This week, Spartanburg County Sheriff Chuck Wright said his office received a tip regarding more victims tied to serial killer Todd Kohlhepp, and itleft investigators obligated to pursue.
Convicted of seven counts of murder, Kohlhepp is currently serving seven consecutive life sentences atBroad River Correctional Facility in Columbia, South Carolina.
Deputies used cadaver dogs and X-ray equipment to search a swath of land off Interstate 26 in Enoree.The search, which turned up empty, brought renewed interest in the case and lots of questions. Here are a few of them:
1. Why are we hearing about the possibility of more victims now?
It’s been almost two years since Kohlhepp was first taken into custody. His arrest in November 2016 led to his May 2017 conviction on seven murder charges based on seven known killings.
Claims have been made that he is responsible for additional deaths, but few details have been disclosed to point investigators to specific cases.
For example, kidnapping victim Kala Brown, of Anderson, told investigators that he had bragged to her about being close to the triple digits in terms of body count. He has also written letters to members of the media disclosing that “there is more than seven,” though he has not disclosed specifics.
In another instance, after Kohlhepp’s arrest, he referenced a killing he was connected to in Arizona. That tip was investigated but unfounded, Wright said.
A film crew producing a documentary on Kohlhepp has been communicating with Kohlhepp while he is in prison, Wright said. The tip that launched the search Wednesday came from that crew, Wright said.
“He didn’t want to talk to us, but he’s talking to someone else. If they give me information, I’m obligated to check into it,” Wright said.
He believedthe tip to be credible enough to act but was unsureif investigators would find anything. And they didn't.
He said the tip gave a general location, signs and general date range of when the crimes took place, but some of the information the Sheriff’s Office could not corroborate.
Wright said he has every reason to trust the film crew who provided the tip.
The film crew who provided the tip was on the scene Wednesday off Interstate 26 in Spartanburg County to help investigators.
John Kelly, a serial killer profiler and founder of STALK, Inc., a New Jersey-based profiling team,said Kohlhepp may be looking for a reason to be in the spotlight.
“He might be playing with them,” Kelly said.
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2. Are Todd Kohlhepp's claims credible?
Wednesday marked the first time since Kohlhepp's incarceration that investigators have come out to a site to search for more homicide victims based on his claims.
Prior to this, no details had come to light that would trigger the response that unfolded Wednesday.
Wright said he believes Kohlhepp is responsible for more victims but is unsure how much he is willing to cooperate.
Wright said the Sheriff’s Office will no longer go out on searches unless tips can be corroborated.
The site in Enoree is believed to be where two bodies were dumped based on Kohlhepp’s accounts of the area, signs and a timeline of events, roughly around 2003.
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Kohlhepp was not brought to the scene Wednesday, although Wright said Tuesday that was the intent.
Kelly, the serial killer profiler, said he has been studying the Kohlhepp case and believes there are more victims.
He said with Kohlhepp’s type of behavior, it is unlikely that he committed no other crimes between his release from an Arizona prison in 2001 and his arrest in 2016.
“I’ve always believed that he’s had more bodies out there because I know how these guys are,” Kelly said. “This is a sexual sad*stic serial killer and he’s very, very interested in seeing a woman bound and having that complete control and sexual dominance over her and that’s what he does.
3. What happens to Kohlhepp if more bodies are found?
From a legal standpoint, if more bodies are discovered, it would mean entirely new cases for prosecutors with the 7th Circuit Solicitor’s Office to handle.
His status as a state prisoner would have no impact on the court proceedings, said Murray Glenn, a spokesman for the Solicitor’s Office that oversees cases in Spartanburg and Cherokee counties.
“We would have to find new evidence to prove a murder was committed. It would be a new situation that has to be evaluated,” Glenn said. “Whatever needs to be done, we’re prepared to do it. It’s too early to talk about what may happen in court.”
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4. Does Kohlhepp stand to gain any money from the documentary?
South Carolina law prohibits prisoners from monetarily profiting from behind bars.
This means that inmates are prohibited from using their notoriety to seek a financial gain either through sending out letters or items of theirs to sell or by any other means.
Websites exist that explicitly sell what's known as "murderabilia" to those with an interest in true crime and serial killer cases.
Those caught attempting to profit from prison are investigated by the state Attorney General's Office, working closely with the state Department of Corrections.
Kohlhepp had already been involved in one incident when a pencil tracing of his hands was found posted for sale online. The discovery launched an investigation and led to Kohlhepp beingplaced in isolation for a time period, according to the Department of Corrections.
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