Todd Kohlhepp Faces Victims' Families at a Civil Damages Hearing: FOX Carolina Report, 2019

Name: Todd Kohlhepp Faces Victims' Families at a Civil Damages Hearing: FOX Carolina Report, 2019
Uploaded: 2019-07-26T00:00:00Z
Duration: 4 min 41 s
Description: A FOX Carolina report from July 2019, when Todd Kohlhepp was brought to court for a damages hearing in wrongful-death suits brought by two victims' families, and a victim's widow apologized to him.

A FOX Carolina report from July 2019, when Todd Kohlhepp was brought to court for a damages hearing in wrongful-death suits brought by two victims' families, and a victim's widow apologized to him.

Subject: Todd Kohlhepp
Recorded: July 26, 2019
Runtime: 4:41

Content warning: Concerns the murders of seven people; no graphic detail.

The Report

This is a FOX Carolina news report from July 26, 2019, the day Todd Kohlhepp was brought from prison to a courtroom in Spartanburg County for a hearing on damages in two civil wrongful-death suits. One was brought by Melissa Brackman, the widow of Scott Ponder, who was killed at Superbike Motorsports in 2003; the other by the parents of Charlie Carver, killed in 2016. Kohlhepp is shown but is not heard. The report combines two live segments by reporter Brookley Cromer outside the courthouse with short clips from the courtroom and interviews with Carver's mother, Joanne Shiflet, and his father.

Historical Context

On November 6, 2003, four people were shot dead at Superbike Motorsports in Chesnee, South Carolina: the owner, Scott Ponder; his mother, Beverly Guy; Brian Lucas; and Chris Sherbert. The case went unsolved until November 2016, when Kohlhepp, a local real estate agent, was arrested after a woman was found chained in a container on his property, and confessed. On May 26, 2017, he pleaded guilty to seven murders, including those of Johnny Joe and Meagan Coxie in December 2015 and of Charlie Carver in 2016, and was sentenced to seven consecutive life terms plus 60 years. Relatives of victims then sued him for wrongful death.

Circumstances of the Report

The hearing was held to assess damages in the two suits; the judge did not rule that day. Carver's mother and father and Ponder's widow and teenage son testified. According to the reporter, Kohlhepp "stayed pretty quiet throughout most of the hearing until the very end", when he motioned Carver's attorney over and whispered a message to him. Carver's father later told the reporter that Kohlhepp had said he was sorry for what he did to his son.

What the Report Covers

The report shows family members addressing Kohlhepp from the stand. Melissa Brackman, who had waited more than 15 years for the day, read a prepared statement, told him she forgave him, and apologized to him, a moment the anchor calls surprising. A few seconds of what appears to be her apology are heard. Joanne Shiflet says she feels sorry for him for throwing his own life away. Carver's father says he would like to speak with Kohlhepp face to face, with "nobody around", because there are questions only his son could answer. The anchor repeats Kohlhepp's account to investigators that he killed at Superbike because he had been a customer and felt the staff made fun of him.

What Makes the Recording Significant

The report records a rare later meeting between Kohlhepp and the families of his victims, more than two years after his plea, and the unusual turn of a widow apologizing to the man who killed her husband.

Archival Importance

Kohlhepp's own voice is preserved in the interview videos released in June 2017 (see Related Content). This report documents the civil cases that followed the criminal case and the families' own words on the day.

Important Caveats

Kohlhepp does not speak in this video. His whispered message is known only from Carver's father's account to the reporter, and the reporter says she could not hear it. His stated motive for the Superbike killings is his own account to investigators. The courtroom sound in the report includes stretches the machine transcript could not read, and the speaker of the apology clip is inferred. The anchor's surname is not given.

Anchor: Well, serial killer Todd Kohlhepp was back in court today. This is a look at [unclear: "videos he arrived" / "video as he arrived"] to the Spartanburg County Detention Center from his jail cell. We can tell you this was in regards to the wrongful death lawsuit filed by two of his victims' families. Kohlhepp was sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty to seven murders. He killed Beverly Guy, Scott Ponder, Brian Lucas and Chris Sherbert at Superbike Motorsports back in 2003. Later he killed Johnny and Meagan Coxie and Charlie Carver. And today Carver's parents and Ponder's widow and son took the stand. FOX Carolina's Brookley Cromer, she has been following this story since [unclear: "2006" / "2016"]. She's live outside the courtroom. Brookley, did Kohlhepp have anything to say to these folks in court?

Brookley Cromer: Well, he stayed pretty quiet throughout most of the hearing until the very end. He motioned for Carver's attorney to walk over to him, so he then whispered a message into his ear. Now, [unclear: "he" / "we"] couldn't hear what he said, but after the hearing I talked to Carver's dad, and he said he just wanted to let them know he was sorry for what he did to his son.

Brookley Cromer: An emotional day in court for two families brought together in the midst of tragedy. The families of Charlie David Carver and Scott Ponder coming face to face with the person who took it all away.

Melissa Brackman: Sorry that the events that led to such a gruesome day have to happen at all, because there was always a better way to deal with things.

Carver'S Father: Said that he's sorry for what he did to David. I could see it in his face that he truly was.

Brookley Cromer: It's been a rough road to forgiveness, but Joanne Shiflet says she's almost there, addressing Kohlhepp in court earlier.

Brookley Cromer: Shiflet's son, Charlie David Carver, was one of Todd Kohlhepp's seven victims. After taking the stand, she pours her heart out to her son's convicted killer. She tells him she feels sorry for him for throwing his own life away.

Joanne Shiflet: Just the waste of his life. I mean, he could have done anything that he wanted to do without doing what he did. It just seems like all of a waste.

Brookley Cromer: Carver's dad agrees, but says he still has questions before he could move on.

Carver'S Father: You know, I'd actually like to have a conversation with him face to face, and nobody around, just face to face. There's only three people that know exactly what happened. The one I trust the most is my son, and he can't answer those questions right now.

Brookley Cromer: And coming up in the next hour, I'm talking to the family of Scott Ponder, who was killed at Superbike Motorsports. Hear what his 15-year-old son had to say to his dad's convicted killer, coming up at five. Cody, back to you.

Anchor: So, Brookley, also taking the stand today was Melissa Brackman. Now, her husband Scottie Ponder and mother-in-law Beverly Guy were both killed in Superbike. What did she have to say?

Brookley Cromer: She was very emotional, but she said she has been just waiting for this day for 15 years, or over 15 years at this point, but she says that she forgives Kohlhepp for what he did, and she even apologized to him. We'll have more from her and her son coming up at five. Cody, back to you.

Anchor: All right, Brookley, thanks so much. We just mentioned Brackman brought a speech she had prepared ahead of time. She talked about how losing her husband changed her life forever. Todd Kohlhepp has told investigators he was motivated to carry out the quadruple homicide because he'd been a customer at the store and felt the staff had made fun of him. Today, Scottie Ponder's widow looked his killer in the eyes and, surprisingly, apologized.

Anchor: Today's hearing stemmed from two civil lawsuits filed by Melissa Brackman and the parents of Charlie Carver. The judge did not issue a ruling during today's hearing. ---