Authorities have charged registered sex offender Todd Kohlhepp with four counts of murder, with possibly more to come, after the 45-year-old South Carolina resident confessed to killing four people at a motorcycle shop in 2003. The case went unsolved until Spartanburg County police discovered Kala Brown, who went missing two months ago with her boyfriend Charlie Carver, “chained up like a dog” in a locked metal container on property belonging to Kohlhepp, who’s also been charged with kidnapping. Carver remains missing, although Brown “told investigators she saw the suspect shoot and kill” him, according to CBS News. Kohlhepp has been denied bond.
As part of their investigation, the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office is looking into Amazon reviews that may have been written by Kohlhepp, who Sheriff Chuck Wright called a potential “serial killer,” from 2014-2016, including days before Brown and Carver went missing. Greenville Online reports that the user — who went as “me” with a “wish list linked” to Kohlhepp — “posted reviews for padlocks, tactical gear, targets, knives, and gun accessories.”
In one review about a padlock, the Amazon user wrote, “solid locks.. have 5 on a shipping container.. wont stop them.. but sure will slow them down til they are too old to care. (sic)”
On a review of a knife posted on Sept. 13, 2014, he said, “havnet (sic) stabbed anyone yet…… yet…. but I am keeping the dream alive and when I do, it will be with a quality tool like this…”
For a shovel with a folding handle, the user posted a review suggesting, “keep in car for when you have to hide the bodies and you left the full size shovel at home…. does not come with a midget, which would have been nice.” (Via)
The most chilling review is from Jan. 2015, when the user wrote, “now my locks have locks… place is hotel california now..” The last line of the Eagles’ hit song: “You can checkout any time you like/But you can never leave.”
(Via CBS News and Greenville Online)