contributed to this report.
via: http://abc7chicago.com/police-woman-charged-after-pipe-bomb-found-in-her-car/2397290/
South Carolina Father Commits Suicide After His 2-Year-Old Finds Loaded Gun, Fatally Shoots Himself
After a South Carolina toddler accidentally fatally shot himself, the boy’s father committed suicide when police responded Wednesday morning, according to police in Columbia.
Both died of a single gunshot wound to the head, according to Richland County Coroner Gary Watts.
Investigators said the boy’s mother called police after her son, 2-year-old Kyree Myers, found the loaded weapon inside a Columbia home and fired it.
When officers arrived around 11 a.m., the boy’s father, 38-year-old Keon Myers, was holding a gun and threatening to hurt himself, according to Columbia Police Department Chief Skip Holbrook.
Police tried to get Myers to put the gun down, but he refused. After several commands to drop the weapon, Myers shot himself, police said.
EMS workers took both father and son to a local hospital where they were pronounced dead.
“Our hearts are heavy at the tremendous loss of life,” Holbrook said in a statement. “We have victim advocates assigned to the case to assist the family during this difficult time. This experience has also been emotionally trying for responding officers. They will participate in a debriefing to discuss the incident and receive further support as needed.”
Police are still trying to determine if the father and son fired the same gun. Investigators are also working with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to figure out where the weapon came from and how it ended up in the house.
via: http://ktla.com/2017/09/07/father-commits-suicide-after-2-year-old-finds-loaded-gun-shoots-himself/
San Bernardino Man Accused of Raping Mentally Disabled 17-Year-Old
A 32-year-old man was arrested on Friday for allegedly raping a mentally disabled teen from Loma Linda, officials said.
Steven Haley of San Bernardino was identified as a suspect in the crime on July 8 after deputies responded to the girl’s home to collect a rape report around 5:30 p.m., according to a statement from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department.
Deputies did not say when or where the sexual assault occurred but did say they believed Haley fled the girl’s residence before their arrival.
A sheriff’s detective issued a warrant for his arrest, but Haley refused to turn himself in, officials said.
It was unclear why deputies did not apprehend him before Friday. Officials did not say where or how he was arrested.
Haley was being held on suspicion of rape as well as other charges, according to the sheriff’s department, though they did not disclose what the additional charges consist of.
The incident remains under investigation. No further details were immediately available.
via: http://ktla.com/2017/09/08/san-bernardino-man-accused-of-raping-mentally-disabled-17-year-old/
Body of pregnant teen found in suitcase on side of road
The body of a pregnant teen from the Dominican Republic was discovered in a suitcase on the side of the road.
Police have confirmed that the remains found Friday were of 16-year-old Emely Peguero, who was five months pregnant, according to People.
Further examination revealed that Peguero had suffered a blunt blow to the head and her uterus was punctured, according to the Dominican Republic Attorney General’s Office. The mutilation to her uterus indicated she had an abortion, which is illegal in the country.
Her boyfriend Marlon Martinez, a U.S. citizen, was arrested after he allegedly confessed to dumping her body in a landfill. He told authorities that he panicked when she died from an abortion.
Authorities searched the landfill and did not find her body.
His mom Marlyn Martinez has also been detained in connection to her death. Before the body was found, she allegedly offered information to police on Peguero’s whereabouts and was arrested.
Authorities took into custody a third person whose identity has not been released.
The Martinez family has reportedly received threats since the arrests.
“While I agree that this is a horrendous tragedy, and my heart breaks for Emely and her family, it also breaks for Marlon, Marlyn and their family,” Criminal Justice Reform Advocate Leyla Martinez told People. “It hurts to see how people are calling for them to be stoned or lynched.”
A GoFundMe page was created to raise money for Peguero’s funeral.
via: http://nypost.com/2017/09/07/body-of-pregnant-teen-found-in-suitcase-on-side-of-road/
Minnesota Girl Kidnapped, Swims Across Lake to Escape After 29 Days of Abuse
She is “an unbelievable young woman.” That’s what a police chief had to say after a 15-year-old girl escaped from captors who allegedly assaulted her over the course of a month.
The teen reportedly left her home in Alexandria, Minn., on Aug. 8 with a family acquaintance who said he needed her help, reports the Echo Press.
When she arrived at Thomas Barker’s home in Carlos, however, she encountered a “nightmare,” says Alexandria Police Chief Rick Wyffels. Barker, 32—soon joined by his roommate and later a friend—restrained the teen with zip ties.
At no point over the next 28 days was she left alone as she was physically and sexually assaulted and moved to a cornfield and then a home on a lake in Grant County, Wyffels says.
But on the 29th day, the 15-year-old saw an opportunity to escape. When her captors left to get lunch on Tuesday, she escaped and “bravely ran door to door” without finding help, Wyffels says.
Finally, she swam across the 150-acre lake to a property and encountered its owner, who’d just returned from work because he’d forgotten something. “It was like somebody shined a big beam of light on me,” the man tells WCCO.
“I was in the right place at the right time.” Just as police arrived, the teen—later treated for minor injuries, per NBC News—spotted a car belonging to one of her captors whom police quickly apprehended, the property owner adds.
All three alleged captors are now in custody. Barker; Joshua Holby, 31; and Steven Powers, 20, are each held on probable cause for false imprisonment, kidnapping, and assault.
Wyffels says authorities are still trying to determine a motive.
Billings woman may have infected hospital employee with HIV through bite
BILLINGS – A Billings woman who is HIV positive is facing a felony charge for allegedly biting a hospital security guard, which is a known way to transmit the disease.
Christine Bigman, 48, was charged on Tuesday in Yellowstone County Justice Court with one count of criminal endangerment.
According to court documents, Bigman was a patient at St. Vincent Healthcare in Billings on Saturday when she was involved in a disturbance.
Billings police were called to the hospital for a report of a combative patient who was kicking and hitting hospital personnel.
An officer and the security guard controlled Bigman by holding down her arms and legs, according to court documents.
Bigman then reached up and by the security guard’s forearm. The bite broke through the skin, causing the victim to bleed.
Records show that Bigman is HIV positive, according to court documents.
Mayo Schreiber, the deputy director for the Center for HIV Law and Policy, said that the likelihood of the disease being transmitted through the bite is low.
“In more than 35 years of studies there are no known reports of a security guard, law enforcement or corrections officer anywhere in the world becoming infected with HIV when bitten in the performance of their duties,” said Schreiber.
Charging documents did not state whether the guard is now infected, but prosecutors noted that the disease is transmittable through a bite.
Bigman is being held at the Yellowstone County jail without bond.