SPARTANBURG COUNTY, SC (WSPA) – Convicted serial killer Todd Kohlhepp was back in a Spartanburg County courtroom Friday.
Kohlhepp is being sued for damages by some of his victims’ family members.
Melissa Brackman, widow of Scott Ponder, along with her son, Scott Ponder, Jr., was at the motions hearing to testify against Kohlhepp.
Scott Ponder, along with Beverly Guy, Brian Lucas and Chris Sherbert, were all working at Superbike Motorsports in Chesnee when they were killed in 2003.
A wrongful death lawsuit was filed against Kohlhepp in 2017 on behalf of three of those victims: Ponder, Guy and Lucas.
Brackman and her son spoke about Ponder, their love for him and the sadness of him being taken away, including not being able to see his now 15-year-old son.
They also spoke about Beverly Guy, Ponder’s mother, who Kohlhepp was also killed by Kohlhepp.
The mother of Charles David Carver, who was also murdered by Kohlhepp, said Kohlhepp took away her best friend. Carver’s parents did tell Kohlhepp in court that they don’t hate him.
Brackman and her son, however, told Kohlhepp in court that they forgave him for the crime.
“It’s been about a year that it finally hit me, that I’m over playing the victim,” Brackman said. “I’m over the sob story, I’m over. We’re in this process a lot further than the Carver family, than everybody else that’s been affected. It’s time. It’s time.”
Brackman said Kohlhepp did apologize to her as she walked past him while leaving the stand Friday morning.
“We have a choice: We can make it the best lie we want, which I feel we are, or it can be the most miserable existence,” Brackman said. “And I just refuse, and to be honest, I have peace with that. I feel peace.”
Kohlhepp pleaded guilty in 2017 to the Superbike murders, as well as three other killings.
He is currently serving life in prison.
