Tedd Kohlepp, now 53, was a successful American businessman – he built a career in real estate, won awards for his contributions in the area, and was described as a ‘good boss’.
However, those who knew Kohlhepp more deeply were frequently left disturbed by his behaviour – he would watch pornographic videos at work, make macabre jokes and openly discuss his conviction for sex offences.
Despite such unsettling incidents, few could have predicted the depravity that would play out, as Kohlepp carried out seven sadistic killings over 13 years before he was eventually caught and give a life sentence in 2016.
Now, Channel 4 are exploring his horrendous crimes in a new documentary, The Amazon Review Killer: Chilling Confession.
The title alludes to one of the most surreal aspects of the murderer’s crimes – he would leave chilling Amazon reviews about the weapons he used to kill his victims.
Both episodes of the two-parter, directed by rising star Billy Arthur, 22, will air on Monday January 6th at 10pm.
Kohlepp, who was born in Florida but raised in Georgia and South Carolina, only saw his crimes come to light when when investigators rescued a woman chained up in a 30-foot-long storage container on his property in August 2016.
Six years later in 1986, Kohlhepp, aged just 15, kidnapped and sexually assaulted a girl.
A sentencing report, obtained by WFXG, claimed Kohlhepp lured the girl outside by telling her an ex-boyfriend wanted to talk to her.
When the two were outside, he then pointed a ‘small blue steel handgun at her head’ and ‘told her to walk down the alley towards his house.’
Once they got into Kohlhepp’s bedroom, according to the documents, he duct taped her mouth, tied her hands together, and ‘removed her clothes, then his clothes and forced the victim to have sexual intercourse with him.’
Kohlhepp pleaded guilty to kidnapping in the case and was added to the sex offender registry in Arizona. He remained behind bars from 1987 to 2001.
The documentary explores how, two years after his release, Kohlhepp murdered four people in Chesnee, South Carolina according to a confession he gave investigators.
Scott Ponder, his mother Beverly Guy, service manager Brian Lucas, and mechanic Chris Sherbert were found fatally shot at the Superbike Motorsports shop on November 6, 2003.
However, the killer went undetected and continued to thrive in his professional life.
