"We Can Breathe a Little Better Now": Families, Solicitor and Sheriff After Todd Kohlhepp's Sentencing, WSPA Raw Footage, 2017

Name: "We Can Breathe a Little Better Now": Families, Solicitor and Sheriff After Todd Kohlhepp's Sentencing, WSPA Raw Footage, 2017
Uploaded: 2017-05-26T00:00:00Z
Duration: 30 min 41 s
Description: WSPA's raw footage of the May 26, 2017, news conference after Todd Kohlhepp's plea: the solicitor explains the deal, the sheriff speaks, victims' relatives react, and Kala Brown's attorney relays her message. Kohlhepp is not heard.

WSPA's raw footage of the May 26, 2017, news conference after Todd Kohlhepp's plea: the solicitor explains the deal, the sheriff speaks, victims' relatives react, and Kala Brown's attorney relays her message. Kohlhepp is not heard.

Subject: Todd Kohlhepp
Recorded: about May 26, 2017
Runtime: 30:41

Content warning: Concerns seven murders, a kidnapping and the captivity of a surviving victim; no graphic detail.

The Interview

This is raw, unedited footage recorded by WSPA 7News of the news conference held in Spartanburg, South Carolina, on May 26, 2017, after Todd Kohlhepp pleaded guilty and was sentenced. Kohlhepp is not present and is not heard. The speakers are Seventh Circuit Solicitor Barry Barnette, Spartanburg County Sheriff Chuck Wright, four or five relatives of the victims of the 2003 Superbike Motorsports killings, and David Wyatt, an attorney for the surviving victim, Kala Brown, who was not there.

Historical Context

On November 3, 2016, Kala Brown was found chained inside a storage container on Todd Kohlhepp's property in Spartanburg County; he was arrested the same day. He admitted to the November 2003 killings of four people at Superbike Motorsports in Chesnee, a case that had gone unsolved for 13 years, and the bodies of Charlie Carver, Brown's boyfriend, and of Johnny and Meagan Coxie were found on his land.

Circumstances

On May 26, 2017, under a plea agreement in which the death penalty was withdrawn, Kohlhepp pleaded guilty to seven murders, two kidnappings, first-degree criminal sexual conduct and weapons charges. He was sentenced to seven consecutive life terms plus 60 years and waived appeal and parole. The news conference followed the hearing.

What the Interview Covers

Barnette explains why the state accepted the plea: he had tried eight death penalty cases, the first of them, the Richard Bernard Moore case of 2001, was still under appeal, South Carolina had last carried out an execution in 2011, and "it's not fair to these family members to wait years and years and years for justice." He says that if Kohlhepp breaks the agreement, he faces resentencing and a possible death sentence. Sheriff Wright thanks the families and his investigators and pledges to keep searching "for other people who need and deserve closure."

Melissa Ponder, widow of Scott Ponder, says she feels "nothing" toward Kohlhepp and rejects his claim that he was mocked at the shop, describing her husband as "a true Southern gentleman." A relative of Beverly Guy, called on as "Mr. Guy," says she never got to hold her grandchild. Brian Lucas's mother thanks the Anderson authorities who pursued the case and says she wanted Kohlhepp "to go away." Another male relative describes the judge's care during the plea and says there are "other victims out there without answers." Wyatt relays Kala Brown's message: she feels she has "accomplished a goal," is being treated for severe PTSD, and wants to rebuild her life.

What Makes the Recording Significant

It records, in full and without editing, the prosecution's public reasoning for taking the death penalty off the table, and the first public responses of the Superbike families on the day the case closed after more than 13 years.

Archival Importance

It is one of two WSPA records from May 26, 2017, alongside the station's noon newscast with Melissa Ponder's statement in court.

Important Caveats

Kohlhepp is not heard. Only Melissa Ponder is named in full in the recording; "Mr. Guy" is called on by surname only, and the other relatives are not named and are labeled by role. It is not certain whether the 15:09 remarks come from a fifth relative or from Mr. Guy continuing. The first three minutes are faint setup talk, and an 11-second audio dropout falls inside Wyatt's remarks at 28:25. Kohlhepp's account of why he killed, referred to by the families, is his claim, which Melissa Ponder disputes. Some names of Kala Brown's support team are as heard and not verified.

Unidentified Voices: [unclear: "Folks, if you want to sit down" (captions: "for folks you want to sit down") / "I'll propose that if you want to sit down" (Whisper) / "I'll propose if you want to sit down" (second machine pass)], [unclear: "you can say your very last name" (Whisper) / "and what you say very much" (second machine pass)]. [inaudible] Thank you. (second machine pass) [inaudible] [unclear: "Yes, totally different than everybody else" (Whisper, at 00:30) / "totally e" (captions, at 00:58)]. Go ahead. (second machine pass) [inaudible] Thank you. [Whisper, at 01:00; possibly a machine artifact] Thank you. (second machine pass, at 01:20) [Thank you. (Whisper, at 01:30; possibly a machine artifact)] Anybody? (second machine pass, at 01:40) [inaudible]

County Staff: I want to make sure he gets all the papers down. [Whisper only] Murray, is this for the families? And for them, it's about 25 copies, if we're going to need [unclear: "We're going to need more now" (Whisper; captions) / "We're gonna need more than that" (second machine pass)]. Okay. [The following short lines are in Whisper only, in faint sound, and were not confirmed by the second machine pass:] Okay. Take care. Thank you. Yeah, I think it's enough. She is certified. I'm going to do it first. All right. Okay. Thank you. Thank you. [inaudible to about 03:06]

Barry Barnette: Let's go ahead and get started, if we can. And thank you all for coming. It's been a very trying day, a very long period of time for all these families. I'm glad we can bring closure to [them]. I appreciate Sheriff Wright coming, too, and for all the hard work his team has put into this. It was something that we talked to the families about several different times, long discussions. The reason why we agreed to this sentence was, unfortunately, with death penalty cases, which I'm very familiar with, I've been in eight different death penalty cases, and all eight of them received death sentences in them. The first one I did actually, with Trey Gowdy, was done back in October 2001, the Richard Bernard Moore case. He is still on death row. His state appeals are still not done. I know you all [are] probably [familiar] with this, and right now the last execution we've done in South Carolina is 2011, and that was Jeffrey Motts, and he volunteered. He waived all his rights. And we don't even have the drugs at this point to carry out the death sentence.

Barry Barnette: I'm a firm believer in the death penalty. This was a death penalty case, no question about it, but it's not fair to these family members to wait years and years and years for justice. And that's the biggest problem I see with our death penalty today. We need to have something done here in South Carolina, because families need closure, they need justice, and this is the way to get this for these families, for this situation. Because, like I said, a lot of these families, several of them, has been waiting over 13 years. And one thing I can say is, they met with me. They're very good people. They've been through some very difficult times, and I hope this does bring them closure. I hope we never hear about Mr. Kohlhepp again.

Barry Barnette: Part of the agreement or contract was that he has not... he waived all his appeals, waived all his post-conviction relief. He cannot file any of those under that circumstance. If he does, he violates the agreement, the convictions will stand, he'll come back for sentencing, which [he will] face a potential death sentence. If he escapes from the [unclear: "prior corrections" / "power Corrections"], he'll be facing that. So, but the one thing I want to carry out is, I can't say enough for the sheriff and his team, for the victims' families. But I would like the one thing: if we're going to have a death penalty in South Carolina, we need to have one that's effective, that one that carries out justice in a reasonable amount of time, and right now it isn't. And hopefully these families, they're going to address you one at a time, as they'd like to. I'm going to turn to Sheriff Wright at this time, let him address you a little bit, and then we'll go to all the family members.

Chuck Wright: First and foremost, I want to thank God for the closure that we are at this point. You got to continue to pray for the families. This is nowhere near over. This is just another phase in a process that they don't have to deal with anymore. I've been encouraged by the true grit of the families of the motorbike [as heard; the Superbike Motorsports families]. Those are the ones that I've dealt with the longest. I'm impressed with their will to survive and to carry on the legacy of their loved one that was brutally taken from them. The Sheriff's Department gives you their word that we will look back over things that we have done, what worked and what didn't, and I vow to you that we will continue to search for other people who need and deserve closure. They will... no one outwork us.

Chuck Wright: I want to thank the solicitor's office for their diligent work on this case, because it's not just enough that we arrest somebody and give them to them. It's very important that they get them to the finished product, and they did that very well. I want to say thank you to our investigators. They... man, there's so many man-hours, so many prayers, so many frustrations, so many crying. You know, I was very emotional about this whole ordeal, but, you know, one of the victims' family reminded me that God's good. He's good all the time. He's the only one that can bring peace into everyone's heart, and that's what I pray for. So I don't want to take up any more of the victims' time. It's about them today. But I just wanted to say I'm humbled and thankful I got to walk a little bit through my life with them. Thank you.

Barry Barnette: I'm going to start with the victims [in] the order we went into [the] hearing. [unclear: "What I know, Melissa would like to say anything else this time, she's welcome" (captions) / "where I know Melissa White sitting next to this fine sheet" (Whisper)].

Melissa Ponder: I've been waiting on this for a long time. I have had my life plastered all over everywhere for 13 years, and I continually said that if it brought someone to justice, it would all be worth it, and it would be okay. And I stand by that. I don't regret that all of my life has been everywhere, and it's okay. I feel nothing towards Todd Kohlhepp. I'm numb when it comes to him. The most emotional that I have been during this process was when they described the events of that day.

Melissa Ponder: I, in my heart, have a really, really hard time believing that my late husband would have ever made anybody feel less of a person, or that just was not his demeanor. And so the reason that he is using in order to have wiped out four people that day, I can't accept that. There's no way. I fell in love with a true Southern gentleman, a person that ran a family business that created an environment that people were drawn to, that they wanted to come to. And so for, you know, that statement to be made, that the owner was making fun of him or made him feel bad: there was a lot of joking around that went on in that business, and that is why people were drawn to it. It was lighthearted, it was fun. And that tells me maybe just how socially inept Mr. Kohlhepp is, like, possibly couldn't understand.

Melissa Ponder: I can tell you right now that the only thing I can think of that could have ever gotten me through something like this is this right here [her son, who is with her; not named]. I am so grateful that God allowed me to keep this kid. We wanted this kid badly. And the only thing I can think of to help me get through and fill a little bit of that hole is this, this kid. God knew what I needed, and he allowed me to keep him, and I'm so grateful. And, you know, the thoughts that keep coming to me today are: Scott and Beverly, they're at peace. I know that. I know that they're at peace. I don't have any question in my mind that this is the individual that took their lives. I know that that's been out there, that this man did take their lives. It was him. There's no question in my mind.

Melissa Ponder: Scott Ponder has a lot to be proud of in this child. Beverly Guy has a lot to be proud of in this grandson of hers. Every interview he's ever done, anything he's ever said, I just want you to know that's him. He's a strong kid. He's been through a lot, and he's got a lot to be proud of. I have a lot to be proud of. I feel very blessed. I pray for Kala Brown. I do want to make sure she understands that I'm grateful, I will [be], from the bottom of my heart, that she's alive, because if she had not been alive, we wouldn't be here. We wouldn't be here talking to you. We're all going to heal differently. I feel at peace. I feel a lot of peace. If there's anything you want to say [addressed, apparently, to her son; speaker uncertain]. [unclear: "Good for" (captions only)] All right.

Barry Barnette: I know the McGraws had left. I didn't [know if] Ms. Coxie was still there, if she wanted to speak or say anything. [Wording from the captions and the second machine pass; Whisper: "My name is the McGrawls had left. I didn't miss Cox. He was still there."] Okay. Rob, is there anything you'd like to say? Mr. Guy, anything you'd like to say? [unclear: "Mr. Guy, anything you'd like to say" (captions) / "Mr. Guy, do you have anything you'd like to say?" (second machine pass)]

Mr. Guy: First thing I'd like to say, mostly to the media: y'all been respectful the last 13 years, especially the ones that I've worked with, and y'all kept [unclear: "being" / "in"] what we needed to hear and what we didn't need to hear at times. It's been a tough 13 and a half years, but today does bring some closure. And one of the things that, like I told Todd today when I was speaking, you know, hopefully one day he can find God, because he's never going to get outside of that prison until the day he dies, and one thing he needs to do to try to help him go somewhere [unclear: "beside him" (Whisper) / "beside h-" (captions)].

Mr. Guy: But what I would like to say today is something about Beverly: that she would have been the first one to tell him that she forgive him, even though what [he] done, 'cause she was just the type of person that would have always find the good in everybody, regardless and no matter what. Even though she didn't get to ever see her grandchild, that's probably the best smile I ever seen, and she was always smiling, was the day that Scott and Melissa called us from Arizona and told us that they was going to have a child. Beverly was so elated, and I know she gets to see from above, but she never got that opportunity just to hold her grandchild, and that's sad. Thank you.

Male Relative Of A Victim: I'd like to say thank you to Sheriff Wright and all of his officers, to Solicitor Barnette, for handling the case the way he did. He was very gracious to us, always looked out for our best interest. And there's a lot of people behind the scenes, behind both of these two men, that needed to be thanked as well.

Unidentified Voices: Maybe we'll get closer. [captions; second machine pass] [inaudible] [unclear: "Anything you'd like to" (captions, at 15:46)] [inaudible] I'm sorry. [Whisper; second machine pass; Whisper adds "I don't know."] [inaudible]

Brian Lucas'S Mother: Thank you all. You really have been amazing, and respectful, and we needed that. I feel like I know a lot of you personally. This is my new family. Our family grew again today. They grew six months ago, actually. We're all in this together. And I'm extremely grateful to Kala. I am so thankful that Anderson County, or Anderson City, pursued that and came over to Spartanburg County, and that Spartanburg County handled the case the way they did once they found Kala. Hard 13 years. Never given up. You know, it's... he just... I couldn't... I struggled, as I said in court, I struggled with the concept that it could be an angry customer. But now that I see him, and that's what his name is to me, is "him," I get it now. I understand. But I just couldn't imagine that there could be somebody that could be so sick, so evil, to go in and shoot and kill people like that. And hearing his story, or the story of buying a bike and taking it back or whatever: Scott and Brian were jokesters. That was the kind of people they were. But I can't see them just literally criticizing him, berating him. So that's his sick [mind; Whisper only].

Brian Lucas'S Mother: I'm proud. I'm very proud to be Brian's mother. I'm thankful that we are joined in our faith with our family, with Melissa and Terry, and we're blessed with a 10-year-old grandson. That's the light of our life. And those are the things in our faith: faith in God, and the prayers. We have people, I've met people from all over the world through the internet. I've hosted complete strangers at my home from all over the world, and those people have been the ones that have supported me through the 13 years. I know they're praying and are sitting on their edge, sitting on the edge of their computer, waiting for me to post something to make sure we're okay.

Brian Lucas'S Mother: I can't thank Solicitor Barnette enough for the way he and his staff have handled [it]. It's been remarkable. I felt like when we went in to sit down and start talking a couple of months ago about the contract, I was frustrated, and I said, "It's been almost six months." You know, you almost feel like, did this really happen? Because we got this fateful phone call at 9 o'clock, three hours from the anniversary, you know, that "They've come home. We're waiting on you." And we knew something was going on. And, sorry, my train of thought... that's one of the... train of thought just went out the window. But it's just been, the way it's unfolded has been nothing less than a miracle. Literally, literally a miracle.

Brian Lucas'S Mother: And I know that Brian's happy. They're all happy, together. They're with us all the time. And I encourage everybody to watch for your loved ones, watch for signs from your loved ones, so they'll let you know. Might be a penny on the ground, or a song you might hear, or a thought, passing thought. And my spirituality, I guess, is what's given me my strength, and [I'm] ready to move forward. I'm thrilled that they took him away. This was my choice. It's strange, because during the course of this, we've been put in situations where I never believed that I would be. I was told I should go to a post-conviction relief of a person who was on death row, so I actually was sitting in the courtroom with a death row inmate, you know. And that, God was preparing me, so that when this time came, that I could see that I didn't want to go that route. That was not an option for me.

Brian Lucas'S Mother: Like Solicitor Barnette says, you know, hopefully there'll be some reform, and we'll get a real death penalty, and people will start understanding: when you get the death penalty, you're going to death. And there need to be laws, and [unclear: "this" (captions) / "just" (Whisper)] hanging around and looming. But personally, for me, myself, I just wanted him to go away. Good luck to him in prison. And I don't ever want to hear about him again. I don't want to see his face. I don't want to hear his name. Just want to go on with my life, try to get my life back in order, and do something in a positive light in memory of [unclear: "my son" (captions) / "myself" (Whisper; second machine pass)].

Male Relative Of A Victim: I don't want to go in front of the judge. He's tough. He was very thorough. I guess, to give you some insight, the thoroughness of the case that was put together. But we were hanging on every sentence, every word the judge would say, and he'd ask Kohlhepp those questions one at a time, and he'd make sure he truly, truly understood what was being said and if he agreed to it. And each time you were waiting for this "yes." I was kind of sitting there waiting, like, "Oh God, what's going to go wrong here?" And the judge was very thorough. I think the process just worked like clockwork. After all this time, you keep thinking, you know, there was always something that would take place: what's going to happen now? And as I looked at Kohlhepp and addressed him, I kind of believe he's already gone. I mean, it was like real... I don't know, just a figure there. And that had been the second time that I've actually seen him.

Male Relative Of A Victim: So from that standpoint, you know, the case that was put together, how it was handled, the judge is really specific as he did his job, walked us through that. It was a long couple hours, but at the end of the day, you just don't... you know, you're thinking, is this really it? Is this... we're finally getting some answers. I too believe that he did it. There's no doubt in my mind. All the work that was done by law enforcement, all the hours, all the years, you know, you just, you can't make this stuff up. So finally, you know, the press: like I said, you guys have been very good to all of our families, and everybody. We learned a lot of respect for you, and we thank you for that. And, you know, I'm sure there's going to be more stories told and so forth, but it was a good day. I think we can breathe a little better now.

Male Relative Of A Victim: I think when we do get back home and so forth, it's going to be a bit more refreshing. However, doing this work for so long, and I call it work, there's other victims out there without answers. I mean, you get to know people, you hear the stories, and we're not doing enough. We're not doing enough. And they need answers too. And probably as we're sitting there speaking, there's going to be another tragedy that's going to happen. So it's, I think it's a crisis in our country right now. But we get a chance to celebrate a little bit. Thank you. Thank you, Barry, for all your work you've done, and your team has been excellent. So thanks a lot.

Barry Barnette: Again, thank you all for coming. Thank you for everybody getting a chance to speak to y'all. I know y'all may want to talk to people individually. We'll be glad to do that, but please respect that. If they'd like to talk to you, they'll be glad to. Oh, I'm sorry, I apologize. I forgot David Wyatt was going to speak for Kala Brown. I apologize for that.

David Wyatt: Thank you, ladies and gentlemen. My name is David Wyatt. I am a co-counsel for Kala Brown, and I'd like to, on behalf of my co-counsel Alex Stalvey, who addressed you earlier, and Jim Bannister, his partner, and Kala's other team, Jenny Dial and Rodney Neely [names as heard; not verified], it's been certainly our honor to represent her. She has been through a lot. I just actually had the opportunity to talk to her on the phone. She's a survivor. If I can say anything, one word to sum up Kala Brown, I'd say she's a survivor. And as she recounted the story of going to work to try to earn some money that day, and talked about how her fiance, her best friend, Charlie Carver, was murdered, she said she made it a point to bring his killer to justice. And then as this killer bragged about killing other folks, and she learned about those folks, she added them to the list of, "These are also people that we need to... I need to live so I can help these folks."

David Wyatt: And she said that seeing the family members today, and the closure that this is bringing, is helping her. And she says that, you know, she feels like she's accomplished a goal today, having this guy take responsibility, clear up the mystery, and, you know, he's never going to be able to live out that sentence. He's got seven life sentences plus another 60 years. And so, checking a box for Kala Brown. And she says that she feels like she's going to be in a better position to heal. She apologizes for not being able to be here, although I don't think any of us would ask her to apologize. She did say that she appreciated Alex expressing that for her, that she was sorry she couldn't be here, and she wanted me to express the same thing.

David Wyatt: She said she wants to focus on her healing and rebuilding her life. This is a woman who wants to make a difference. She's already made a difference, and she wants to make a difference. She is seeking help for severe PTSD and other issues right now. She has good days and bad days. She's still struggling. She likes to put out a very strong face, and if you've seen her, she's appeared one time, and she appeared very strong for those of us that have been working with her. [28:25 to 28:36: audio dropout (digital silence, measured); nothing recoverable.]

David Wyatt: The odds of her being alive are so outrageous that all of this talk about God today... In fact, my, you know, [unclear: "appearance" (captions) / "the parents" (Whisper)] in this case: I'm a believer, and I believe in God. To see folks come up here and address you the way they have, that's evidence for God. We're all witnesses, those of us that believe. And so I do join their prayers, and so does Kala, that this will glorify God in some manner. So she wanted me to again extend her thanks to Sheriff Wright and his team, to Solicitor Barnette and your team, to all of the media, to all of you that have been praying for her. I know that I've gotten a number of folks, people [saying], "Praying for her. Let her know that I'm praying for her." She wanted to thank everybody for those prayers. She wanted to thank the media. She wanted to thank those that have generously donated to her cause. She is trying to recover, to return to the workforce. She's not been able to do that yet. She is looking into education to enhance her employability, so when she is ready to return to the workforce, that she's able to do so. And we wanted to encourage every one of you today to be good to each other. Thank you.

Barry Barnette: Again, thank you all for coming. We're going to stop at this point. I think everybody spoke that wants to speak. And, like I said, please be respectful. But they'd like to talk to you; I'm sure [they'll] be glad to talk to you. If they don't, please respect that. And I thank you again for the respect y'all have shown us here.

Unidentified Voices: Thank you all for joining us here. (second machine pass) [unclear: "Thank you very much" (Whisper, at 30:30) / "There we go" (second machine pass, at 30:30) / "Joan sh" (captions, at 30:38)] [30:41: video ends.] ---