The Kahler Family Massacre

thank you [Music] the city of Weatherford in Texas home to the Kayla family James Craig Kayla who went by Craig his wife Karen their two daughters 18 year old Emily and sixteen-year-old Lauren and a son ten-year-old Sean Karen and Craig had been together for many years Craig was in his last year of his engineering degree at Kansas State University when he met Karen who was in her first year they were both ambitious and bright students and shared a lot in common friends said that they were the couple everyone was always trying to live up to and everyone knew they would be successful when they graduated they soon married and had their first daughter Emily and in 1999 an opportunity came along Craig was offered the job of utility director of Weatherford Texas it was not only a very well-paying job but a well-respected one too they settled into a nice home and had two more children Lauren and Sean neighbors said they were a key part of the community always involved with everything and Keen to welcome new people to the area with Karen often baking cakes and making food for everyone Emily attended the Saint Louis College of Pharmacy and Lauren was an honors student at a Columbia High School the teens were also in a band where they both played and sang often showcasing their talents around town neighbors said that as cliche as it sounded they really were the All-American family and a lot of people in the area really admired them but all was not as it seemed one day Karen's sister Lynn got a call Karen wanted to confide in her about the true state of their marriage she told Lynn that over the years Craig had changed he had started giving her curfews and an allowance which she supervised and scrutinized demanding to see receipts for all of her purchases even everyday things like food he would demand sex every night at 8 pm exactly and everything she did in the house had a timer on it she said she did everything he asked to keep the peace but things were getting worse and she felt trapped and scared Karen told her sister she wanted to look for an outlet something that was just hers that he couldn't control she decided to join a local gym around the Children's School hours and Craig being at work friend said that she was soon there so much and Keen to learn she was eventually hired as a fitness instructor a completely different career path but something she was excited to do to her surprise when Craig found out she had been going he approved telling her as long as she was home on time to look after the children there would be no issues one day at the gym Karen bumped into Sonny Reese another personal trainer from the get-go the pair were inseparable they had a lot in common and spent all their shifts together before long a romantic relationship developed and the couple began an affair Lynn said that she felt like her sister was so mentally beaten down at that point when she found someone that seemed to really care about her and didn't want to control her the relationship just fell together naturally Karen knew she had to come clean and tell Craig everything to her total shock Craig did not seem to have an issue with it far from it in fact he encouraged it and started messaging Sunny sending her flowers and asking her for a threesome people say he saw it as an opportunity to spice up their marriage in sex life he told Karen he didn't have any problem with it as long as he was included and she didn't leave him but Karen and Sonny wanted no part of the thruple he was suggesting they wanted it to just be them Craig was embarrassed and now he knew there was no chance of bringing Sunny into the marriage he wanted her out completely and the affair to stop but Karen and sunny continue to see each other and it seemed that Karen was now well and truly out of the marriage after a few months Craig decided the best way to put a stop to it was to move the family out of town he started looking for a career change elsewhere that would allow this to happen he got another job in Columbia Missouri one that saw him become the highest paid employee in the city and in June 2008 the family all moved out there break hoped that things would return to normal and as Karen and Sonny went out almost 700 miles apart he felt confident the affair would come to an end but it didn't Karen and Sonny's relationship continued long distance they would email and call and text each other and sneak visits halfway where they could safe to say Karen and Craig's marriage was now in a very bad and toxic place for New Year's Eve the Kayla's attended a party back in Weatherford many neighbors were in attendance including sunny at various points during the party some guests saw sunny and Karen together and it was glaringly obvious that something was going on it had gone from being a secret between Craig Karen and sunny to a very public and open thing Craig was mortified and a huge fight broke out between him and Karen one that carried on as soon as they left Karen said Craig pushed her so hard she smashed her head on the street friends said it was awful the atmosphere had soured and everyone was talking about Craig and Karen a matter of days later Karen told Craig she was filing for a divorce started the legal proceedings and moved into the spare room Craig spent hours calling Karen's family and friends one day asking them to convince her not to go ahead with the divorce and the next telling them she was leaving him for another woman and wanted to steal all his money and take the children Sony started contacting Craig directly telling him to leave Karen alone and that she was never happy with him anyway as March 2009 rolled around things escalated even more and after another fight became physical Craig was arrested he told police that he had hugged Karen tightly and that she had resisted Karen said he had violently grabbed her giving her bruises she gave a statement which read over time it has become apparent that Craig is controlling I have learned along the way that he is capable of using Force the issues vary but I figured out how to keep things from becoming ugly when money was a problem I wouldn't tell him what things groceries clothing Etc cost when it was about sex I decided it was easier to give him what he wanted every night than to refuse on occasions I would refuse he has been known to be forceful and mean I'm afraid it will escalate so far that someone is going to be seriously hurt she pressed charges and she and the children moved out of the house completely people said this was when Craig became even more reclusive and erratic he no longer wanted anything to do with Lauren and Emily and only wanted to see his son Sean saying he felt his daughters had failed him by taking their mother's side this was made even worse when Lauren and Emily said they accepted sunny and were happy to see their mother happy Craig was enraged he referred to his daughters as rotting Corpses friends said that he started stalking Karen and spying on her getting into the house to install cameras and hacking into her emails police were then called to the house again when Karen found out that Craig had slashed her car tires and was ripping out cables from outside the house Craig soon started slipping at work choosing to show his colleagues family albums over and over and leaving work unannounced to see what Karen was doing given everything that was going on Craig's manager Bill quietly asked him to resign in September of 2009 this had affected his focus on the department in a way that is not likely to change in the near future his boss said Craig was paid two months salary and one month of severance and with any other job prospects looking unlikely Craig moved back in with his parents as they were now legally separated he still owed Karen over three thousand dollars a month in child support Flash Forward to Thanksgiving 2009 and Karen Emily Lauren and Sonny spent the holidays at Lynn's house ten-year-old Sean however spent it with Craig but Karen wanted all her children and sunny to visit her grandmother Dorothy during the holiday period too so the next day she went over to pick Sean up and make the trip over 89 year old Dorothy lived in a quiet little farmhouse in a city of less than 1 000 people Burlingame Kansas despite Karen and Craig's many arguments and fights about the affair a contentious pending divorce questions about where the children would live and issues with finances Karen said she was hopeful that a resolution would soon be found Craig was just days away from going to court in regards to the incident several months earlier and a hearing had been scheduled for January to start going through the divorce as soon as the holiday period was over everybody was optimistic that things might start to move forward more amicably Saturday November 29th 2009 [Music] deputy sheriff Nathan purling was finishing up some paperwork in his office when A call came in about a suspicious vehicle in Burlingame it was just after 6 pm and the neighbor reported that a small truck was speeding around near their house they had watched as the man pulled up exited the vehicle and started walking down the road the couple then saw him come back carrying a large object that they could not identify thinking he was stealing they grabbed a flashlight and headed outside to confront him he placed the object in the back seat got back inside and drove off just as they approached him Deputy purling set off to see what was going on but just a couple of minutes later another call came in over the radio it was coming from the same area but this time it was far more alarming foreign [Music] [Music] had they received this harrowing call when a third person called in they had opened their front door to find a ten-year-old child crying and asking for help it was Sean Kayla he said he needed help at Dorothy White's house as there had been a shooting officers said they knew it was going to be a bad scene but nothing quite prepared them for what they would ultimately find when they entered the home the first person they found was 89 year old Dorothy she was bleeding profusely on the kitchen floor and had been shot several times she was still alive but barely they then found Karen kaler in the dining area she had been shot twice and she was already dead eighteen-year-old Emily was found behind the couch in the lounge and had also been shot twice with the second shot likely paralyzing her instantly she too was deceased and police determined she was likely trying to hide as the gunman was inside deputy sheriff purling then heard a faint voice calling for help from the upstairs it was Lauren they don't want to die you did this to you just like Dorothy she was alive but only just as Dorothy and Lauren were taken away Lauren turned to an officer and said Craig he said who's that my dad she said Dorothy identified Craig as the shooter as well tragically Lauren succumbed to her injuries first and was pronounced dead shortly after getting to the hospital Dorothy was still fighting for her life but sadly it wasn't looking hopeful there was one more person left to have been there Sean and little did the authorities realize he had witnessed a lot Sean said he had been cleaning some old coins that he and Karen had found as the two of them were stood at the sink Craig entered the house via the back door holding a rifle and shot at Karen Sean said he ducked down and just ran as fast as he could to get out the back door he then ran around to the front door hoping to get back in and get to her phone he carefully opened the door hearing more shots ring out as he did so he saw Craig walking around and he closed the door and ran for help instead police had already put out an alert to try and locate Craig a resident then spotted someone abandoning their vehicle in the middle of nowhere and running down a deserted Road she called in with the tip they found the vehicle and it matched the description of the one the neighbors had seen earlier that night and felt confident it was Craig's a search of the vehicle found more ammunition and some unopened anxiety medications a backpack was also found with some soap towels toilet paper cotton balls and some canned food but Craig was nowhere to be found the biggest thing for me in that I still have no answer for is how a father can do that to its children he he literally had to chase one of his daughters through the house sheriff's deputy Nathan purling was first to arrive at one of the most horrific crimes Osage County has ever seen hurling cautiously made his way inside to find Dorothy white covered in blood and clinging to life he then spotted Karen kaler on the floor in the dining room and went over to check her for a pulse at the same time I could hear somebody crying for help that plea was from 16 year old Lauren kaler who had been shot in an upstairs bedroom purling would stay by Lauren's side until paramedics arrived in her last words the mortally wounded teen told pearling that it was her father that opened fire in the area nobody would expect your neighbors something like that to happen it's just a sad situation the sheriff had a gun on him and he had his hands in the air after eight hours of searching Craig Kayla was finally located it was now about 7am and he was wandering on the side of the road looking confused lost and disheveled he knew it was coming and turned to the officers and said I'm the guy you're looking for he told them that he was armed with a revolver as well as some pocket knives they also found hundreds of dollars in cash some gloves a flashlight and a hunting bag he was arrested without incidents and taken to the station Craig was fairly open and told the detectives a lot this doesn't look really very good well understand and Mr obviously is the same connection I said you know I'm just so happy there's something you wanted to try just hit someone losing the promises just be careful foreign took over I was having a hard time with the whole situation he also told him about the New Year's Eve party and how the pair would sneak visits out of town he said he was particularly upset when he realized that his daughter's not only approved but were traveling with Karen to meet sonny as well we're setting together and rubbing each other's leg and I mean just just making a spectacle to get out of control things turn around the [ __ ] kids told me that they stayed in the hotel room deciding was there obviously were you angry at that I wasn't angry frustrated sometimes Craig Taylor was charged with first-degree murder and aggravated burglary his bail was set at 10 million dollars just after 4pm on December 1st Dorothy white sadly passed away too in December 2010 he had his preliminary trial where he entered a plea of insanity the only defense against capital murder his lawyers claimed that he had had a mental breakdown due to Karen's affair they said this coupled with the loss of his job and having to move him with his parents had only added fuel to the fire they said that the unopened medication in his car ongoing erratic Behavior and the fact he did not attempt to cover up what he had done was evidence that he was not of a sound State of Mind this is plea of insanity was fair in 1995 the state of Kansas passed a law which revoked the traditional Insanity defense the new law stated that defendants could no longer argue that because of mental health issues they were incapable of deciding right from wrong instead defendants suffering from mental health issues were still legally responsible for a crime unless these mental health issues prevented them from forming an intent to commit or act with premeditation his defense team argued that his mental health issues were so severe that it proved he had not premeditated anything it was a total snap in that moment at the time of the murders his lawyer said that he was suffering from depression hallucinations and had obsessive-compulsive narcissistic and histrionic personality disorders but the prosecution argued that it was definitely premeditated and his behavior over the last year especially showed that this was all just building up to what he ultimately wanted to do which was kill his wife unlikely anyone else that stood in the way of that their expert psychiatrist stated that while Craig had clinical depression he was still capable of planning the murders they also pointed to the fact that Craig had not killed their son Sean even though he was stood right there showing this was a conscious decision this was not someone that was out of control and had snapped in the moment and after this they brought in their star Witness Sean Kayla who was now 12 years old and one can only imagine how difficult this must have been for him he appeared via a video link to bravely tell everybody what had happened people in the court said that Sean was clear concise and unwavering a child far more mature than his years my dad came through the door and shot my mom I just heard her collapse on the floor from the shot I just caught a glimpse I think she was holding her leg Sean recalled some people in the courtroom said that the pictures of the crime scene were so bad they physically had to look away with some even crying the prosecution spoke about the many allegations of abuse and controlling behaviors and said this again proved his intention to hurt was always there and when he finally lost complete control when they all moved out is when things escalated even more Sony Reese also testified she described Karen and Craig's relationship as very abusive saying she wanted to protect Karen from him she also said that Craig was more than happy for her and Karen to start a relationship and showed no signs of being bothered by it until he had to let Karen go but she acknowledged that she had no physical evidence to prove this it was all what she remembered and what she had heard from Karen on August 25th 2011 after just two hours the jury had reached a unanimous verdict Craig Taylor was found guilty of capital murder and his pleas of insanity were not believed this meant he would face the death penalty or life without parole there were many Victim Impact statements given Sean gave a small statement too and said I do not want my dad to receive the death penalty because it would be hard on my grandparents I do not want my whole family gone after this another week would pass while everyone waited to hear the results of the sentencing Taylor showed no emotion today as he hurt his fate the execution sentence comes as retribution for the shooting deaths of four family members report at this time sentences the defendant for the crime of capital murder to death James Craig Taylor opted not to speak on his own behalf and even asked if he could leave the room to avoid hearing the victim impact statements Chief Judge Philip Fromm ordered him to stay I loved Grandma white Karen Emily and Lauren very much and we'll miss them until the end of my days Lynn Denton spoke of her grandmother her two nieces and her sister I still will play that frightening night over and over in my mind just like watching an old movie reel when I get to the ending I try so hard to rewrite it but there's no such option that statement read by a representative for the Attorney General's office came from Karen's mom who's also Dorothy's daughter of course and Lauren and Emily's grandmother a woman who saw three generations of her family wiped out in just one day kaler's attorneys say they will file a motion to withdraw that death sentence and kaler will be appointed an attorney for his automatic appeal to the Kansas Supreme Court lad Egan krcg news now back to you foreign hearing he was sentenced to death those in the courtroom said Craig Kaylor had no reaction No Remorse no sadness and no regret the prosecutor said he only ever seemed to look proud of himself often smirking and muttering sarcastic comments as he exited the courtroom to begin his time he shouted to his mother and father take care of Sean so he's not raised by a bunch of freaks while on death row Craig started writing letters to various people including the lead prosecutor he still showed no remorse instead saying he felt a sense of relief for what had happened as he was able to free Shawn his team appealed to the Kansas Supreme Court citing numerous complaints including the belief that there had been misconduct on the jury they also stated that his mental health and Insanity play had not been taken into consideration one judge said Kansas unlike many states will not wholly exonerate a defendant on the ground that his illness prevented him from recognizing his criminal act as morally wrong another judge added that contrary to Kayla's view Kansas takes account of mental health at both trial and sentencing it is just not adopted the particular Insanity defense Kayla would like [Music] his appeal was denied with this ruling Craig Taylor had now exhausted his direct appeals but further appeals were still possible and in January 2023 another appeal was lodged which might be his last chance [Music] Lynn and sunny started organized runs in Weatherford in honor of Karen to raise money for victims of domestic violence and the community often comes together to remember the family and all the lives that were lost that night according to sources Sean went into the care of the state for a while before going to live with his grandmother and grandfather he graduated high school and now works in Kansas it was a case that left a community shocked and hurting three generations snatched away in a matter of minutes and for Sean who not only lost his mother sisters and great-grandmother in the most awful way but witnessed it all as well and then essentially lost his father too it is incomprehensibly heartbreaking how he has come through it all despite everything is remarkable and a testament to his strength and perseverance against so many odds we are so grateful to all of our viewers and all of our patrons and we'd love you to consider joining our little community over on patreon it supports us as a channel and we couldn't be more appreciative of anyone that does so it also gives you behind the scenes extra episodes and Early ad-free Access

Channel: Truly Criminal

Views: 1,738,405

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Id: dFESW3yPE0o

Length: 26min 49sec (1609 seconds)

Published: Sat Mar 18 2023