Serial Killer: Devil Unchained

Awes: THIS MAN, TODD KOHLHEPP,

IS A RAPIST AND A SERIAL KILLER.

HE'S KILLED SEVEN PEOPLE THAT WE KNOW OF.

Awes: WHAT WAS THAT LIKE FOR YOU?

MECHANICAL. IT'S THE SAME THING

AS BASICALLY WASHING MY CAR

OR TAKING THE TRASH OUT.

Awes: WHEN KALA BROWN IS RELEASED FROM A SHIPPING CONTAINER,

THE WORLD FINDS OUT

ABOUT HIS MURDEROUS PAST.

Officer: WE'RE GOING TO GET YOU OUT OF THERE, OKAY?

Garrett: HE'D BRING KALA IN HERE,

AND THIS IS WHERE HE'D CHAIN HER.

MY NAME IS MARIA AWES.

I'M A FILMMAKER AND INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST.

I GET TO KNOW TODD AND THOSE CONNECTED TO HIS CASE.

IT WAS JUST A HEINOUS NIGHTMARE.

YOU DON'T KNOW WHERE TO TURN.

WHAT KIND OF A PERSON DOES THIS?

A SICK INDIVIDUAL. EVIL, DEFINITELY EVIL.

Awes: EVERYONE WONDERS IF THERE ARE MORE VICTIMS OUT THERE.

HE TELLS ME THERE ARE.

ARE YOU SAYING THAT'S IT MORE THAN SEVEN?

SO I START A DARK JOURNEY

THAT I HOPE WILL LEAD ME TO THE TRUTH.

THIS JUST MAKES ME SICK TO MY STOMACH.

I GOT TO GET OUT OF HERE.

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

ON NOVEMBER 3rd, 2016,

A YOUNG WOMAN IS RESCUED

FROM A SHIPPING CONTAINER IN SOUTH CAROLINA.

THE STORY SOON GOES NATIONWIDE.

A HORRIFYING DISCOVERY IN SOUTH CAROLINA.

Reporter: INVESTIGATORS SWARM THE SPRAWLING COMPOUND IN...

KALA BROWN, MISSING FOR TWO MONTHS

IN RURAL SPARTANBURG COUNTY, SOUTH CAROLINA,

IS FOUND ALIVE AFTER 65 DAYS OF CAPTIVITY.

IT WAS PRETTY EMOTIONAL,

TO SAY THE LEAST, WHEN SHE WAS FOUND,

ESPECIALLY, YOU KNOW, WHEN SHE WAS CHAINED LIKE A DOG.

SHE HAD A CHAIN AROUND HER NECK.

FROM DAY ONE, YOU REALIZE, "OKAY, THIS IS A BIG DEAL."

SHE WAS, "CHAINED UP LIKE A DOG."

THAT'S KIND OF A REALLY RARE QUOTE TO GET FROM A SHERIFF.

Awes: IT'S THE BIGGEST STORY IN YEARS FOR THIS PART OF SOUTH CAROLINA,

AND IT ESCALATES IN A HEARTBEAT WHEN KALA TELLS HER RESCUERS

THAT THE MAN WHO HELD HER HOSTAGE, TODD KOHLHEPP,

HAS KILLED HER BOYFRIEND, CHARLIE CARVER.

Officer: YES.

Awes: CHARLIE CARVER'S GRAVE IS DISCOVERED ONE DAY LATER

ON TODD'S PROPERTY.

THE STORY PIQUES MY INTEREST RIGHT FROM THE BEGINNING,

BUT MY DIRECT INVOLVEMENT COMES ABOUT

BECAUSE SOMEONE AT MY PRODUCTION COMPANY

HAS A COUSIN WHO ACTUALLY WORKED WITH TODD KOHLHEPP,

THE MAN WHO HAD KEPT KALA BROWN IN A SHIPPING CONTAINER

AND WHO, IT WOULD TURN OUT,

HAD MURDERED AT LEAST SEVEN PEOPLE.

THROUGH THAT CONNECTION, I WOULD GAIN ACCESS

TO TODD KOHLHEPP AND HIS STRANGE STORY.

WHEN LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT RESCUES KALA,

ALL MOST PEOPLE KNOW IS THAT

THE MYSTERY OF HER AND CHARLIE CARVER'S DISAPPEARANCE

HAS FINALLY BEEN SOLVED.

TWO MONTHS EARLIER, OFFICERS HAD GONE

TO KALA AND CHARLIE'S PLACE IN ANDERSON.

THEY FOUND A MESSY APARTMENT AND KALA'S LITTLE DOG,

NO CLUES SUGGESTING WHAT HAD HAPPENED TO THEM.

I STARTED COVERING THE DISAPPEARANCE

OF KALA BROWN AND CHARLIE CARVER

ABOUT TWO WEEKS AFTER THEY WENT MISSING.

AT THAT TIME, NO ONE KNEW WHO TODD KOHLHEPP WAS.

Awes: THE 45-YEAR-OLD MAN IS BEST KNOWN IN THE SPARTANBURG AREA

FOR BEING AN ACCOMPLISHED REAL-ESTATE BROKER

AND IS NEVER CONSIDERED A SUSPECT

WHEN CHARLIE AND KALA FIRST DISAPPEAR.

Gross: FOR TWO MONTHS, THEY WERE MISSING,

AND, YOU KNOW, THERE WERE STORIES ABOUT THEM.

FRIENDS HAD POSTED FLYERS, YOU KNOW,

"HAVE YOU SEEN HER? HELP FIND HER."

Awes: USING SOCIAL MEDIA AND CELLPHONE DATA,

INVESTIGATORS EVENTUALLY TRACK KALA AND CHARLIE

TO TODD KOHLHEPP'S PROPERTY.

TODD HAD HIRED THEM TO CLEAR BRUSH ON HIS LAND.

DETECTIVE TOM CLARK, FORMERLY AN INVESTIGATOR

WITH THE SPARTANBURG COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE,

IS ONE OF THE FIRST PEOPLE I MEET

WHEN I TRAVEL TO SPARTANBURG COUNTY TO COVER THE CASE.

ON NOVEMBER 3rd, 2016,

CLARK IS BROUGHT IN TO ASSIST

IN SERVING A WARRANT ON TODD AT HIS HOUSE

WHILE OTHER INVESTIGATORS SEARCH HIS WOODED PROPERTY.

WHAT WERE YOU TOLD ABOUT THEM INITIALLY?

ALL I WAS TOLD INITIALLY WAS THAT

KALA'S CELLPHONE HAD ACTIVITY ON THE PROPERTY

THAT WAS OWNED BY TODD IN WOODRUFF

THE DAY THAT SHE DISAPPEARED.

Awes: ALL OF THE FOOTAGE YOU WILL SEE

PLAYS OUT ON AN OFFICER'S BODY CAMERA

WHEN LOCAL AUTHORITIES GO TO TODD'S HOUSE TO INVESTIGATE.

NO ONE, LEAST OF ALL TOM CLARK,

HAS ANY IDEA THAT HE IS ABOUT TO ENCOUNTER A SERIAL KILLER.

[ INDISTINCT CHATTER OVER POLICE RADIO ]

AS YOU'RE WATCHING THIS, YOU CAN EASILY IMAGINE

TODD TRYING TO WORK OUT A PLAUSIBLE STORY.

TODD SAYS KALA BROWN AND HER BOYFRIEND

HAD COME OUT TO DO SOME WORK ON HIS LAND THEN LEFT.

HE HAD SAID SHE LEFT

SHORTLY AFTER ARRIVING AT HIS PROPERTY,

AND HER PHONE PUT HER ON THE PROPERTY

MUCH LATER THAN THAT.

AFTER A PERIOD OF TIME INVESTIGATOR GADDY,

WHO WAS MY PARTNER AT THE TIME...

OKAY.

...HIS PHONE WAS JUST GOING CRAZY.

HE STEPS OUTSIDE.

HE COMES BACK IN, AND HE TELLS ME,

"YOU NEED TO CALL SERGEANT LETTERMAN RIGHT NOW,"

AND SERGEANT LETTERMAN THEN INFORMS ME

THAT THEY HAD FOUND KALA BROWN AND THAT SHE WAS ALIVE

AND THAT SHE WAS ON THE PROPERTY.

WHEN YOU HEARD THEM SAY THAT THEY'D FOUND KALA,

WHAT WENT THROUGH YOUR MIND?

SHOCK.

WHEN I WAS TOLD WHERE THEY HAD FOUND HER

AND HOW SHE WAS FOUND --

SHOCK.

THE WEIGHT OF THE SITUATION,

THE GRAVITY OF THE SITUATION WAS STARTING TO TAKE EFFECT.

Awes: IT TURNS OUT KALA BROWN'S RESCUE

IS JUST THE BEGINNING OF A BIGGER STORY.

ONCE UNCHAINED, SHE HAS MORE TO SAY.

IT WASN'T JUST CHARLIE CARVER.

TODD HAS KILLED MORE PEOPLE,

A LOT MORE PEOPLE.

AND TODD'S LIST OF KILLS DOESN'T END THERE.

RIGHT?

OKAY?

AND AT THAT POINT, HE WAS TRANSPORTED

TO THE DETENTION CENTER WHEN HE ASKED FOR A LAWYER.

Awes: AUTHORITIES IMMEDIATELY START SEARCHING FOR THE OTHER VICTIMS

TODD TOLD KALA ABOUT,

BUT IT WON'T BE UNTIL

TODD IS SITTING IN THE INTERROGATION ROOM

THAT WE LEARN WHO THEY ARE --

JOHNNY AND MEAGAN COXIE,

ANOTHER LOCAL COUPLE MISSING FOR OVER A YEAR,

ANOTHER COUPLE TODD HIRED TO DO WORK FOR HIM,

THIS TIME CLEANING RENTAL PROPERTIES.

SO NOW, AUTHORITIES KNOW THAT TODD,

BESIDES SEXUALLY ASSAULTING

AND IMPRISONING KALA FOR 65 DAYS,

HAS MOST LIKELY KILLED THREE PEOPLE.

Kohlhepp: MM-HMM.

Awes: TODD'S RESPONSE IS REVEALING.

BUT HIS LAND, THE 95-ACRE PROPERTY TODD OWNS,

HAS, IN FACT, BECOME JUST THAT --

THE KILLING FIELD.

HOW DID THE KILLING BEGIN?

AFTER HIRING THE COXIES TO DO MAINTENANCE WORK

IN DECEMBER OF 2015,

TODD CLAIMS JOHNNY COXIE PULLS A KNIFE ON HIM,

SO HE SHOOTS HIM...

...AND AFTER KEEPING MEAGAN CAPTIVE IN THE SAME CONTAINER

HE'D LATER USE TO HOUSE KALA,

HE SHOOTS HER, TOO.

HOW EVERYTHING DEVELOPED --

IT WAS LIKE A ROLLER COASTER.

I REALIZED HOW BIG IT WAS WHEN I CAME BACK OUT TO THE PROPERTY,

AND THAT WHOLE FRONT FENCE

WAS NOTHING BUT VANS AND CNN AND NBC, ABC,

AND I'M GETTING PHONE CALLS FROM NBC NEW YORK

AND PEOPLE WANTING TO TALK, WANTING TO INTERVIEW.

IT WAS OVERWHELMING, TO SAY THE LEAST.

I KNEW HE HAD A PAST.

I NEVER IMAGINED THAT WE WERE FIXING

TO STEP INTO THE HORNET'S NEST THAT WE DID.

Awes: SPARTANBURG COUNTY, TODD KOHLHEPP'S KILLING GROUND,

IS MADE UP OF 13 CITIES AND TOWNS,

MANY RURAL AND REMOTE LIKE WOODRUFF,

WHERE TODD OWNED HIS WOODED LAND.

Gross: WOODRUFF IS EVEN MORE SO, INTO THAT SMALL-TOWN ATMOSPHERE,

SO WHEN THIS HAPPENED,

PARTICULARLY IN THAT AREA OF WOODRUFF,

I MEAN, THIS WAS SOMETHING THAT REALLY CHANGED

THE ENTIRE MAKEUP OF THE TOWN, YOU KNOW?

I MEAN, I DON'T THINK IT'LL EVER BE THE SAME AWAY AGAIN.

THIS IS THE TYPE OF STORY

THAT YOU ONLY THINK ABOUT MAYBE COVERING ONE DAY.

YOU REALIZE THAT THIS IS GOING TO BE KIND OF YOUR LIFE

FOR THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE.

THIS WILL BE YOUR LIFELONG CASE.

Awes: THERE'S NO QUESTION THE TOWN OF SPARTANBURG

IS AFFECTED BY TODD'S CRIMES.

WALKING THROUGH THE CITY, I CAN'T FIND ANYONE

WHO DOESN'T KNOW WHO TODD KOHLHEPP IS,

AND WHILE PEOPLE ARE SURPRISED THAT A LOCAL REALTOR

GOT AWAY WITH THE CRIMES IN WOODRUFF FOR SO LONG,