"I Had High Anxiety When He Came Into the Courtroom": Kala Brown Faces Todd Kohlhepp in Court, WLTX, 2018

Name: "I Had High Anxiety When He Came Into the Courtroom": Kala Brown Faces Todd Kohlhepp in Court, WLTX, 2018
Uploaded: 2018-07-12T00:00:00Z
Duration: 2 min 1 s
Description: A WLTX report from July 2018, when Kala Brown saw Todd Kohlhepp in person for the first time since her rescue, at a hearing on damages in her civil suit. Kohlhepp, representing himself, said nothing.

A WLTX report from July 2018, when Kala Brown saw Todd Kohlhepp in person for the first time since her rescue, at a hearing on damages in her civil suit. Kohlhepp, representing himself, said nothing.

Subject: Todd Kohlhepp
Recorded: about July 11, 2018
Runtime: 2:01

Content warning: Concerns the kidnapping, captivity and torture of a woman and a series of murders; no graphic detail.

The Report

This is a 2-minute-1-second WLTX News 19 report by Lauren Thomas, posted by the Columbia, South Carolina, station on its own channel on July 12, 2018. It covers the hearing of July 11, 2018, at the Spartanburg County Courthouse, on damages in Kala Brown's civil suit against Todd Kohlhepp, the first time she had faced him since her rescue. Kohlhepp was in court, representing himself, but the report says he gave no remarks and did not question Brown; he is not heard. The speakers are the station's anchor, the reporter, Kala Brown and a friend of hers who is not named.

Historical Context

On November 3, 2016, Kala Brown was found chained inside a storage container on Todd Kohlhepp's property in Spartanburg County, South Carolina; he was arrested the same day. On May 26, 2017, he pleaded guilty to seven murders (Scott Ponder, Beverly Guy, Brian Lucas and Chris Sherbert; Johnny and Meagan Coxie; and Charlie Carver, Brown's boyfriend), and to kidnapping and criminal sexual conduct, and was sentenced to seven consecutive life terms plus 60 years.

Circumstances

Brown filed her civil suit on December 1, 2016. According to her attorneys (Bannister, Wyatt & Stalvey), the July 11, 2018 hearing before Judge Keith Kelly sought $360 million in punitive damages and about $3.6 million in actual damages. In August 2018 Judge Kelly awarded her $6,318,760.

What the Report Covers

The reporter describes Brown as calm throughout the 30-minute hearing. She reports that a psychiatrist who treated Brown after her rescue testified that she would likely need regular treatment "in order for her to have any normalcy in life," and Brown testified that she was held for 65 days, chained in a shipping unit. Afterward Brown thanks everyone "for all the prayers and all the work you put into looking for me," and says, "I had high anxiety when he came into the courtroom." A friend says she saw "the terror" in Brown's eyes, and that Brown "walked up right past him, like, 'You didn't destroy me, and you're never going to destroy me again.'" The report closes with the damages sought, given as $363 million.

What Makes the Recording Significant

The report records, as WLTX describes it, the first time Brown faced Kohlhepp in person after her rescue, and his silence in a court where he represented himself.

Archival Importance

It sits beside the FOX Carolina report on the 2019 civil hearing for the families of the Superbike Motorsports victims.

Important Caveats

Todd Kohlhepp is not heard in this video. This was a civil damages hearing, not a criminal proceeding; the $363 million figure is the rounded total sought, not an award. The friend is not named, and the page should not name her. The exact point where Brown's statement ends and her friend's begins is not certain.

Wltx Anchor: The survivor of the Todd Kohlhepp murders was in court today, facing him for the first time since her rescue in 2016. Kala Brown was seeking payment for past and future medical expenses. News 19's Lauren Thomas was in the courtroom.

Lauren Thomas: Kala Brown appeared calm throughout the 30-minute civil hearing, this being her first time facing the man who captured and tortured her on his property for months. But she's seeking damages for the mental and physical abuse that Todd Kohlhepp put her through, and what she's still suffering with today. In court, her attorneys brought in a psychiatrist who treated her after she was rescued, who explained that she will likely have to have monthly and weekly treatments from psychologists in order for her to have any normalcy in life. When Brown took the stand, she explained that she was held captive on Kohlhepp's property for 65 days, where she suffered pain and anguish from being chained in the shipping unit for that time. She gave a brief statement afterwards, and we also got a chance to speak with her close friends who were in the courtroom.

Kala Brown: I just want to say thank you to everyone for all the prayers and all the work you put into looking for me. If it wasn't for everyone out there, I don't think I would be here today. I had high anxiety when he came into the courtroom. It was my first time seeing him in person (speaker uncertain from here).

Friend Of Kala Brown: And I, uh, [unclear: "Lindsay and I" / "when she and I"] both had to hold ourselves back. Believe me, there was a part of me that wanted to issue my own justice on him. In her eyes, I could see the terror. I could see the hurt that he put her through, but she's strong again, and she put on her strong face and walked up right past him, like, "You didn't destroy me, and you're never going to destroy me again."

Lauren Thomas: Kohlhepp was representing himself and did not give any remarks in court or question Brown, but Brown's attorneys are asking for $363 million in damages. No word yet on when the judge will rule on the matter. Reporting in the studio, Lauren Thomas, News 19, WLTX. [01:58: speech ends; clip runs to 02:01.] ---