In the summer of 2014, Christine Kaplan, a 56-year-old White/Caucasian woman known for her compassionate nature, was tragically found dead in her Lawrence, Kansas, home on July 27th. Her life was one dedicated to helping others, a kindness that ultimately played a role in her untimely death. Friends who had come to her house on New York Street to do yard work made the grim discovery when one of them went to the basement to find a broom and found her body.
An autopsy would later reveal that she had suffered dozens of stab wounds.
The investigation into her death quickly focused on a woman whom Kaplan had befriended and allowed to stay in her home. This woman was identified as Angelica M. Kulp, who was 38 years old at the time. Kaplan had a reputation for taking in people who were in need of a place to stay, and Kulp had been one of them. However, the relationship had soured, with reports indicating that Kaplan had asked Kulp to leave due to her being disrespectful and running up the water bill. It was also reported that Kaplan had expressed fear of Kulp.
Several days after Kaplan's body was discovered, law enforcement located Kulp in Topeka, where she had been arrested for an unrelated burglary. While in custody, an arrest warrant was issued for her in connection with Kaplan's death, charging her with first-degree murder. Investigators learned that a friend of Kulp's had contacted them after seeing news reports about the murder. Kulp had allegedly confessed to this friend that she had killed someone. Kulp's fingerprints and footprints were also found in blood at the crime scene.
Nearly two years after the killing, in June 2016, Angelica Kulp, then 40, pleaded guilty to amended charges of second-degree murder and aggravated burglary. During her sentencing, Kulp apologized to Kaplan's family, citing her struggles with severe mental illness. She expressed remorse, stating that Kaplan had been her landlord and friend. Ultimately, a judge sentenced Kulp to just over 25 years in prison for her crimes, bringing a legal conclusion to a case that began with an act of kindness and ended in a violent tragedy that shook the Lawrence community.
