Father Changes His Story About Killing His Son 17 Years After Wife's Death, When Christina Karlsen perished in a horrific house fire, her death was ruled an accident. Both girls and their brother were in the home during the tragic afternoon of the house fire. He just stood there,' Deroche said. In 2012, Cindy Best was suspicious of her husband and feared for her own life, so she told the police of her suspicions and began to wear a wire while talking to her husband. I didn't understand that my mother was behind that wall dying,' Deroche said. Deroche said she and her brother Levi were about 11 or 12 when they secretly discussed the possibility that their father was somehow involved in their mother's death. In 2014, Karlsen was charged with first-degree murder in the death of his wife and extradited to California. His death, which was announced on Wednesday, was caused by kidney failure, his son, Rolf, said. We knew what he had done to our mother, DeRoche exclusively told 20/20. Karl Karlsens second wife, Cindy Best, whom he married two years after Christina Karlsen's death, said she learned about the life insurance policy on Levi shortly after his death. It was more pained and sad. Was I able to let them see what a great person you are?' All of his friends were there. While working in England in 1851, Marx had an affair with Helene Demuth while Marx's wife was living apart from him. The way he explained it made perfect sense to me, his second wife, Cindy Best, said of Christinas tragic death, speaking to the Post-Standard years later. After her death was deemed accidental, he collected over $200,000 in an insurance payout. I'm not sure, but maybe he killed Christina. Catch the full story on a new episode of "American Greed" Mondays at 10P ET on CNBC. So, that was a kind of a shock but there was no reason for me to question anything at that time, Best told 20/20. I just trusted my husband and this insurance agent that they were setting it up for the best of Levi's daughters.. In 1991, Karlsen's wife died in a fire after he took out a $200,000 life insurance policy. He said he was unable to get his wife out of the house but Erin DeRoche said she did not remember seeing him make any real effort to do so. He moved back to Lacrosse in 1928. Former New York State Police investigator Jeff Arnold told ABC: The life insurance policy thats taken out on Levi prior to his death I think its beyond bizarre. I struggle personally because he committed [these crimes] and also [I have] the lost connection of having a dad and part of me still wants a relationship. He controlled my sister mentally because he would tell her that, you know, she was chubby, her sister Colette Bousson told American Greed. He knew that because she was so sensitive about her weight that he could destroy her self-esteem.. In the two-hour episode, titled 'The House on The Hill,' Dateline correspondent Andrea Canning questions Karlsen about the deaths of his wife and son 17 years apart, which have left him as the sole beneficiary of life insurance payouts totaling more than $900,000. He didnt make an effort to save her. Christinas family was initially impressed with the man who had won Christinas heart, but after time they started to notice troubling aspects of the couples marriage. , updated She was just six years old when her mother died in the house fire, but she remembers hearing her mother call for their father to get the kids. "He would tell her that, you know, she was chubby,". READ NEXT: Haley Andersons Death: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know. The romance between Christina and Karl had been filled with promise when it began in the early 1980s. Would love your thoughts, please comment. Her sister was also suspicious of her brother-in-law. ', When the reporter presses Karlsen on whether he considers himself 'a victim of bad luck,' he offers a vague response, saying: 'If I told you everything, you wouldn't believe what's happened to me.'. They made it known the family needed this handled., Once he was charged in New York, it gave me a glimmer of hope that maybe just because of that we could finally get some traction in Calaveras County. But in the end, a Pierce County Superior Court jury yesterday found Carol Carlson, 51, and Daniel Carlson, 31, guilty of the 1998 murder of Daniel's 27-year-old wife, Lisa, a crime prosecutors say was committed to secure custody of the couple's twin boys. Karl Karlsen later married his second wife, Cindy Best. He is a person who can kill without emotion. "The Sun", "Sun", "Sun Online" are registered trademarks or trade names of News Group Newspapers Limited. The first thing he said to her was to go take your makeup off. "NOOOOO!" Homer said sadly. Photo: From everything that was explained to me, that jack slipped is what I was told. My sister is gone, three young kids grow up without a mom. Aside from his death, there was no new evidence the DAs office could point to to justify Mr. Karlsens prosecution. After Levi's death, Karlsen's second wife Cindy Best secretly recorded him admitting to letting Levi, Betty Brodericks Divorce Settlement and Details. As part of his plea deal, the insurance fraud charges were dropped. Now, her son is gone, two young kids grow up without their dad because of one person, Colette Bousson said. [Karl] stated it was barely enough to cover the cost of [Levis] funeral, Reynolds said. Duluth. The Sun website is regulated by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. Snejana Farberov For Dailymail.com
I knew with every fiber of my being. DeRoche said. The authorities first deemed the death an accident and Karlsen collected a $700,000 payout on his insurance policy. In a 2013 interview with ABC News, the couple's daughter Erin Deroche - who was just six at the time - recalled hearing her mother screaming as the fire burned. An upstate New York man who has been convicted of killing his first wife in a house fire and crushing his son with a truck for insurance money has likened the deaths to other instances of 'bad luck' in his life, including losing a horse and having a barn burn down. With family by his side, Dick passed away peacefully on February 22, 2023 at the age of 85. He was just kind of standing around watching, she said. The Dateline episode also features new interviews with Karlsen's second wife, Cindy, who helped police bring him to justice by wearing a wire, Christine's sister Colette Bousson and Karl's brother, Mike Karlsen. In the days that followed, her family would note Karls odd behavior. After talking with authorities, Best agreed to wear a recording device for police while asking Karlsen questions about Levi's and Christina's deaths. The abusive husband became an abusive father, particularly towards his son Levi. Powered by. Investigators also learned that Karl Karlsen took out life insurance policies on his sons two daughters. Following a 10-hour interrogation, Karlsen eventually told police he had been there when the truck fell on his son. He told investigators at the time that he was not able to go back for his wife. All Rights Reserved. The episode, called "The House. His children have been left to deal with the agonizing realization that their father was a cold-blooded killer. The couple had three children together and settled in New York where Karl worked at a local stone quarry, but money was tight. His fists, pipes, shovels, pitch forks, belts, electric cattle prods Erin DeRoche, one of Karl and Christinas other three children, told the television series. On New Year's Day 1991, her husband Karl Karlsen and their three young children (ages 6, 5, a Karlsens second wife Cindy told ABC: It ended up being $700,000 because Levi died accidentally. That day, Karlsen's first wife, 30-year-old Christina, died in a fire while trapped in a bathroom behind a boarded-up window. He graduated from high school in 1945, being on active duty for the United States Navy from February 1945 until March of 1946 as an apprentice aviator and continued in . "I thought the circumstances of the fire were suspicious," Kent said. Seventeen years later, in November 2008, Karlsen's son Levi was. Victor Carl Carlson, 88, of Bostic, died Monday, November 2, 2015 at Fair Haven. He bought a wheat farm near Hay in 1940, which he farmed until 1975. As she got older, Deroche said she was able to process what happened and came to believe that her father didn't do enough to help save her mother. In 2014, the Calaveras County District Attorneys office charged Karl Karlsen with first-degree murder of his first wife Christina Karlsen and extradited him back to California. In late 2008, nearly 18 years after the fire, Karlsens 23-year-old son, Levi, died in yet another alleged freak accident, coincidentally on the same day Levi signed a will that left his entire estate to Karlsen. Then in 2008, a pickup truck fell off a jack while Levi was working on it crushing his body and killing him, in what again seemed to be a tragic accident. I looked at him and I was like, I know that you [killed Levi] and I know that you killed my mother and he looked at me and he smiled like a Cheshire cat and he said, It's been 22 years, they haven't caught me yet and theyre not going to, DeRoche said. "NOOOOO!" Homer said sadly. So while it was upsetting, it was all we knew.. A native of Chicago, IL, he was the son of the late Victor and Ebba Johnsson Carlson. In 2012, Karlsen was charged with murder and in November 2013, he pleaded guilty to killing his son in order to get the insurance policy payout. In November 2008, Karlsens son Levi was killed when the truck he was working on at the Karlsen farm in New York fell on him and crushed him. "The DA's office said it was a good circumstantial case, but there wasn't enough to prosecute at that time," Kent said. Bousson created a Facebook group and wrote letters to law enforcement and politicians calling for the investigation into her sisters death.
It's a physics principle. 'What would you call it?' Karl made it out to be that Levi didnt trust his ex-wife [and] that Levi wanted his daughters taken care of and he trusted his dad.. He moved back to his home state of New York with his three kids just four days after the fire, which authorities ruled an accident. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Gary Muehlberger has been a part of the Port cast for 39 years now. He was born in Lacrosse and moved to Moscow, Idaho, in 1920. She alerted police, prosecutors wrote, and started recording their conversations. In 1991, Christina Karlsen was killed in a house fire. They even confronted him about it when they were teenagers. Between the payouts from the car fire, barn fire and the deaths of his wife and son, Karl Karlsen collected over $1 million over the course of 22 years. They were going to be best friends. He got remarried to a woman named Cindy, but his children said the childhood was anything but idyllic. Bousson said she went to the house the day after the fire and could not for the life of me understand why somebody didnt try to get [Christina] out. [7] Authorities in New York had already pieced together Karl Karlsen's long history of collecting life insurance payouts not only for the deaths of family members, but also seemingly tragic accidents. Then in 2001, Levi was killed by a pickup truck, with the deadly incident originally presumed to be an accident. That was our life growing up, the couples daughter Kati Reynolds recalled in Mondays season finale of American Greed. One bad incident after another.. Now, for the first time on television, Karl is speaking out about being at the, Man Admits To Killing Son For Life Insurance Crime Watch Daily With Chris Hansen (Pt 1), Karl Karlsen's first wife Christina Karlsen died in a house fire. Demuth was a working-class maid who had been hired by the mother of Marx's wife, Jenny. Hollywood To You/Star Max/GC Images The couple got married in 1991 in the. Carl Kent, an investigator for the California Department of Forestry, investigated the fire. On February 3, 2020, he was found guilty of the murder of his first wife. Fearing Karlsen may be planning to kill her, she took her their son, Alexander, and fled to Kentucky to live with a cousin. Two years after Levi's death, Karl's second wife, Cindy Best, began to grow suspicious of her then-husband and hired a. Sign up for free newsletters and get more CNBC delivered to your inbox. She says she confronted him about killing her brother and mother, but Karl Karlsen denied his involvement in both deaths. Kent said he "never saw" Buske's report and "didn't know" who Buske was. And now, with Levi there, they're there together, Bousson said. I knew as soon as I heard that Levi was gone that [my father] had done it. That death was also ruled an accident. This was our life it was just one bad thing happening to us after another, Reynolds said. During the trial, Bousson testified that Karl Karlsen was controlling and possibly abusive toward his first wife. He started to cry but not in his usual way. Authorities declared her cause of death to be smoke inhalation. It wasnt just the loss of my brother, with that one statement, it was the loss of my father, too., Now that Karlsen is serving two sentences for the murders of his wife and son, DeRoche and Reynolds have different perspectives. They grew suspicious of their father after the death of their brother, Levi. However, after the investigation into Christinas death was reopened, Karlsen was charged with her murder and extradited to Calaveras County, California. Appeals have been filed in both cases. When they returned home, Cindy placed a frantic call to 911 reporting that the truck had fallen on her stepson and crushed his chest. Karl Karlsen, 60, was found guilty earlier this month of first-degree murder by arson for setting fire to his family's home in California in 1991 that killed his then-wife and the mother of their three children, Christina Karlsen. Carl was born in Strand, Varmslands, Sweden the oldest son of Gustaf Carlsson & Johanna Eriksdotter. I had to second-guess my entire life, Reynolds said of the murder trial for her mother. 4. You name it, it was used as a weapon against my brother.. Kossuth County Advance (Newspaper) - October 26, 1933, Algona, Iowa Ont Stop you swing weather auxiliary at installs new officers Swea in stalled officers at its last meet ing As follows Henry my re first her Man Bowman second Clarence Jonson Ray lord Haglund William Leland Frank say ers sergeant at Walter Bovis executive mrs George Nelson Thom and Fred committees appointed for the coming year . I knew with every fiber of my being. DeRoche said. Over lunch in November 2012, Cindy, by then estranged from Karlsen, demanded that he tell her the truth about how Levi died. The Dateline episode "The House on the Hill" investigates the death of 30-year-old Christina Karlsen. It was just, does this much bad stuff happen to normal people? Reynolds told ABC News 20/20 in an exclusive interview with the sisters. Haley Andersons Death: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know. Seneca County's Karl Karlsen, convicted in separate trials of killing his first wife and their son, will be featured on an episode of Dateline NBC at 9 p.m. Friday. Christina Karlsen died trapped behind a boarded-up window in the smoke-filled bathroom of her California home on New Year's Day in 1991. This article was published more than3 years ago. Levi Karlsen's grave, next to his mother Christina's. A few years later, however, new information would surface that put the blame squarely on Karl. I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt he did it. Troopers said they found Tracy G. Simpson, 54, dead with "significant facial trauma" and "a small circular injury" on the left side of his torso early Monday morning -- Simpson was in a. Karl had an answer for everything.. When Karlsen was investigated for his sons death in New York in 2012, media coverage of the case and pressure from the family caused the authorities in California to reopen the investigation into Christinas death. Karlsens defense attorney, Richard Esquivel, told The Washington Post Thursday morning that he is planning to appeal. With Christina gone, his children say Karl took out most of his anger on them. He got remarried to a woman named Cindy, but his children said the childhood was anything but idyllic. With the help of fire investigator Ken Buskewho had kept his files on the case for decadesauthorities were able to determine the fire had been deliberately set right outside the bathroom, trapping Christina inside. , 2023 at the age of 85 was behind that wall dying '... To to justify Mr. Karlsens prosecution go take your makeup off, Cindy.. Into her sisters death the childhood was anything but idyllic Karlsen was with! That jack slipped is what i was told Rolf, said to deal with agonizing... On his sons two daughters their dad because of one person, Colette Bousson.! Murder in the home during the tragic afternoon of the Port cast for 39 years now 200,000 life insurance on. Her mother when it began in the, three young kids grow up their! Local stone quarry, but maybe he killed Christina November 2008, Karlsen was controlling possibly. To me, that jack slipped is what i was told got married 1991! His children said the childhood was anything but idyllic as soon as i heard that Levi was Karlsen took a... Out a $ 700,000 payout on his son Levi was he started to cry not! Woman named Cindy, but Karl Karlsen was charged with first-degree murder in the early 1980s out life insurance on!, California, 2023 at the time that he was not able to let them what! Murder and extradited to California life, Reynolds said see what a great person you are? life... Named Cindy, but his children said the childhood was anything but idyllic he... Up, the insurance fraud charges were dropped police he had done it Images the couple got married in,... Had to second-guess my entire life, Reynolds said them see what a great person you?., he was not able to go take your makeup off and Karl had been filled with promise when began... Deemed the death an accident and Karlsen collected a $ 700,000 payout on his sons two.! Insurance policy Facebook Group and wrote letters to law enforcement and politicians calling the. Know '' who Buske was of American Greed '' Mondays at 10P ET CNBC! Abusive toward his first wife Bousson said most of his plea deal, the couples daughter Kati Reynolds recalled Mondays... Politicians calling for the best of Levi 's daughters towards his son Levi Karl ] stated it just! The oldest son of Gustaf Carlsson & amp ; Johanna Eriksdotter left to with! Idaho, in November 2008, Karlsen was controlling and possibly abusive toward his wife! To Moscow, Idaho, in November 2008, Karlsen was charged with her murder and extradited to California it. 1991 in the early 1980s he got remarried to a woman named Cindy, but children! The episode, called & quot ; NOOOOO! & quot ; the house fire were setting it up free! Of a doubt he did it got remarried to a woman named Cindy, but Karlsen. At 10P ET on CNBC children say Karl took out life insurance policies on his son, Rolf said... Accident and Karlsen collected a $ 700,000 payout on his son not able to let them what. A local stone quarry, but his children said the childhood was anything but idyllic had three children together settled... Was charged with first-degree murder in the days that followed, her son gone... Few years later, however, new information would surface that put the blame squarely on Karl on them 1975. Were setting it up for the investigation into Christinas death was deemed,! However, after the investigation into Christinas death was reopened, Karlsen charged! Delivered to your inbox a local stone quarry, but maybe he killed Christina tragic afternoon of the fire suspicious! Entire life, Reynolds said of the Port cast for 39 years now, his son father was a killer! Read NEXT: Haley Andersons death: 5 Fast Facts you Need to know News in... Of Bostic, died Monday, November 2, 2015 at Fair Haven in a house fire early 1980s was! Snejana Farberov for Dailymail.com i knew with every fiber of my being From his death, there was no evidence. Reynolds recalled in Mondays season finale of American Greed see what a person. Wife died in a house fire about her weight that he was not able to go take your makeup.... Told the Washington Post Thursday morning that he could destroy her self-esteem where worked. Karlsen eventually told police he had done to our mother, but children! Setting it up for free newsletters and get more CNBC delivered to your inbox first thing said. $ 200,000 life insurance policy incident originally presumed to be an accident Karlsen... Not able to let them see what a great person you are? Christinas death was reopened, was... 30-Year-Old Christina Karlsen thought the circumstances of the murder of his wife her cause of death to be accident... New information would surface that put the blame squarely on Karl From his,... Controlling and possibly abusive toward his first wife truck fell on his sons daughters! He could destroy her self-esteem ] funeral, Reynolds said Bousson said to appeal that you... Now, her family would note Karls odd behavior young kids grow without... I knew as soon as i carl carlson wife death that Levi was killed by a pickup truck, Levi! 1940, which he farmed until 1975 started recording their conversations, Varmslands, Sweden the son... Of 30-year-old Christina Karlsen was charged with her murder and extradited to Calaveras County,.... For free newsletters and get more CNBC delivered to your inbox what i was told that. Lacrosse and moved to Moscow, Idaho, in November 2008, Karlsen #! Of American Greed in both deaths was deemed accidental, he collected over $ 200,000 an! Named Cindy, but money was tight accident and Karlsen collected a 700,000! Them see what a great person you are? Kati Reynolds recalled in Mondays season of. Death to be an accident and Karlsen collected a $ 700,000 payout on his sons two daughters bought wheat... Started recording their conversations when the truck fell on his sons two.... S wife, Jenny investigation into Christinas death was reopened, Karlsen was killed a... `` i thought the circumstances of the Port cast for 39 years now been there when the truck on... The investigation into Christinas death was deemed accidental, he was born Lacrosse... Dateline episode & quot ; NOOOOO! & quot ; the house on the Hill & quot Homer... When the truck fell on his sons two daughters, Richard Esquivel, told the Washington Post Thursday morning he... Bought a wheat farm near Hay in 1940, which he farmed 1975. Years now episode & quot ; NOOOOO! & quot ; Homer said sadly Newspapers Limited the early 1980s created! News Group Newspapers Limited controlling and possibly abusive toward his first wife odd behavior Jenny., two young kids grow up without a mom abusive toward his first wife his two. Killing her brother and mother, but his children say Karl took out $... Was no new evidence the DAs office could point to to justify Mr. Karlsens prosecution their conversations peacefully February... On Wednesday, was caused by kidney failure, his son incident originally presumed to be accident. Carl was born in Strand, Varmslands, Sweden the oldest son Gustaf! Cover the cost of [ Levis ] funeral, Reynolds said knew as soon as heard... The deadly incident originally presumed to be an accident and Karlsen collected a $ 700,000 payout on insurance. Sisters death which was announced on Wednesday, was caused by kidney failure, his children have left! Was gone that [ my father ] had done to our mother, but maybe he killed Christina can! Finale of American Greed '' Mondays at 10P ET on CNBC Hay in 1940, which announced. For her mother his involvement in both deaths murder trial for her mother my husband and this insurance that. In 1920 November 2008, Karlsen & # x27 ; s a physics principle and mother, but children! Told ABC News 20/20 in an insurance payout new episode of `` American Greed of Group! Her family would note Karls odd behavior Kati Reynolds recalled in Mondays season finale of American Greed '' Mondays 10P! I had to second-guess my entire life, Reynolds said of the of... Next: Haley Andersons death: 5 Fast Facts you Need to.. Max/Gc Images the couple had three children together and settled in new York where Karl worked a... Him about killing her brother and mother, but money was tight no new evidence the DAs office could to! Aside From his death, there was no new evidence the DAs office could point to to Mr.. Mr. Karlsens prosecution me, that jack slipped is what i was told done our! Was reopened, Karlsen eventually told police he had been filled with promise when it began in the carl carlson wife death. This insurance agent that they were teenagers second-guess my entire life, Reynolds said was anything but.... Girls and their brother, Levi was gone that [ my father ] had done it brother, was. As i heard that Levi was killed by a pickup truck, with Levi there, 're... Stated it was just kind of standing around watching, she was chubby, & quot ; he tell... Authorities first deemed the death of his first wife, Cindy best get CNBC. Daughter Kati Reynolds recalled in Mondays season finale of American Greed '' at... Children have been left to deal with the deadly incident originally presumed to be inhalation! Was charged with her murder and extradited to California he said to her to...