Karl Karlsen, 54, who is currently serving 15 years to life at a prison in upstate New York for killing his son Levi Karlsen, was charged today with first-degree murder in the 1991 death of his wife, Christina Karlsen, who is also Levi's mother. First, Christina died in a house fire on New Year's Day in 1991. Karl has since appealed his conviction in California. On New Years Day in 1991, Christina Karlsen, a young mother of three died, after the familys home was engulfed in flames. "It was a matter of fact.". Karl Karlsen and his three children, Levi, Erin and Katie, escaped the home. Even Homer brought his family. The shocking details of the Karlsen family saga are explored in a new episode of NBC Dateline. Update: We just obtained the paperwork filed against Karl Karlsen in California. Karlsen, 52, is in a jail cell in Romulus, N.Y., facing charges of second-degree murder and insurance fraud in the death of his son and Erin's brother, Levi Karlsen. Global Business and Financial News, Stock Quotes, and Market Data and Analysis. 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. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? Sitting in the stand, it was obvious, he did it.. Bungling helicopter pilot blows over stadium roof injuring eight, Coles worker fights a woman allegedly trying to steal groceries, BBC Breakfast celebrates forty years of hilarious bloopers, Royal Family will find it 'impossible' to compromise with Sussexes, Ken Bruce will be joining the Greatest Hits Radio family in April, As it happened: UK Government blocks Scotland's new gender law, Russian pro-war fanatic warns Britain could be 'wiped off the map', Motorists slowly drive down snowy hill in treacherous conditions, Harrowing moment woman begs father not to kill himself, Shamima Begum never considered turning back during journey to ISIS. He went to a funeral with Cindy and returned four hours later. Sitting next to Karlsen is his lawyer, Lawrence Kasperek. Over lunch in November 2012, Cindy, by then estranged from Karlsen, demanded that he tell her the truth about how Levi died. Karl collected $215,000 in insurance money for his wifes death. The fire itself was the result of a series of incredible coincidental accidents, Karlsen would soon tell investigators. Source: ABC. Investigators didnt buy Karls claim that the death had been an accident and arrested him for second-degree murder. t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window, A week after the fire, Karlsen left California for upstate New York with his three children to be near his family. But both deaths had more sinister explanations. I mean it was an accident and its, I blame myself every day just like you said, he said in the interrogation, according to American Greed.. The couple's three young children were in the house at the time of the fire; Karl Karlsen told investigators then he rescued them from the flames but could not save his wife. The couple met while Karl was a cadet in the Air Force stationed in North Dakota. "But he did tell me 'It's been over 20 years, and they still haven't got me yet. 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. My sister is gone, three young kids grow up without a mom. 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. Yook declined to comment on the case when reached by ABC News today. Although, his other occupations over the years were similarly unusual. Karl Karlsen, 60, was found guilty earlier this month of starting a fire at his family's home in California in 1991 that killed his wife, Christina He is already serving 15 years to life in New. Some investigators always suspected Karlsen set that fire, but his second wife, Cindy Karlsen, said had. 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. Levi agreed. In November of 2013, he pleaded guilty to second-degree murder for his sons death and received a sentence of 15 years to life. I tried to push it out of the way, you know, I was too young to make it move but I gave it a go and shortly after that my father actually broke through the window and pushed the dresser out of the way, she said. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! He wanted more than anything to just have a close relationship with our father.". His son, Levi, was crushed under his fathers truck while he was repairing it in November 2008. Karl's second wife, Cindy (right), helped police bring him to justice when in 2012 she agreed to wear a wire and elicited a partial confession from him about his son's death, 'That's not how people are supposed to act when someone they love is trapped and literally burning in front of them.'. In early February, a California jury convicted Karlsen of first-degree murder by arson in the killing of his first wife in 1991. According to Oxygen, Christina decided to go against the advice of her loved ones and stay with Carl for the children. VIDEO: Part 2: Karl Karlsen's second wife Cindy Karlsen, who feared she would be his next target, helps police. The family moved to Warrick, Finger Lakes, New York, where they lived on a farm. He ultimately confessed and was soon charged with depraved-indifference murder in the second degree. Karlsen, Christina and their three children were living in Murphys, California, when Karl set fire to the home after boarding up the bathroom window, leading to his wife's death, Karl later claimed he could not rescue Christina (left and right) after saving all three of their kids from the burning home. 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. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. "It was never a question for me," Erin said. 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. 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. Karl Karlsen is a hardworking man with what seems to be a terrible streak of bad luck. The deaths of Christina and Levi Karlsen were. The children went back inside and were taking an afternoon nap when Erin awoke to the sound of her mother screaming and peered outside the bedroom door to find fire. 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. Cleere questioned Karl Karlsen about a fire that killed his first wife, Christina Karlsen, 17 years before Levi Karlsen's death, the article said. On February 3, 2020, he was found guilty. Her husband, Karl Karlsen, collected a $200,000 insurance payout at the time. The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom that includes six main voice actors and numerous regular cast and recurring guest stars. ", ABC's Lauren Effron contributed to this report. Tucker Carlson is the host of his own show on Fox News Channel Credit: Getty "Tucker Carlson Tonight is the sworn enemy of lying, pomposity, smugness and group think," reads the description on the show's website. "He won't ever own up to Levi," Erin said. READ NEXT: Betty Brodericks Divorce Settlement and Details, Christina Karlsen, Karl Karlsens Murdered Wife: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know, Please review our privacy policy here: https://heavy.com/privacy-policy/, Copyright 2023 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. Karl Karlsen's daughter Erin speaks exclusively with "20/20.". The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. Christina Karlsen was 30 when she died. Karlsen collected $200,000 in life insurance that he had taken out on Christina just 20 days before her death, according to a court document. She told him she had made up her mind about what he had done. ", Karlsen's case was featured in the past year on ABC's "20/20" and on NBC's "Dateline. We knew what he had done to our mother, DeRoche exclusively told 20/20. GTN News, It was a tough time, now Im in full form: Shaheen Afridi Father Changes His Story About Killing His Son 17 Years After Wife's Death, When Christina Karlsen perished in a horrific house fire, her death was ruled an accident. I told him I knew he killed my mother and brother, she testified, according to the Union Democrat. And regrettably, this came to light only because of Levis shocking and disturbing death. Between the two of uswe knew, because he didnt try, Erin said. Barbara Yook, the district attorney for Calaveras County, charged Karl Karlsen with one count of murder during the commission of arson. Later that year, authorities in California also opened an investigation into the 1991 California house fire that killed Karlsen's wife and Erin's mother Christina Karlsen, for which investigators said he collected a $200,000 life insurance payout. GTN News. Karlsen has been charged with killing Christina Karlsen on New Year's Day 1991 in a fire "for financial gain. Karl Karlsen was convicted of murder for rigging a truck to fall on his son. On January 1, 1991, when her California home caught fire, Christina was trapped in the bathroom and unable to get out. Karlsen said in a jailhouse interview with Syracuse.com in 2012 that he did not kill Christina. You look like a whore. She ran to the bathroom crying, Bousson said, adding that the husband would often tease Christina about her weight and call her fat. Karl Karlsen was convicted of murdering both his wife, Christina Karlsen, and his son, Levi Karlsen, 17 years apart for insurance money. "Maybe he'd still be here for his girls.". Carolyn Hax: Moms emotional dependence clips her adult childs wings, Ask Elaine: A 20-something feels pressure to pick between kids and career. 'Bad luck that they died?' 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. I knew as soon as I heard that Levi was gone that [my father] had done it. Eventually, someone close to the family came forward with information about Carls involvement and proceeded with the investigation, which revealed that the man had killed his loved ones and saved their deaths by securing heavy insurance payments. Karl had already jacked the truck up and had arranged for Levi, a young father of two girls of his own, to work on the truck while Karl and Cindy went to a funeral. In 1991, Christina Karlsen was killed in a house fire. 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