x
Breaking News
More () »

Alleged serial killer admitted to heinous sexual assault as Arizona teen

Forty-five year old Todd Kohlhepp served 15 years in prison for kidnapping after he admitted to raping his 14-year-old neighbor in his father's Tempe home back in 1986. 

PHOENIX - Pages of decades-old documents detail a broken home and a history of behavioral issues of a then-16-year-old Todd Kohlhepp, who confessed to police that he raped his 14-year-old neighbor because he was mad at his father.

Kohlhepp is again at the center of an investigation, this time with authorities in South Carolina.

Last week, 30-year-old Kala Brown was found on the man's 100-acre property chained up inside a metal container. Brown and her boyfriend Charlie Carver, 32, had been reported missing in August.

Authorities found Carver's body as well as two others -- still unidentified -- on Kohlhepp's property. The man is currently charged with four other deaths stemming from a 2003 incident that occurred at a South Carolina motorcycle shop. Authorities say Kohlhepp confessed to the murders.

Documents obtained by 12 News detail a 1986 sexual assault case in Tempe that landed Kohlhepp in prison for 15 years.

Kohlhepp was a sophomore at McClintock High School at the time and living with his biological father. Kohlhepp's parents divorced and his mother re-married and was living in South Carolina. His mother stated her relationship with her son was strained so she sent him to live with his father.

The victim was a neighbor and classmate who lived a few doors down from Kohlhepp. The victim told police on Nov. 25 of that year, Kohlhepp repeatedly came to her front door and asked her to meet him outside. The girl was babysitting her younger siblings at the time.

The victim said she eventually agreed and met Kohlhepp by the back gate of her home in an alley. She told investigators the teen pulled out a gun and forced her to walk in the alley to the back gate of his home where he took her to his bedroom.

The girl said Kohlhepp duct-taped her mouth, tied her up and removed her clothes before forcing her to have sexual intercourse. Afterwards, the victim said Kohlhepp walked her back home and threatened her family's safety if she told police.

Kohlhepp's father was out of town at the time of the incident and the girl's parents had just left their home, a detail they claim Kohlhepp knew because he spoke with them as they were leaving.

The parents expressed extreme concerns about Kohlhepp's plea deal for 15 years, stating in a handwritten note to the judge that they didn't feel that was enough time spent locked up.

Kohlhepp's mother defended her son, arguing he was a good kid and that he would not receive proper habilitation in prison.

Records show Kohlhepp pleaded guilty to a kidnapping charge, serving 15 years in the Arizona Department of Corrections. He was released on Nov. 24, 2001.

Before You Leave, Check This Out