"They were controlling everything. In March, Karl Karlsen, 60, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murder of his first wife Christina Karlsen in a 1991 house fire in California. Following the fire, Carl was paid $ 215,000 by insurance policy and moved the family across the country to New York. 'At the time, I was six years old. When they returned home, Cindy placed a frantic call to 911 reporting that the truck had fallen on her stepson and crushed his chest. Now, her son is gone, two young kids grow up without their dad because of one person, Colette Bousson said. Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement updated 7/1/2022). The deaths of Christina and Levi Carlson were initially thought to be accidents, but eventually information emerged that they had been deliberately killed by their husband and father, Carl Carlson. Karl Karlsen's first wife, Christina died Jan. 1, 1991, in a house fire in California. "We knew what he had done to our mother, and I knew what he did to my brother," Erin said at the time. t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window, When Levi Karlsen died in what was initially deemed an accident in 2008, leaving behind a wife and two daughters, his father cashed in on his $700,000 life insurance policy. Karlsen left California with his three children two weeks later and used the $200,000 life insurance money to buy a home in New York. It was pretty much like an old miners shack, Alexander said. She told the story of taking her sister to go get glamour shots done, and when they returned to Christinas home, she was immediately told to take off her makeup. "If I was in it for the money," Karlsen said in 2012, "I could have just walked away and let my kids die. Thanks to a boarded up window, Christina was stuck in the bathroom and unable to get out when their California home was engulfed in flames on January 1, 1991. "NOOOOO!" Homer said sadly. But that conclusion eventually proved to be false. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! Some investigators always suspected Karlsen set that fire, but his second wife, Cindy Karlsen, said had. ABCs 20/20 will be airing a special including interviews with Karlsens daughters tonight, Friday, June 5, 2020.used. I didn't understand that my mother was behind that wall dying," Erin said. A woman (probably Carl's wife) told him that Carl's plane crashed and he was dead. Karl Karlsen, 54, who is currently serving . DeRoche and Reynolds speak out in the previews for tonights ABC News 20/20. Karl Karlsen was convicted of murdering both his wife, Christina Karlsen, and his son, Levi Karlsen, 17 years apart for insurance money. Her husband, Karl Karlsen, collected a $200,000 insurance payout at the time. Christina Karlsen was 30 when she died. Karl Karlsen and Christina Karlsen and their three children in Calaveras County, California. Not long before the blaze, DeRoche, who was just 6years old, remembered her father taking the familys Christmas tree out onto the gravel driveway and lighting it on fire in front of his three children because he wanted us to see how quick a house could burn, she said. And now his haunted family is ready to share their story with American Greed. GTN News, The President and Vice President of the USA enjoyed the hamburger Yook declined to comment on the case when reached by ABC News today. The jug had been accidentally spilled onto the hallway carpet by a cat and dog, he told investigators. In 2013, he plead guilty to second-degree murder. "Maybe he'd still be here for his girls.". Investigators in California found the amount of coincidences that led to the fatal fire to be incredible, as one told the Post-Standard in 2012, but once Karlsen left town, the investigation ended. He just stood there.. Unlike his case in New York state, if convicted in this new case in California, Karlsen could face the death penalty. I had to second-guess my entire life, Reynolds said of the murder trial for her mother. Police began an investigation and in 2013, that investigation led to Karlsen pleading guilty to second-degree murder in Levis 2008 death. Karl's children long suspected Karlsen was responsible for their mother's death. Seneca County Sheriffs Office eventually carried out a sting operation collecting enough evidence to try and convict Karl Karlsen of both murders, sending him in prison. "It was never a question for me," Erin said. On New Years Day in 1991, Christina Karlsen, a young mother of three died, after the familys home was engulfed in flames. 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World's tallest penthouse has stunning New York City views - but $250M seven-bed, nine-bathroom property also suffers from wind-whipped terrace and high-pitched interior whistling noise, 'Hope the money was worth it': FOX World Cup segment branded 'gross' and 'embarrassing' by fans as hosts Alexi Lalas and Stu Holden don traditional Qatari clothing with influencer 'Mr. Before a packed courtroom at the Seneca County Courthouse, Karl Karlsen was sentenced in December to a 15 year to life sentence for the 2008 murder of his son Levi. First, Christina died in a house fire on New Year's Day in 1991. He just stood there.". Christina was still trapped inside. Karl, by then married to his second wife, found his son in the garage and told Cindy to call 911. The deaths of Christina and Levi Karlsen were initially deemed accidents, but eventually information emerged revealing their husband and father Karl Karlsen had killed them intentionally. Details about the case reveal a long saga of physical and mental abuse that ultimately resulted in an insurance scheme and two murders. It's scanned in at the bottom of the story. A father who killed his wife and son has been on the run for years - until police find out his shocking motive for killing his family. 2023 CNBC LLC. 3 On the way to the hospital, Karlsens sister-in-law, Jackie Karlsen, remembered, He said he couldnt believe how one person could have so much bad luck in his life, she said during testimony, the Union Democrat reported. Then in 2008, a pickup truck fell off a jack while Levy was working on it and crushed his body to death, which again turned out to be a tragic accident. A fire investigator wanted to speak to Karl about the fire, but the department lacked the money to send the investigator to New York and they eventually ruled it to be an accident. Authorities in California then opened an investigation into Christina Karlsen's death. Her death was officially listed as an accident, but her family members always suspected Karl Karlsen had killed her. Erin said. Investigators didnt buy Karls claim that the death had been an accident and arrested him for second-degree murder. Karl Karlsen has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murder of Christina Karlsen, though the death had initially been ruled an accident. The fire itself was the result of a series of incredible coincidental accidents, Karlsen would soon tell investigators. GTN News, Microsoft, the decision to cut 10 thousand jobs In 1991, Christina Karlsen was killed in a house fire. Just hours later, the 23-year-old man, a father of two, laid on his back underneath the truck to take a look. Great kid, Karls brother Michael Karlsen told producers. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? I found out it was actually a life policy on me, and I would be worth $1.2 million dead to Karl, she testified in a court hearing, the Post-Standard reported in 2013. document,'script','https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/fbevents.js'); The principal cast consists of Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith, Hank Azaria and Harry Shearer. She was an amazing young lady. News never stops. Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your California Privacy Rights (User Agreement updated 1/1/21. Bousson suggested Christina leave Karl, but Christina wanted her children to grow up with both parents in the home. With Christina gone, his children say Karl took out most of his anger on them. He ultimately confessed and was soon charged with depraved-indifference murder in the second degree. GTN News, The minarets of the Ahmadi communitys place of worship in Karachi were demolished Cindy brought her concerns to police, saying she feared Levis death was not just another accident. Karlsen was charged with first-degree murder today in California for the 1991 death of his first wife. View our online Press Pack. The coincidences started getting to her. Submitted photo. Karlsen said in a jailhouse interview with Syracuse.com in 2012 that he did not kill Christina. 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. His fists, pipes, shovels, pitch forks, belts, electric cattle prods Erin DeRoche, one of Karl and Christinas other three children, told the television series. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. As they got older, Erin said she and Levi started to wonder if their father had been responsible for their mother's death. He then moved to New York. The caller told Undersheriff John Cleere that Cindy believed her estranged husband had killed his son. The accommodations may have been rustic, but Christina found a way to make the wooded setting magical for the couples three children during long days home alone on the property. Karl Karlsen's wife dies in fire. Pamela Hayden "This is terrible!" Mrs. 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. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. The couple met while Karl was a cadet in the Air Force stationed in North Dakota. Karl Karlsen claimed he heard his wife. ", ABC's Lauren Effron contributed to this report. In court, he said that he knowingly didnt attempt to save Levi even when he knew that his son was still alive under the truck. Some investigators with the California Department of Forestry kept files on Karlsen, hoping the case would someday be re-opened. His children have been left to deal with the agonizing realization that their father was a cold-blooded killer. Karl Karlsen collected $200,000 of life insurance after his first wife Christina died in a house fire on in California, New Year's Day 1991 after being trapped in the bathroom with a boarded-up . CARL CARLSON OBITUARY Carl H. Carlson, 89 PORTLAND -- Carl H. Carlson, 89, of Bridgton, died Sunday, Oct. 25, 2009, at Maine Medical Center. He is a person who can kill without emotion. Her husband, Karl Karlsen, collected a $200,000 insurance payout at the time. DeRoche, in the interview, says she has no doubts her father was responsible. Erin said. 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. Years later, her son Levi died in what appeared to be a freak accident. Thats just, thats ludicrous, thats obscene, Rood said of the chilling discovery. Carla Marie Carlson. Karl Karlsen and his three children, Levi, Erin and Katie, escaped the home. On New Year's Day in 1991, Christina, who was 30 at the time, died trapped in the bathroom of the couple's home in Murphys, California, after spilled kerosene and a faulty electric light ignited a fire. Coverage of the latest true crime stories and famous cases explained, as well as the best TV shows, movies and podcasts in the genre. The information eventually revealed that the husband and father, Carl Carlson, had murdered their family members and had accumulated heavy insurance policies after their deaths. Christina Karlsenwho had been taking a bathgot trapped in the bathroom of the home and died in the blaze, leaving behind her husband Karl and three small children, who had all managed to safely escape the flames. But it wasn't until another death in the family 17 years later that police started to look into her husband, Karl Karlsen, as a suspect. Cleere questioned Karl Karlsen about a fire that killed his first wife, Christina Karlsen, 17 years before Levi Karlsen's death, the article said. The Sun website is regulated by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. "You know, that's not how people are supposed to act when someone they love is trapped and literally burning in front of them," Erin said. Retracing the tragic deaths of Christina Karlsen and Levi Karlsen, this chapter proves that actions will have consequences even if it takes a while for investigators to resolve the matters that initially just seem to be shrouded in mystery and bad luck. She learned he had invested some of it into a life insurance policy on her own life and that, again, he named himself as the sole beneficiary, according to Seneca County court documents. #ABC2020 is new tonight at 9/8c. Levi would get beat with anything that my father had within reach. A week after the fire, Karl Karlsen and his three children left California for upstate New York to be near his family, and he eventually remarried. 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. "At the time, I was six years old. Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! fbq('track', "PageView"); Inside the shocking murder of Carl Carlson's wife Christina and son Levy, Christina Carlson dies in tragic house fire, during which she fails to escape from her bathroom. 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. Although, his other occupations over the years were similarly unusual. I told him I knew he killed my mother and brother, she testified, according to the Union Democrat. 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. Once again, it Karl who received the $700,000 life insurance policy payout. 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