He said the couple had also taken out life insurance policies on their three children, ages 6, 5, and 4 at the time. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! GTN News, Microsoft, the decision to cut 10 thousand jobs She told him she had made up her mind about what he had done. She said that when she and Levi were around 11 or 12, they discussed the possibility that their father was lying about their mothers death. ", Christina Karlsen, in an undated family photo. The woman, who was dating Carl Levy at the time of her death, eventually provided information to local New York authorities, which raised a number of questions to speed up the investigation. During the trial, Bousson testified that Karl Karlsen was controlling and possibly abusive toward his first wife. This article was published more than2 years ago. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? 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. That November, Karlsen went with Levi to take out a $700,000 life insurance police on Levis life, naming himself as the sole beneficiary. "NOOOOO!" Homer said sadly. Homer was watching football when an extremely loud knock at his door was heard, so loud I had to turn the volume down a little. 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. "I didn't understand that my mother was behind that wall dying," Erin told "20/20" at the time, adding that her father "didn't make an effort to save her. ', When the reporter presses Karlsen on whether he considers himself 'a victim of bad luck,' he offers a vague response, saying: 'If I told you everything, you wouldn't believe what's happened to me.'. End of story! He was apprehended for that soon after. "I started screaming," Christina's mother, Arlene Meltzer, told CNBC's "American Greed" of learning of her daughter's demise. GTN News, #HashimAmla runs the machine Hashim Amla says goodbye to cricket They havent caught me yet, theyre not going to.. Pamela Hayden, Tress MacNeille, Maggie Roswell, Chris Edgerly, Eric Lopez, Alex Dsert, Kevin Michael Richardson, Jenny Yokobori . Her husband and three children survived the fire, but Christinas death and the subsequent death of her son Levi revealed that they had both been killed. Lenny literally bursted into tears. Levi's death, like his mother's 17 years prior, was initially ruled an accident. His kids Erin, Kati, and Levi Karlsen suspected that he was behind their mothers death, but nothing was proven until last year. 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. Karl Karlsen's wife dies in fire. Karl Karlsen had just days before boarded up the only escape route, a small window. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. 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. And a member of the Karlsen family was slowly killing off those closest to him for financial gain.. On one occasion, a fire broke out in the familys warehouse, killing several horses, leading to another lucrative insurance claim for Carl. And one of Carlsons family members was slowly killing people close to him for financial gain.. Carl explained that he was going on a plane trip to Canada to see his folks. This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. It was propped up on a wobbly jack. I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt he did it. A jug of kerosene was in the hallway outside the bathroom, put there accidentally by Christina, who thought it was a jug of water, he claimed. Karl Karlsen's daughter Erin speaks exclusively with "20/20.". After a few minutes, his partner announced that he found Christina's body. NEW TONIGHT: The Sins of the Father | Dont miss the stunning new @DavidMuir 20/20 event special TONIGHT at 9|8c on ABC. In the future, Vedanta and Tata will bring a bigger project than Airbus in Maharashtra; Testimony of Uday Samant Marathi News | Xi Jinpings shadow looms large over India. As she got older, Deroche said she was able to process what happened and came to believe that her father didn't do enough to help save her mother. Karlsen told investigators in 1991 that his wife had gone to take a bath in the tiny bathroom on the afternoon of New Year's Day, and he later heard her screaming for help as the fire raged in the hallway just outside the bathroom. On New Years Day in 1991, the Karlsen family was enjoying a relaxing day at home when a fire broke out that quickly consumed their small, rural California home. Her death had initially been ruled an accident. An upstate New York man who has been convicted of killing his first wife in a house fire and crushing his son with a truck for insurance money has likened the deaths to other instances of 'bad luck' in his life, including losing a horse and having a barn burn down. In November of 2013, he pleaded guilty to second-degree murder for his sons death and received a sentence of 15 years to life. He is a person who can kill without emotion. Levi would get beat with anything that my father had within reach. GTN News, Terrorist attack on Pakistan-Iran border in Panjgur, 4 youth martyred "What if I had said something earlier?" ABCs 20/20: The Sins of the Father is an episode that profiles how a man almost got away with two different homicides 17 years apart by disguising them as simple accidents. We would go to downtown Murphys and go to the candy shop or the ice cream shop, oldest daughter Erin DeRoche recalled. And regrettably, this came to light only because of Levis shocking and disturbing death. Karlsen pleaded guilty last year to killing his and Christina's son, Levi, in 2008 by knocking a truck off a jack while Levi worked under it in Karlsen's Seneca County garage. Christina Karlsen was 30 when she died. — -- A New York man who is already in prison for murdering his son is now facing new murder charges in California for the death of his first wife. I didn't understand that my mother was behind that wall dying,' Deroche said. It was more pained and sad. After a family member gave police a tip about the large insurance policy, authorities opened an investigation into Levi's death in 2012. Eventually a possible motive surfaced, leading investigators to realize they had a murder on their hands. Calaveras County, Calif. -- Karl Karlsen, the Seneca County man who pleaded guilty in November to killing his son by dropping a truck onto his chest, could face the death penalty in California after being charged today with murdering his first wife there 23 years ago. Coverage of the latest true crime stories and famous cases explained, as well as the best TV shows, movies and podcasts in the genre. Cleere questioned Karl Karlsen about a fire that killed his first wife, Christina Karlsen, 17 years before Levi Karlsen's death, the article said. Investigators would later discover that both deaths had more sinister roots, the Oxygen article said. Karl's children long suspected Karlsen was responsible for their mother's death. speaking to the Post-Standard years later. Fearful that she might be next to die, she agreed to cooperate with the police by secretly recording her conversation with Karl, in which headmitted to removing his truck's front tires and raising it on a single jack before Levi volunteered to do the repairs. When my father was going to beat us, he would send us all to our rooms, right, so there really wouldnt be any witnesses, DeRoche said, adding that he was careful not to leave any overt marks that would be visible to others. 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. During the investigation, authorities would also uncover another disturbing aspect of the case. I started screaming, Christinas mother, Arlene Meltzer, told CNBC's American Greed of learning of her daughters demise. He wanted more than anything to just have a close relationship with our father.". CARL CARLSON OBITUARY Carl H. Carlson, 89 PORTLAND -- Carl H. Carlson, 89, of Bridgton, died Sunday, Oct. 25, 2009, at Maine Medical Center. The shocking details of the Carlson familys story are revealed in a new episode. Two years after Levi's death, Karl's second wife, Cindy Best, began to grow suspicious of her then-husband and hired a. Levi, a married father of two young daughters, died on November 20, 2008 in an apparent accident when he was just 23. For other inquiries, Contact Us. Now, Cindy had to ask the question: Could this really have been another coincidence? "Between the two of uswe knew, because he didn't try," Erin said. You name it, it was used as a weapon against my brother.. It was later determined that Christina couldn't escape through the bathroom window because Karlsen had boarded it up from the outside just days earlier because it was supposedly broken. 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. 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. Karlsen collected $200,000 of life insurance money on a policy he had bought just weeks before Christina died, huddled on the bathroom floor of the tiny house in the Sierra foothills, according to court records filed in Seneca County. Their home was enveloped in flames on New Years Day in 1991. His son, Levi, was crushed under his fathers truck while he was repairing it in November 2008. He grinned like a Cheshire cat and said, Its been 20 years. 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. It appeared at first to be another tragic accident, but investigators would later discover that both deaths had more sinister roots and a member of theKarlsen familywas slowly killing off those closest to him for financial gain. Deroche said she and her brother Levi were about 11 or 12 when they secretly discussed the possibility that their father was somehow involved in their mother's death. Because the vehicle dropped due to his own actions and the plea agreement, the insurance fraud charges were dismissed. Thus, she found herself speaking to law enforcement officials and agreed to wear a wire to record discussions about Levis demise. 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. In November 2008, 23-year-old Levi was doing a few odd jobs for Karl to support his two daughters following his divorce when he suddenly lost his life. He faces a sentence of life without the possibility of parole when he is sentenced next month over his wife's arson death motivated by a $200,000 life insurance policy, which Karlsen had taken out in Christina's name just 19 days before the fire. Bob had five brothers of which two are still living, Jim Carlson and wife Mary of Little Elm, Texas and John Carlson and wife Pat of Fort Worth, Texas. According to the family, Carl was mentally controlling and harassing his wife, Christina. He later pleaded guilty in exchange for 15 years to life in prison. (Stephen D. Cannerelli | scannerelli@syracuse.com). GTN News. Both murders were initially ruled accidental. He didnt make an effort to save her. The interview was filmed in 2013. Neither do we. 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. Karl Karlsen and his three children, Levi, Erin and Katie, escaped the home. Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! Karl Karlsen was convicted of murder for rigging a truck to fall on his son. Courtesy of the Karlsen Family. Christinas family was initially impressed with the man who had won Christinas heart, but after time they started to notice troubling aspects of the couples marriage. document,'script','https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/fbevents.js'); His death was initially ruled an accident, but prosecutors later claimed Karl Karlsen killed him so he could collect a $700,000 life insurance payout. With the help of fire investigator Ken Buskewho had kept his files on the case for decadesauthorities were able to determine the fire had been deliberately set right outside the bathroom, trapping Christina inside. "The way he explained it. Then in 2001, Levi was killed by a pickup truck, with the deadly incident originally presumed to be an accident. 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. What makes you think they're going to get me now?". It's scanned in at the bottom of the story. Tucker Carlson: life, death, power, the CIA & the end of journalism | The Tulsi Gabbard Show The Tulsi Gabbard Show 96.4K subscribers Subscribe 150K views 2 weeks ago Tulsi Gabbard sits down. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. The first thing he said to her was to go take your makeup off. A FATHER who murdered his wife and son got away with it for years years - until police discovered his shocking motive for killing his family. Eventually a possible motive emerged, which led investigators to realize that he had a murder in his hands. n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n; Christina and Karl Karlsen with their children, Levi, Kati and Erin. Anti-woke Virginia GOP governor says he's focused on his state 'right now' when asked if he's plotting 2024 White House run, Iran arrests lead actress from of 2016's Oscar-winning film The Salesman after she supported growing anti-regime protests, 'What is the objective of tracking Billy Baldwin?' New York authorities started investigating Karlsen after his second wife, Cindy Karlsen, came forward last year and told police of her suspicions of Karlsen's involvement with Levi's death. !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s){if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod? Mr. Carlson, a native of Brooklyn, New York Is it time Harry & Meghan accept Clarkson's apology and move on? Karl Karlsen had taken out a $200,000 life-insurance policy on Christina just weeks before her death. Sign up for free newsletters and get more CNBC delivered to your inbox. Kark Karlsen was arrested in 2012 for second-degree murder for his son and insurance fraud. The coincidences started getting to her. 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. Yook declined to comment on the case when reached by ABC News today. Following the fire, Carl was paid $ 215,000 by insurance policy and moved the family across the country to New York. Karl, by then married to his second wife, found his son in the garage and told Cindy to call 911. Now, her son is gone, two young kids grow up without their dad because of one person, Colette Bousson said. Tune in to ABCs20/20to watch Christinas daughters recall her memory and talk about their father. A week after the fire, Karlsen left California for upstate New York with his three children to be near his family. Cassie Rood, Levis ex-wife and mother of his children, said she was devastated by the loss. 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