Todd Christopher Kohlhepp

Serial Killer

Todd Christopher Kohlhepp: The South Carolina Serial Killer

Early Life and a Violent Criminal History

Todd Christopher Kohlhepp was born on March 7, 1971, in Florida and spent portions of his childhood in several states. Long before he became known as a serial killer, he displayed disturbing behavioral problems and an intense fascination with weapons. His troubled adolescence culminated in a serious violent crime committed when he was only 15 years old. In November 1986, Kohlhepp abducted a 14-year-old girl in Tempe, Arizona. Armed with a handgun, he forced the teenager into his home, restrained her and sexually assaulted her. He was prosecuted as an adult and pleaded guilty to kidnapping. In 1987, he received a 15-year prison sentence and was required to register as a sex offender. Psychological evaluations conducted during the case described him as angry, manipulative and capable of further violence. Kohlhepp remained imprisoned until 2001. After his release, he moved to South Carolina and entered the real estate industry. Despite his felony record and sex-offender status, he obtained a real estate license after failing to disclose his conviction properly. He eventually established a successful real estate business and purchased a large rural property near Woodruff in Spartanburg County. To clients and business associates, he could appear confident and financially successful, concealing the violence that was unfolding behind that public image.

The Superbike Motorsports Murders

Kohlhepp committed his first confirmed murders on November 6, 2003, at Superbike Motorsports, a motorcycle dealership located near Chesnee, South Carolina. In the middle of the workday, he entered the business armed with a handgun and shot four people inside the building. The attack was carried out rapidly, leaving the victims with little opportunity to escape or defend themselves. The victims included the dealership's owner, two employees and the owner's mother, who worked as the company's bookkeeper. Their bodies were discovered shortly after the shooting. The absence of an obvious robbery motive, combined with the speed of the attack, led investigators to believe the killer had deliberately targeted the business. Kohlhepp later claimed that he had become enraged after employees at the motorcycle shop mocked him and mishandled a motorcycle he had purchased. Whether every part of that explanation was accurate could not be independently confirmed, but prosecutors said resentment toward the business was his stated motive. Kohlhepp had appeared on a customer list during the original investigation, yet he was not identified as a serious suspect. The quadruple homicide remained unsolved for approximately 13 years. Investigators examined personal relationships, business disputes and possible criminal connections, but none of those theories produced enough evidence for an arrest. The case became one of the most notorious unsolved mass killings in South Carolina until Kohlhepp confessed after his arrest in 2016. ...

Confirmed Victims: (7)

Scott Ponder Age: (30), Date of Death: 2003-11-06

Survivors:

Kristie Granado Age: (14), Date of Attack: November 12, 1986

Kala Brown Age: (30), Date of Attack: August 31, 2016

Todd Kohlhepp - Wikipedia