There is no question that Todd Kohlepp is a serial killer, a sadistic one, and very psychopathic. He is also a pathological liar as is a common trait of psychopaths. He got caught red-handed with a girl chained in a container in his backyard. She immediately told the police that he had killed her boyfriend and another couple, all their bodies buried on his property. The police didn't need a confession to convict him; the evidence and live witness could do that job just fine and, if this case went to trial, it was clearly a slam-dunk conviction worthy of the death penalty.
Only the serial homicides didn't go to trial. Todd Kohlhepp took a plea deal that got him out of the death penalty in exchange for....supposedly saving the families from the agony of a long, public trial and saving the state money...but, wait, there is more.....confessing to the 2003 Superbike mass murder that had long dogged the police with their failure to solve the case.
Sheriff Wright, just days from going up for re-election, considered his prayers to be answered when Todd Kohlhepp dropped into his custody and I can't disagree. No sooner than the perfect patsy fell into Wright's hands, genie Wright popped out of the bottle in front of Kohlhepp granting him three wishes....and, lo and behold, Kohlhepp confesses to murdering four people at Superbike. And they prayed together. How sweet.
Fast forward until the beginning of June and a hearing is held, solicitor Barry Barnette lays out a rather short story of how Todd Kohlhepp committed the Superbike murders and Kohlhepp nods and says, "Yes, sir," when asked if what Barnette told the judge is accurate. Kohlepp receives his sentence of life and is shipped off. Everyone goes home happy except for the people that know better and believe in the truth.
The truth is there is no evidence linking Todd Kohlhepp to the Superbike crime and his confession is false.
Let's take a look at what Kohlhepp said about the crime scene and how it went down.
(I am comparing Kohlhepp's statement to the files I reviewed at the Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office from August 24-28, 2009)
First, Kohlhepp says he went in and sat around on a cycle until the place cleared of customers. A mighty odd thing to do for anyone about to commit a crime; just sit there and let your face be seen by a bunch of people who then might be able to identify you. Kohlhepp says he didn't want to kill paying customers, only the Superbike people. That is real nice of Mr. Psychopath; he didn't have a problem killing three other people he lured onto his property and raping women, so, somehow I don't think he would blink if he had to take out a few more people to protect his identity. Not to mention, his vehicle would have been sitting out in front of the store for such a long time that someone might just remember what it looked like. In all, if Kelly Sisk (NOT the last customer; that was Lonnie Rogers) actually saw Kohlhepp sitting on a bike (and he never identified that man as Kohlhepp and also stated that he appeared to be a first time buyer and that Scott Ponder did not know him) that means Kohlhepp would have had to be hanging around the shop for almost an hour before the shootings (Kelly Sisk left the building at 2:10 pm); again, odd behavior for a killer who wouldn't want to be recognized, especially one who claims he is known to the employees and has come around quite often to check out the bikes, a local whom anyone might recognize.
Now, he says he waited for the place to clear of customers and for Brian Lucas to return to the property. He says when all four people were finally in the store, it seemed like no one else (customer) was there. This is not so. When Brian Lucas returned, he was coming to bring a baffle to put on Lonnie Rogers bike (the true last customer) and all of this took a bit of time and then Mr. Rogers left.
At any rate, when the store is empty of customers, Kohlhepp says he went into action. He told them he wanted to buy the bike, Sherbert took the bike in the back to prep it, and someone went to work on the paperwork. After a few more minutes hanging around, Kohlhepp then states he went into the back, walked up to Sherbert and shot down at him (he was crouched behind the bike) and shot him twice in the lungs with the brass ammo.
FALSE: Sherbert was the last victim of the Superbike killer. The magazine with the brass shells was the second magazine used. The reason just seven shells were used is because at that point all the victims were dead. Sherbert was shot at twice from the area of the swinging doors as there are two bullets in the wall and it would seem the first one nicked him as he then threw a wrench that had blood on it in the direction of the shooter. The shooter then came up over him shot him once in the back, then once in the chest, and then came around the end of the bike and shot him once in the top of the head. All these five shots were brass.
Kohlhepp then says he came through the swinging doors and all the other three were right there. He had to shoot Beverly Guy - two to three times in the chest - and his says the pattern was terrible. The two to three shots would be brass casings.
FALSE: Beverly Guy was shot only once in the chest. It was a nickel casing. She was also shot once in the head (nickel casing) which means she was shot in the head and chest with no time in between, most likely in the head first, and then the chest. The killer likely likely pointed the gun at her face and she turned away causing the shot to hit her in the right side of her head. Then the killer shot her once in the chest.
Next Kohlhepp says the two men were running toward the door and he hit one of them (Brian Lucas) two or three times in the back with the brass causing him to collapse in the doorway, the other leaping over him to get out of the building.
FALSE: Both men sustained all body shots with the nickel casings. Brian Lucas only sustained one body shot.
At this point, Kohlhepp says he made a "tactical reload." Even though he has guys escaping and still should have another three shots in the magazine and one extra one in the chamber, he decides to lose time and change magazines. This would mean he then loaded his ten round nickel magazine with no time to chamber any round and add an extra to the magazine. So, how does he end up shooting 11 shots if it is the second magazine in the gun are the nickel shots? He would only have 10 nickel shots loaded in the magazine.
FALSE: The reason there were eleven nickel shots is because it was the FIRST magazine that was already loaded into the gun with the ten in the mag and one in the chamber. The SECOND magazine was the brass and the killer used up seven and then didn't need to use the rest. If he made a tactical reload while still inside the shop after shooting Lucas in the doorway, why are their brass shell casings on the outside of the store by Scott Ponder's body?
Kohlhepp follows the men to the door and out, shooting Scott Ponder multiple times. This would be with the nickel shots which is accurate. Then he says he shot Ponder in the forehead and then went back and shot each victim in the forehead (which would still be with the nickel ammo).
FALSE: Ponder, Lucas, and Sherbert were all shot in the head with the brass ammo (Guy should be silver ammo for the headshot but that would be earlier on). NONE of the victims were shot in the FOREHEAD. NONE!!
Lucas was shot in the left side of the head.
Ponder was shot in the right side of the head.
Guy was shot in the right side of the head.
Sherbert was shot in the top of the head.
Scott Ponder
Right temporal region 4.75 inches from the top of the head, 3.0 inches to the right of midline, and 4.25 inches circumferentially from the midline anteriorly
Brian Lucas
Gunshot wound 1 – Above left ear 3.5 inches from the top of the head, 2.75 from left of midline. No powder stippline or tattoing is identified.
Beverly Guy
Gunshot Wound 1 - Entrance wound in the right temporal region at the hairline 3.5 inches from the top of the head and 3.5 inches to the right of midline. No surrounding soot or powder
deposition is identified. A barrel imprint is not present.
Chris Sherbert
Gunshot wound 1 – Left paritel skull 0.5 inches from the top of the head and 1.75 inches to the left of midline. The wound measures 0.32 inches in diameter with a small superficial abrasion associated with the wound in the hair.
Gunshot wound 1 – Above left ear 3.5 inches from the top of the head, 2.75 from left of midline. No powder stippline or tattoing is identified.
Beverly Guy
Gunshot Wound 1 - Entrance wound in the right temporal region at the hairline 3.5 inches from the top of the head and 3.5 inches to the right of midline. No surrounding soot or powder
deposition is identified. A barrel imprint is not present.
Chris Sherbert
Gunshot wound 1 – Left paritel skull 0.5 inches from the top of the head and 1.75 inches to the left of midline. The wound measures 0.32 inches in diameter with a small superficial abrasion associated with the wound in the hair.
After Scott Ponder was on the ground and 11 rounds had been fired from the magazine with the nickel ammo, the shooter changed magazines to the brass ammo. He then went to the back room where he knew there was one man left, firing two shots at Sherbert from a distance as he came through the swinging doors (bullets went through the wall) and then came up on him, shot him twice in the body and then in the top of the head. Five brass casings were found in the back area.
With Sherbert clearly taken care of, the killer returned to the front room passing by Beverly Guy who was clearly dead with a chest and head shot, and back out to the front of the store where he found Scott Ponder still alive, attempting to speed dial his wife on his phone. The killer then shot Ponder in the head and Lucas in the head. At that point with all victims clearly deceased, the killer stopped shooting, leaving three brass cartridges still in the magazine.
While I am sure my rendition of exactly how the murders went down might be imperfect (there was confusion over a couple of shots and their casings in the notes but this does not change the order of the shooting and the order of the magazines) , I am sure a hell of a lot closer than Todd Kohlhepp was with his story of what happened.
Todd Kohlhepp was wrong about which magazine was used first.
Todd Kohlhepp was wrong about how many shots were fired at Chris Sherbert and how the shots were fired into his body.
Todd Kohlhepp was wrong about how many shots were fired at Beverly Guy.
Todd Kohlhepp was wrong that Brian Lucas was hit by any brass shots.
Todd Kohlhepp was wrong that the killer changed magazines in the process of chasing the two men out the door.
Todd Kohlhepp was wrong that Brian Lucas, Scott Ponder and Chris Sherbert were capped in the head with silver ammo.
Todd Kohlhepp was wrong that any of the victims were shot in the forehead.
With that many mistakes in a confession, it should have been thrown out. It is clear Todd Kohlhepp was incorrect about almost all of the scenario, likely basing what little he did get right on television and police input.
What Kohlhepp spent a lot of time in detail during the confession were things that had nothing to do directly with what happened inside Superbike. He padded his confession with stuff that makes it seem like he knows more than he did. He really didn't seem to have a clue as to what really happened at Superbike.
In other words, Todd Kohlhepp was not there.
More on the False Confession of Todd Kohlhepp (Part Two)
Criminal Profiler Pat Brown
June 14, 2017
Also, in his previous election campaign, Sheriff Wright vowed that he would make it a priority to solve the cold cases in this county. This being the one that everyone wanted solved. I have lived here all my life, and I, along with many many others, never believed for one second, that TKolhepp committed these murders.
ReplyDeleteYou and hundreds of others don't, and I still don't. I think it was great for a re-election for Sheriff Wright. However Todd didn't have these kind of skills. This was a professional hit and someone is just putting if off on Todd so the Community will forget about it!!!!! It's a win win for the Sheriffs department but honestly I think the killer is still out there and Kolhepp may know who that person is and took the plea the sheriff offered.
DeleteSheriff Chuck Wright needed no help in the election. He had more votes in the absentee than his opponent had in the whole election. As far as the case of the motor sport murders, how many of you worked on the case back then ??
DeleteAbsolutely !!
DeleteI know the homicide detective who later worked on the case, and he said he didn't believe it either.
DeleteWell I know nothing of this case but I do know another case involving my grandson in which the SCSO lied on paper, lied in person to family, lied to private investigator about the bullet that was NEVER retrieved to this day! The scene was an unattended incident so nobody really knows for sure what happened. The scene was never processed as a crime scene. Nobody was interviewed. No follow up of new information presented. I could go on and on. Just a pathetic and cold hearted handling of the 22 year old life of my grandson.
ReplyDeleteI am SURE you are correct mama, I am so sorry about your grandson:(
DeleteThank you Pat, I knew the minute he said the brass was fired first that he wasn't the killer. I knew it was deal when Kohlhepp said "IT's funny, in the end you are helping us, me to be reunited with my mom, and I am helping you clear your books (of unsolved murders)." I had remembered your blog from years ago and knew when he started telling how he shot the first bullets into Sherbet, he was dead lying...... I appreciate you explaining what you SAW in the case long ago, The SCSO thinks they can tell us anything because we "HAVE to" take their word for it, except this time.... you documented all of it YEARS ago.The proof is in black and white....there are so many more unsolved murders, and wrongly solved murders within that department but most people won't accept that they outright lie to us.....Thank you so much..... OMELIA
ReplyDeleteI am wondering at what point did the order of the shootings change because I remember in 2012 when the aired this case in americas most wanted they said they believed that sherbert was shot first and now you .......someone with no inside access to the case tells us they sherbert was shot last?
ReplyDeleteAnon,
ReplyDeleteThe police always believed Sherbert was shot first, but that didn't match the evidence. I DID have inside access to the case because I was invited in by the SPSO and spent a week with them reviewing the case. The case had been poorly investigated but I don't hold that against anyone; sometimes it goes that way. But, lying to the public about the case and using a patsy to close it with zero evidence linking him to the crime and a confession that is full of holes, THAT is a problem.
It seems to me you have NOT read the post carefully. There are things Kohlhepp says which absolutely cannot be supported by evidence. The police state that 18 shots were fired, 11 nickel and 7 brass. Kohlhepp saying that he shot with brass first and nickel second is not supported by evidence as you can see - if Kohlhepp changed mags from brass to nickel then the second mag would ONLY HAVE TEN SHOTS in it! Where would the 11th nickel shot then come from? Obviously, to have 11 nickel shots, the nickel magazine has to be used first with one loaded in the chamber.
Likewise, how can Sherbert have been shot with a brass round if Kohlhepp shoot him in the head last with the nickel mag?
And how come none of the victims were shot in the forehead like he says?
These are clear signs that Kohlhepp lacks knowledge of the crime scene. His confession is not believable.
I'm sure that Kohlhepp is a murder because there is a witness but far as the superbike motorsports murders I don't believe he was there. I mean if he done all this and planned this out I would believe that I would have locked the door first of all. Second I would have another person with me to make sure no one would get out and I sure wouldn't start at the back of the shop because once the gun shots are fired I would be afraid the ones in the front of the shop would be running out and escaping and would be able to identify me. I don't believe there was just one shooter no way no how this was done by more than one shooter. If it was one this is a trained killer that walked in with more than one gun. But Kohlhepp said it was done with one gun and he switched clips I don't think so. He is just a fall guy that got caught for murder and was just as good as any to take the fall for the superbike shootings. They need to look at the dear friend of Brian Lucas it just seemed odd to me that he would be hugged up all over his widow like he was on T.V.
ReplyDeleteMr. Kohlhepp I know you committed the murder of those on the Woodruff property but the superbike shop I don't think so.
Anon 10:51,
ReplyDeleteYou make some good points. It IS odd to start in the back and not know if someone has just driven in the front and, by starting the shooting in the back, you allow for the owner to get his gun (which he had and Kohlhepp said it made sense that a guy with this kind of shop would have one) AND you give them a chance to call 911 or flee.
As far as two shooters, no, the all the rounds did come from the same gun with a magazine change.
Yes, Kohlhepp is a murderer and a psychopath but there is nothing that links him to Superbike. It also would be one for the books to have a serial killer commit a mass murder. Sadistic serial killers like the control they have over their victims in the privacy of their own homes and that is exactly what Kohlhepp did with the two couple he kidnapped. He was their master and he did things on his own time, not in a hurry like Superbike. Kohlhepp may claim he cleared the place in 30 seconds but it is likely just a fantasy of his. Besides, he loses nothing by claiming he did Superbike; he gets fame and he gets out of the death penalty. It's a win-win for him.
I believe Kohlhepp is a murderer because there is a witness to the murder of her boyfriend. However I don't believe that the superbike motorsport shop was done by Mr. Kohlhepp. He has no knowledge of the case I do believe he was helped along in the confession to make it sound like he knew what he was talking about. I believe he is a liar when it comes to this case he was a guy that was caught for 3 murders why not pin this on him to and tell him about the evidence and then let him give a confession that he done it. I don't believe that if I done and interview that I would be laughing and carrying on with a murder like this. If this was done by one person I don't believe I would have started at the back of the shop and worked my way to the front for the simple fact if the gunshots are heard the rest of them would be running out the front with 3 witnesses to id him. This was done by more than one person no way they are that quick to be able to change a clip and and shoot all the people. The thing that sticks out to me is the close friend that was hugged up all over the Scott's wife on T.V this just seemed kind of off to me.
ReplyDeleteI remember that day very clearly I remember all the cops rushing down the road from where I worked. If this was one shooter this is a professional killer not someone like Todd Kohlhepp. The guy is a psychopath like you said why would a person like Kohlhepp let someone that was a customer stop him from killing them they could ID him that is something a killer would not risk. They would have killed them also.
ReplyDeleteI don't knw about this theory, he describes the bike he bought, it's the same bike Kelly said who ever the customer was tht he saw was looking at, how wud he knw tht? He also knew tht Scott ponder was found about 12 feet from the frt door, was tht released ro, yes it was released tht he was outside, but not exactly where, i dont believe, also i dont think todd was a a dumb person he had killed before and thght this out I'm guessing, now y he went inside waiting for bryan and Scott both to get there and customers to leave, I don't, it does sound alittle reckless, but he knew ge wasn't leaving finger prints, he knew his name wud be no where to prove he was there tht day, he knew they didn't have cameras, seems tht he knew tht even of someone described him, was gonna be hard to pin point his identity. But I also don't knw how much of what pam read in the case files are true, pam we all knw tht ut gas been said tht this investigation was handled wrong from the beginning and investigators missed alot, so maybe the files u read contained some of the wrong information, making it hard for any investigator to make heads or tails of the crime scene, and I don't believe tht they ever released where each person was shot, did they? Bc if they didn't, he got tht right, each one was shot in the head, maybe he intended for all to be hit in the forehead, but ge wasn't a trained shooter so he missed his mark and didn't knw where he actually shot them, but knew he aim for the forehead. I don't knw, I wnt to believe tht he is guilty, but there is so much from all sides u knw and every side makes pretty good arguments lol I just don't see the family excepting this conviction if they didn't believe it u knw and they all seem ok w it and tht justice has been served. I hope more evidence will come out so we will knw for sure
ReplyDeleteAnon 6:25
ReplyDeleteKohlhepp could get some of his "facts" from television. Some may well have come from the police themselves. I have worked enough cases to know that the police can feed info to the suspect, inadvertently or on purpose. The fact that he got so much WRONG is key. To have the order of the shooting wrong, the order of the mags wrong, and how he shot the people wrong shows that he was not there. As for the forehead shots, everyone knows what a bullet in the middle of the forehead looks like and how to aim it there. You don't aim for the forehead and hit them in the top of the head (Sherbert) and then think you hit them in the forehead. The fact that the police actually claimed that Kohlhepp shot them in the forehead and stated that this was something "only the killer would know" shows they are trying to convince the public that Kohlepp is the Superbike killer. That they ignored all the wrong info, didn't even go back and actually interrogate Kohlhepp shows that they were just accepting whatever he said to quickly convict him of the crime.
As for the families, sometimes people just want to believe something so it can be over. All the families know their loved ones weren't shot in the forehead and they all know the police lied about that. All I can hope is some of them read this blog and realize that they have been had by the SPSO and demand real answers. If Kohlhepp is not guilty of Superbike, then a killer is still in the community and justice has not been served.
Btw, my name is Pat.
I would also be interested on your thoughts of how when the girl was found in the metal container that she had no markings shown of being tied up for any length of time. A metal shipping container in a South Carolina summer? She would have lots a lot of weight just sweating it out. Conveniently, this also has garnered her quite a lot of money for appearances including hiring celebrity lawyers and PR reps.
ReplyDeleteThanks Pat, I think you've it the mail on the head with this article and I will be sharing it with a lot of people. Thanks for caring and sharing for Spartanburg residents and I sure am still on the look out. I do not believe he did the motor bike shop killings and I think the killer is here among us sadly. Also now his mother is dead and she can't testify as to what exactly he told her. No one has mentioned how she passed away. I would say from a broken heart because she may have known the real truth... Either way Sheriff Wright was re-elected on the following Tuesday and I think that's why they put it off on Todd, due to the crimes he had already committed it was easy and he got to see his mom one more time and didn't get the death penalty.
ReplyDeleteAnon, 1:15
ReplyDeleteI worked on the case. Please read the evidence above. It is NOT okay to convict without evidence even if the guy is a creep. Convicting the wrong person leaves the killer in the community. Kohlhepp has too many things wrong about the crime and this should have negated the confession. Without any shred of other evidence, he should not have been convicted. The police and prosecutor looked the other way concerning the discrepancies because they wanted it to be him and they were happy for him to let it be him.
Just a curiosity, could the mags be mixed brass and nickel casings?
ReplyDeleteAnon 1:46,
ReplyDeleteThat is a reasonable question. Could a shooter have two magazines with his ammo jumbled? Yes, it is possible. We even discussed this issue at SPSO; they asked me that exact question. My answer was....possible, but very improbable. In realty, most people who have guns...especially gun nuts like Kohlhepp....would not mix their ammo. In theory if they ran out of ammo, they might add ammo from another box, but, almost always, the mag will have the same ammo in it. Kohlhepp was anal retentive about this stuff. Actually, this is one MORE reason I do not believe it was Kohlhepp. He pointed out that the brass rounds were crap. Tell me, why would a gun nut who likes everthing exactly so - he is also a huge ammo nut! - why would he choose two different kinds of ammo to carry out his crime? Why not simple pick the best, most lethal round that you believe will do the job?
No, the ammo wasn't mixed and the killer likely was NOT as much a gun and ammo nut as Kohlhepp. Furthermore, Kohlhepp says he has a brass mag and a nickel mag. He claims he used the brass mag first and then switched to the nickel mag which would ONLY have TEN rounds in it. So where did the 11th round come from if it was not already in the chamber?
Could be the nickel one was left in chamber from previous firing put new brass mag in first and swapped to nickel? I'm just saying I don't think you can definitively say the order of magazines when there are multiple possibilities. I own firearms and much rather shoot brass casings than nickel. Did he know if the bullets were jhp fmj ball and the grains of the bullet? I doubt this info could be available from the tv. So if the mags need to be all loaded with same ammo say kohlkepp went to range fired a partial nickel mag, left one in chamber, went home, grabbed his gun to commit his crime and insert brass magazine first? It's possible
ReplyDeleteI believe you and understand where you're coming from and maybe I missed it. But what about the picture drawing that they've had for 10 years that looks like Kohlhepp?
ReplyDelete"First, Kohlhepp says he went in and sat around on a cycle until the place cleared of customers. A mighty odd thing to do for anyone about to commit a crime"
ReplyDeleteThink Dylan Roof......
"Next Kohlhepp says the two men were running toward the door and he hit one of them (Brian Lucas) two or three times in the back with the brass causing him to collapse in the doorway,"
ReplyDeleteDid he throw the brass at them or did have a special brass shooting gun?
I see y'all's comments are very recent. Didn't realize how recent it was. I wanna post my same question, then select 'notify me' so I won't miss it.. anyways obviously you've already seen it. And I'm not against you I voted for Russell Lynch, but what about the picture drawing from over 10 years ago that looks like Kohlhepp?
ReplyDeleteCoggz,
ReplyDeletePeople do not understand the purpose of a composite. A composite is useful in ruling people out and suggesting people to interview. First of all, witnesses are often very far off on their description of a person, so a composite has to be taken with a grain of salt. There are some useful things about a composite, major features like the guy is black, very dark skinned with a a shaved head and a tattoo of a fist on the back of his heador a white male with ginger hair and big freckles and a five piercings in each ear and his nose. But, when the composite gets more general - average white guy with a mustache...well, you might have 500 people just down the street matching that description. This can help exclude people, but it does not prove anything. Once a guy is thought to be a suspect, then people often think the composite has to be him when, frankly, it could be anyone else. Take a look at the Steven Avery case. Although I believe he is guilty of the murder of Teresa Halbach, he was definitely not guilty of the rape but the other guy looked pretty much just like him so the witness (the victim) misidentified him.
Also, the description by Sisk had him at 6 foot too 6 foot 4, so, there ya go, Kohlhepp is shorter. I don't think Sisk was necessarly correct but that is the whole point. It is guesswork with memory. He changed his description years later, saying the new composite was closer which makes little sense because your memory doesn't improve with time; it gets worse because you have so many other people mixing with the memory.
So, no, the composite is not evidence. It is just useful in investigating; in other worsens, why the hell wasn't the SCSO at Kohlhepp's doorstep in 2003 if he looked like the composite back then (they had his photo since he was a felon) and bought a bike there?
Was Kohlhepp a "gun nut" as you stated back then? Aren't you basing your profile of his supposed actions in 2003 on how he appears to have evolved over the last 13 years? How would a less mature, less methodical, less "developed" killer have carried out these murders?
ReplyDeleteAnon 7:04,
ReplyDeleteYes, I agree with you that he may not have been so much of a gun nut that long ago. But, he certainly did have a familiarity with guns and even the most regular person who owns a weapon has some normal procedures with choosing ammo and filling mags. What IS most important is what Kohlhepp says. He did NOT say he just filled the mags willy-hilly. He says he used the brass mag first and then the nickel. That does not match the crime scene evidence.
There is a thing which I harp on constantly and that is "totality of evidence." What a defense attorney will do in a courtroom or some defenders of some guilty-as-hell person will do is find ONE thing that is an anomaly, one thing that is a little confusing (because evidence sometimes IS confusing due to human error on the crime scene, weather, bad evidence collection and notation) and they will say, "SEE? This PROVES he didn't do it." Like OJ or Casey Anthony - both had a ton of evidence proving their guilt but the defense lawyers found ONE thing to push on the jury to make them question the case. So, for example, you have estranged boyfriend identified running from his ex's house with a bloody knife in his hand screaming, "The bitch is dead! The bitch is dead!" But, later, in court, the defense lawyer comes up with DNA on the woman that belongs to someone else and says that this proves the ex is not guilty. Of course, the DNA could be from someone she slept with and that guy is just not coming forward. If ALL the other evidence points to the ex, then it is him and the DNA is an anomaly.
Same works in reverse; the totality of what Kohlhepp says is wrong and doesn't match the evidence. Maybe he guesses one thing right or maybe you can say that maybe he forgot something and got something wrong, but the reality is, he got most of it wrong - order of shooting, order of mags, no forehead shots, didn't know about the phone in Scott's hand he was dialing when he got shot in the head, didn't see the last customer Lonnie Rogers that Brian was working with putting the baffle on his bike,
Too many things are completely off which most likely means - he wasn't actually there.
What if the nickel case was in the chamber from previous shooting, then a brass loaded mag was inserted prior to shooting, with a tactical reload in between. A reload with one in the chamber can happen in less than blink of an eye and could support his confession?
ReplyDeleteI am Scott Ponder's ex-wife and never before have I commented on any of your post but today I want to say THANK YOU Pat Brown for telling the truth..
ReplyDeleteHope
I agree thank you
ReplyDeleteIs it true you were originally brought in by a victims family member? Did you see all of the case file or only a portion?
ReplyDeleteAnon *;02
ReplyDeleteNot at all. Kolhepp says his FIRST shot was brass, so that is what was in the chamber. To get eleven shots in nickel, one would also have to have one in the chamber which isn't happening in a "tactical reload".
Hope,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your kind words! It has been a rather rocky and unpleasant road but when I see something completely amiss, I feel a need to speak out and get at the truth. If you are willing, I would love to talk with you sometime to increase my understanding of all of this. My email is profilerpatbrown@gmail.com. Drop me a note if this is a possibility.
Anon 11:12,
ReplyDeleteYes, the Lucases asked Sheriff Wright if I could come in as a fresh pair of eyes and review the case. I saw much of the file although a few items were missing and some was just poorly put together (this is not unusual; some departments do a knock out job of photography and reports and others have huge gaps that just make you shake your head).
1. As you stated kohlkepp is a psychopath and habitual liar. Plus the length of time from the crime to the confession details could become muddled
ReplyDelete2. If the gun had an existing rd from before he may not have remembered if brass or nickel cased rd was in chamber.
3. Beretta 92 doesn't have a mag safety if he partially expended the brass magazine and did a reload he would have retained a rd in the chamber and could then have fired the 10 rd nickel magazine on his way out.
4. How did kohlkepp know the bullet types used in the crime including bullet weight?
Ms Brown was the murder weapon found in kohlhepp possession? I hear some reports say yes and some say the murder weapon has never been found. I will NEVER be convinced he carried out these murders at super bike. NEVER!
ReplyDeleteAnon 4:02
ReplyDeleteNo, the murder weapon was never found.
I will be posting even more evidence to prove Kohlhepp's confession is faulty within a day or two.
How could the 'Weapon' ever be found?
DeleteIsn't 'True' that TK professes that AFTER the SB Killings, he took apart the revolver (Dismantling it, into as many separate pieces) and then proceeded to toss it into the Trash 'Dumpster' in behind the apartment building he resided at, at that time.
So, whatever 'Evidence' pertaining to the 'Weapon' - Good, Ol' Chuck claims to HAVE today ... Is NOT only FALSE!
It's 'BOGUS' Bullchit!
For, the person who asked, the comments are moderated. You don't have to agree with everything I say, but I expect you to be polite and have actually read the post and not just make angry statements with no support.
ReplyDeleteVery good Pat. Evidence NEVER lies...just can't. And what about Wright saying Todd told him things he promised he would never tell...since when does he get any favors?? That just caught me wrong. Really Sheriff...and he said he Sen a list out and some ppl came in and some didn't, Todd didn't. And Wright believes if Todd thought for a sec they were on to him, back then, that he would never be seen here again, he'd left town, And it would have never been solved.Ok,then that couple in Woodruff and Charlie would still be alive, right? Did anyone else not hear that. My jaw dropped. Like their lives were worth the sacrifice to solve Superbike.
ReplyDeleteThank you Ms Brown! You are doing a fantastic job! Keep up the good work!!
ReplyDeleteI don't believe it was him. I have aiad this from the get go. Why confess to something that you had gotten away with for 13 years?? Maybe he knows who done it and and is taking the fall.. we will never know.. but doesn't make sense that he can get away with killing 4 people for 13 yrs but couldn't get away with kidnapping a woman and holding her hostage for more than a couple months... and why leave the super bike victims there??, why not take them to a property and bury them as trophies like he did the others??
ReplyDeleteNikki, he would confess in exchange for getting off the death penalty. He is NOT going to take the fall for anyone including his own mother. He is a psychopath and cares for no one but himself. As far as getting away with things, sometimes people get lucky. Why leave the victims there? No reason to move them...too much work and riskier to do all that. Whoever DID kill the four at Superbike did get away with it, so there you go. Also, the bodies he buried weren't trophies; he was just hiding them.
ReplyDeletePat Brown has clearly demonstrated that the Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office has failed miserably at spending the time, money and effort necessary to ensure that Todd Kohlhepp was in fact the person responsible for the Superbike Killings. The Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office Investigators heard only what they wanted to hear (selective listening) to convince themselves and the victims families that Kohlhepp was the killer without further investigating his statement. Todd Kohlhepp took control of the interrogation process from the start and investigators obviously failed to fact check his statements or punch holes in his story. Pat Brown has obviously done her research and homework clearly showing based on the totality of the circumstances that the real killer(s) is still killing!
ReplyDeleteAnon 11:38,
ReplyDeleteWell stated, Anon. The investigation was not conducted properly as is evidence with Kohlhepp never even being contacted and with them interviewing Kohlhepp but never actually interrogating him to make sure his "confession" held water. The fact is, they were just happy to get A confession with no concern for the veracity of it. Which leads me to believe that the purpose of convicting Kohlhepp was to close the Superbike case, not to be sure the killer was off the streets.
TOUCHÉ!
DeleteYou 'Nailed it'!
RIGHT there!
&
Summed it up - PERFECTLY!
CASE CLOSED¿?
A couple questions, Pat.
ReplyDelete1.) You refer to 11 nickel casings, however you mention only 5 nickel bullet wounds: 2 in Scott, 1 in Brian, 2 in Beverly
Where did the other 6 shots hit? Perhaps that would give some clue to the shooter's position and movements.
2.) Is it possible you were reading flawed reports? This is the same department that accidentally swapped the victims' DNA samples and used that as the basis for their investigation for over a year. I would not be surprised if they got the report wrong as well, or cataloged evidence incorrectly.
Anon 10:39
ReplyDeleteWhat I believe to be absolutely true about the ballistics is that 18 shots were fired; 11 nickel and 7 brass.
There is also no question that five brass shots were fired in the back room, 2 striking Sherbert and two striking the wall.
2 more were in the heads of Brian and Scott. That accounts for the 7.
All the other shots were nickel.
This means since 11 nickel shots were fired, the first magazine was loaded with nickel and the shooting started in the front room and went out to the sidewalk. When the 11 shots were gone (10 in the mag and 1 in the chamber), the gun was reloaded with the brass, two head shots were fired and the killer went to the back and shot five times. Everyone was then dead. The other possibility is that after he got everyone down with the nickel, he changed mags, went to the back fired the five shots, then came back to the front and seeing Brian and Scott still stirring, finished them off. Either way, Kohlhepp's claim he used the brass mag first is absolute not supported by the evidence.
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Another question (if you are able to share) - I gather from your previous blog posts and from other news stories that Kelly Sisk is the witness who described the man in a leather jacket.
ReplyDeleteDid Lonnie Rogers ALSO report that another customer was in the store when he left around 2:30?
Or is Sisk the only witness to report the mystery leather jacket man?
It seems like if Sisk saw the man (now believed to be Kohlhepp) but Rogers stated no one else was in the store when he left, then Kohlhepp would have omitted a fairly important part of his narrative: he left and came back after Rogers was gone
When you think about it a lot of criminals will lie on confessions so the confession is thrown out and they dont get convicted. Now todd is very smart, thats how he had got away with things as long as he did. I would think if he did this and lied during his confession it was done with a calculated reason for doing so. I wouldnt say he is lying and he didnt do it. He may have lied on the confession to make it look like he i trying to claim something he didnt do to get it thrown out or even to make himself look bad in prison so ppl dont try to bully him.
ReplyDeleteMy wife (Windy) said from day one he didn't do it.
ReplyDeleteSCSO was to quick to convect. The real killer is still walking around.
Also Kyla Brown isn't as innocent as she seems. SCSO needs to open their eyes and do the jib instead of just taking her word He is of guiltly of some things but, Not The Bike Killings.
We have been terrified that Kolhelp would try to take credit for the Pendleton Quadruple Homicide, Halloween 2015.Our case remains unsolved, but there is nothing that makes us think he is the person responsible. As much as we want arrests, it would be terrible if he confessed.
ReplyDeleteI feel you. We WANT to close cases, we want families to have closure, but closing a case with the wrong person is doubly unjust; one it is a false closure for the families and, two, it leaves a killer in the community. Also, it misleads detectives working on future cases because they rely on closed cases to understand how killers behave and what the evidence means. I have cases I have seen closed where they completely wrong motive is assigned to the crime and the evidence analysis is totally distorted which gives a poor education to those trying to become better analysts.
ReplyDeleteFurthermore, Pam, it is not that unusual for law enforcement to accept the word of a serial killer (knowing full well it may not be true at all) to close down dozens of cases. By doing so, they save themselves a lot of work, they look good as they have “solved” the cases, and it increases they closure record which brings in more money.
ReplyDelete