Todd Kohlhepp - Profile of a Killer?

[CD82]

I just went back and read my initial post on this thread, and it's kind of interesting to me, that I still think attention was his primary motivator, but the overall tone of his need has changed some for me.

Now that we have heard from mama, I can't help but wonder if she was so self involved that he received little to no attention on a day to day basis. The good things received no praise, no mention, but he learned quickly that the BAD things would receive attention. Not the type of attention you or I would think would be desirable, but negative attention is better than no attention, right?

There are little tidbits sprinkled throughout his juvenile docs that suggest to me that he did not relish being the person that he is. He's impulsive and overly sensitive and has a hair trigger, but he doesn't like that about himself.

Since he's been out of prison, he seems to be an overacheiver, and I think those tendencies have leaked into his criminal life.
I think he wanted to be caught. He went out of his way to create this list of very unsettlling Amazon reviews. They are created in these big bursts, loads of them on one day. He did the same on Charlies page. It seems to me as if he set time aside to create this online record for future reference, once he was caught. To give people something to pore over and dissect and discuss.

He seems to favor a relatively quick kill. And while I am NOT IN ANY WAY suggesting that KB's captivity was Ok, or was not incredibly traumatic, I am almost expecting to find that given the situation, that he treated her pretty well.
He fed her, he took her for walks, and I suspect she was given a bed to sleep in.

I think he has two layers of motivation in his killings.
The one he will present, which I am sure in his mind is perfectly valid - they laughed at me, the talked smart to me, they abused drugs, what have you. I honestly think that KB was his girlfriend, in his own twisted mind.

But his primary motivation is simply to BE A SERIAL KILLER. His kills are relatively 'clean' because he isn't driven to kill for the pleasure of it, he does it methodically to make his mark in the world.
He will be studied, LE will come to him for information. He will be all over the news. Those WS'ers will be going over every move he has ever made.
All eyes on TK, criminal mastermind.
No more laughing at his expense.

Truly, the sky is the limit for his potential murders. Every empty house he had a key to could be a crime scene. If he had access to a plane at any point in time there is another whole world of missing people that he could be responsible for.
I suspect he will slowly leak this information to LE over time, to keep eyes on him.

This is where I am with him - for today. All ideas are subject to change as more information becomes available.

Great post! I became a WS member because of Luka Magnotta, and he was also very attention-driven/seeking. He had THOUSANDS of YouTube profiles, and went on the deep web to talk about his crime before it was even committed. Sometimes the stuff I read about TK reminds me of him in a way. For Magnotta, he figured that ANY infamy (is that a word?) was better than none at all. Sounds like TK is the same in that aspect.

 

[Betty P]

It seems he's motivated by more than gaining attention, though. That's part of the personality of sociopathic killers, especially serial ones.

There also seems to be a strong sexual motivation. As the People magazine story pointed out, he likely has a very active deviant sexual fantasy life from a very early age. Over time, those fantasies escalate and eventually the killer decides to act on them. Like BTK, TK had enough skills to plan carefully and avoid detection. They control the who, what, when, where and easily meld back into their daily routine without creating suspicion.

In addition, TK was very adept with social skills, able to stay active socially, maintain friendships, etc. He wasn't the typical loner who kept to himself, at least not as an adult.

 

[Kadoober]

Oh I'm sure there is much more to it, Betty. The attention stuff just smacks me in the face over and over.

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[Jammyjo2000]

Not sure this is the place to post this. Of it has been posted already I've missed it.

http://www.greenvilleonline.com/sto...used-sc-serial-killer-todd-kohlhepp/94067900/

 

[eeyorelrn]

<snipped by me>

Now that we have heard from mama, I can't help but wonder if she was so self involved that he received little to no attention on a day to day basis. The good things received no praise, no mention, but he learned quickly that the BAD things would receive attention. Not the type of attention you or I would think would be desirable, but negative attention is better than no attention, right?

.

Every time I read what his mother has to say I think the same thing as you!

I also think she needs a good old swift kick in the pants to jar her mind too, but I digress.... Plus, I doubt it would work anyways...

 

[eeyorelrn]

CD82,

Completely off topic, but... DANGER MOUSE!!!!!!!

Brings back my kiddie hood!

 

[borndem]

It seems he's motivated by more than gaining attention, though. That's part of the personality of sociopathic killers, especially serial ones.

There also seems to be a strong sexual motivation. As the People magazine story pointed out, he likely has a very active deviant sexual fantasy life from a very early age. Over time, those fantasies escalate and eventually the killer decides to act on them. Like BTK, TK had enough skills to plan carefully and avoid detection. They control the who, what, when, where and easily meld back into their daily routine without creating suspicion.

In addition, TK was very adept with social skills, able to stay active socially, maintain friendships, etc. He wasn't the typical loner who kept to himself, at least not as an adult.

Good post -- the idea of planning and avoiding detection, being sociable, etc., and killing due to his rage against his mother's perceived treatment of him, remind me in a big way of Ted Bundy, another narcissistic sociopath. Is that what we have here?

 

[CD82]

CD82,

Completely off topic, but... DANGER MOUSE!!!!!!!

Brings back my kiddie hood!

My fav!!


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[b_lab7410]

From page 5, TK received what amounts to about 5 months of counseling (not consecutive), speculating but likely once a week and was not taking any medications (other than for asthma as needed) by age 15. IMO, very inadequate given his violent behaviors from such an early age. In pleading that a 15 year sentence is "unjust", TK's mother states, "I am also a court reporter and have seen a lot. Never have I seen this happen to a 15 year-old-child and not even any help offered. They don't stop to think that he even walked the girl home. Does that sound like a dangerous criminal? He even walked the girl home." BBM Such chivalry, TK holds a gun to the 14 year old's head before raping her at knifepoint. Incredible. I apologize if already shared, just in disbelief and had to get it out.

https://htv-prod-media.s3.amazonaws.com/files/1987-presentence-investigation-report-1478284242.pdf

Right, I was so livid when I read that. I see, how nice of him to not murder the girl after he raped her. See? He's not that bad. It shows you how kooky his mother is.

I apologize if I am responding to this post so late into this thread... retroactive reading.

 

[b_lab7410]

The thing is we only have his word that that's what even happened. He killed every witness so he has can make up what the hell he wants now.It could well be that TK just came up with a reason he thought would resonate with his mother in an attempt to justify his actions to her.I don't buy it.

I don't believe they bullied him, but I believe he perceived some slight and exaggerated it when they paid him less mind than he'd have cared for. Everyone owes him something. He is borderline exhibiting high anti-social behavior. Borderlines are paranoid too - they can not stomach a tarnished 'reputation'/self-identity? (think Jodi Arias). Many of them become stalkers, deluded and identify themselves as wronged/aggrieved parties with intricate involvement in these victims personal lives. Granted the stalking aggravates into breach of private property often times and indicate far greater danger such as 'psychopathic' nature. All reject an individual's boundaries and elevate their victim's power over their own psyche. "She rejected me, she seems like the type to reject me."

 

[b_lab7410]

When he was at his bio dads, it sounds like he was left alone often. I suspect it was because mom wouldn't take him back and dad didn't know how to deal with him.
Per the juvenile reports, his dad was just out of town with one of his '30' (per TK) girlfriends.
Per mom, now, it was an emergency.
I am expecting a lot of excuses to come from mom, and perhaps bio dad, to gloss over TK's less than ideal childhood.

The thing I kept saying to myself was, "they didn't know how to deal with him" translates as "they didn't want to even deal with him, period - regardless of whether or not he was 'challenged.' I'd think one would have to organize a way to have their child aide in communicating with you. Children are inherently 'needy.' They'll throw a fit. Regina sounds as if she expected to have him figure things out for himself. She can't be totally deluded. Even back then, there were 'unruly' children. More hysteria and institutionalizations, so it's not as if these types of children (and adults) were a societal secret. I wonder if she chalked up normal behavior as 'unlovable' because she's somehow incapable or short on love (due to work, other priorities, or lack of maternal bonding). They do not raise themselves, all children require work. The stepfather is also missing in this picture, I wonder if he possibly egged on adverse child behavior? To separate the mother's attention on son. You never know.

 

[b_lab7410]

interview with Kohlhepp's mother (Regina Tague):

http://wspa.com/2016/11/10/todd-kohlhepps-mother-speaks-about-her-son-and-his-motives/

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=OiQ92Giqr9s

http://www.greenvilleonline.com/story/news/2016/11/11/mom-explains-kohlhepps-crimes/93637888/
Regina Tague, a Moore resident, described her son&#8217;s apparent motives &#8211; as she says he relayed to her after his arrest last week &#8211; during an interview to be broadcast in part during &#8220;48 Hours&#8221; on Saturday night.

Sounds like she's preparing herself for the probability of the death penalty? I'm sure she can believe it, that's he's a bad person. Having him be held responsible somehow leaves her feeling she is to blame. IMO, she deserve zero right to restate the woman's boyfriend 'had a smart mouth.' Disgusting, the man was probably watching out for his girlfriend as he suspected she was the target of something insidious. They laughed at him - the bike murders? Ugh, Todd will be on trial here, I hope his mother is scarce during the trial, seriously.

 

[b_lab7410]

Yeah I pray for the little boy often and wonder how and where he is.
I have a feeling she ran with him to get away from child services honestly. She was one of those that went to college to get the extra money. Never finished any degree. So her daycare was free (yet I had to pay 80 dollars a week......).
But let me tell you I still run into some of the day care workers from time to time and we get a good laugh NOW (not then of course) at how I just lost it on that woman. You know I had even brought him a bag of my own sons clothes so he could wear clean clothes and have clean diapers at daycare. I felt so sorry for him. She deserved my wrath I promise lol. Too bad I didn't get to her! I did hear though that someone had turned her in for keeping him locked in a walk in closet when she wasn't home. But that was word of mouth. So these things do happen out there all the time and these little kids have no hope if they don't get help quick and get out of those environments. I can bet you he learned that bullying at home. Because it was probably happening to him every day. She wouldn't tell me how his legs got broke but he sat there in her lap in class with full casts on both legs and I was CRYING for him. He kept saying he was hurting and she told him to hush. BROKE my heart! I would have took him home in a hot second if I could have.
So your daughter didn't nibble on him again I take it? :crazy:
I'm shocked they never ended up dating!!! That would have been funny!
"Yeah I met her when she bit me and I was in love ever since... " lol!

:rolling:

 

[b_lab7410]

BBM Highly debatable by all current research. Most papers suggest that sociopaths and psychopaths can love both romantically and familial but not in a normal sense. Mostly, it's a dependent relationship based on manipulation and what they can obtain from the relationship... which, given the way his mother is speaking about him and his acts, seems to be pretty accurate. He's definitely been working the manipulation out on her...

I don't think I suggested that love was his motivation. In fact, I was trying to imply that hate is his motivation. He hates his mother's (possible) drug use. Its possible that he even hates his mother, although I think he also can't untangle love from hate when it comes to his mother...

JMO

IMO, when dependency is involved, it's not love. it's possession, control, etc. Psychopaths can feel, but they feel for themselves. That part of their brain can activate for mere seconds, and once the stimuli has all but disappeared, they are in their normal state. Is that love or euphoria? Predators get joy out of predation, period.

 

[b_lab7410]

I'm replying to my own post, here is a link for an example of what some diagnosed and undiagnosed psychopaths/sociopaths say about this topic. What is love? A fleeting feeling? Or a durable feeling? By definition sociopaths can not feel. And since psychopaths are an even grander anti social personality, I personally find it'd be dangerous for psychologists to claim love is remotely possible. IMO, they'd be severely limiting the scope of love (or oxytocin/bonding chemicals) in these cases. JMO.. I wouldn't want to tell a borderline to pursue a sociopath because he/she can remotely 'love.' They have no need for attachments, they are 'attracted' to their 'objects,' fascinated, possessive, and calculating towards dysfunctional prey, bored by 'normals,' etc etc.

https://www.quora.com/Can-psychopaths-and-sociopaths-fall-in-love

 

[Sensitive_Mindz69]

Who knows for sure how long he has been killing...has he traveled to any of these other states where bodies have been found...does he have other dumping grounds? I think police will find more, possibly at a much more later date!

All statements are my opinion ONLY!

 

[Hatfield]

Who knows for sure how long he has been killing...has he traveled to any of these other states where bodies have been found...does he have other dumping grounds? I think police will find more, possibly at a much more later date!

All statements are my opinion ONLY!

Welcome to WS as I see your post count is this is first one so welcome to WS and thanks for joining the discussions.

:welcome4:


JMO
I agree that there probably are other victims buried somewhere from past times.

At first I thought there would be many more victims. Now I think there will be some although I am beginning to think the number of other victims wont be as large as I first thought. He seemed to do things in waves and I kind of wonder that there were time gaps between his killings.

Like he may have gone through rageful episodes and then maybe settled down for a time.

So IMO only I am thinking LE will end up finding some other victims and maybe in other states even but thinking the number will be perhaps in the single digits.

LE has a lot of work ahead of them to carefully check out all the places he lived and had access to. Any location where he would frequent the area should be checked for possible buriel sites.

I think the problem though is LE wont just go digging or looking everywhere. Based on what we saw from them even on this current property it seems they dont start digging unless they know a certain spot is likely to have a body. So unfortunately I think they will need to see some evidence somehow that a particular place is likely to have a victim before they will go there to check. Not sure how they can get that sort of information unless he readily admits to more places.

We saw him lie to LE already in this case and only told of the other SB victims after he felt he was getting something in return. If he has felt that LE swindled him then he may not ever tell anymore about anything which makes LE job difficult now.

All neighbors from all his other places he ever lived need to think back of any suspicious movements and tell LE if they suspect any spots that should be checked.

 

[Talullah]

Years ago an FBI agent showed up at my apartment to interview me about a former neighbor (a guy). The agent said the guy applied for a job and that he was conducting a background check. I said I didn't even know the guy's name because he was unfriendly. The agent said anything would help so I told him he had one friend and bought several gallons of milk a week-odd for a single guy. I paid attention because something was off with the guy. I remembered things about a guy I never talked to years after he moved so I'm sure TK's neighbors could offer lots of information. i doubt the FBI sent an agent over 600 miles to do a background check on an applicant-not that I think the guy was a killer- but it gives me hope that TK's former neighbors are being interviewed. I'd really love to hear from any woman involved in a consensual relationship with TK.

 

[thescreaming]

This is exactly what happens when you apply for a job that involves a security clearance, although the FBI agents wouldn't travel 600 miles to interview people because they would send someone from the nearest field office, which in most cases would be within driving distance.

Years ago an FBI agent showed up at my apartment to interview me about a former neighbor (a guy). The agent said the guy applied for a job and that he was conducting a background check. I said I didn't even know the guy's name because he was unfriendly. The agent said anything would help so I told him he had one friend and bought several gallons of milk a week-odd for a single guy. I paid attention because something was off with the guy. I remembered things about a guy I never talked to years after he moved so I'm sure TK's neighbors could offer lots of information. i doubt the FBI sent an agent over 600 miles to do a background check on an applicant-not that I think the guy was a killer- but it gives me hope that TK's former neighbors are being interviewed. I'd really love to hear from any woman involved in a consensual relationship with TK.

This\

 

[sweetchristmas]

Isn't it unusual for someone to be a mass murderer AND a serial killer? Not impossible but pretty rare as the behaviors and motivations (usually) differ quite significantly. I'm skeptical about TK's confession but I'm admittedly not an expert.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/wicked-deeds/201502/how-mass-murder-and-serial-murder-differ

http://staff.lib.msu.edu/harris23/crimjust/serial.htm