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The latest edition of NBC Dateline revisits the spine-chilling case of Christina Karlsen's murder in its latest Weekend Mystery episode, on July 2 at 9/8c.
According to the official synopsis released by NBC for the episode titled, ''The House on the Hill':
"Karl Karlsen’s wife dies in a house fire. Then his prized horses die in a fire. And his son dies in an apparent accident. How can one man be so unlucky? "
Since the trailer dropped, audiences have been searching for the full context of the story. This article dives into the gruesome double murders committed by Karl Karlsen.
Who was Christina Karlsen?
Christina was Karl Karlsen's first wife, who tragically died in a fire that broke out at their house. The hair-raising death case was initially ruled out as an accident. However, it was later revealed that her husband, Karl Karlsen, orchestrated the cold-blooded murder.
Reportedly, when Christina Karlsen first met her husband Karl, she was already married to a cadet. Karl was also a cadet in the Air Force situated in North Dakota. Soon after their meeting, sparks started to fly between the two as they were instantly attracted to each other.
Not long into their electrifying romance, the couple tied the knot and began their family life. They gave birth to three children - two daughters named Erin and Kati and a son named Levi.
The family lived in New York during the initial period but later moved to Murphys, California. Karl was allegedly offered a new job by Christina's father, Art Alexander.
A gruesome murder unfolded
The Karlsen family reportedly looked like a perfectly happy family, but soon after, things turned ugly when Karl and Christina began to have serious issues in their married life.
Colette Bousson, Christina's sister, told Oxygen:
"He controlled my sister mentally because he would tell her that, you know, she was chubby,...He knew that because she was so sensitive about her weight that he could destroy her self-esteem."
She also stated that Christina was physically abused by her husband. On New Year’s Eve 1991, Christina Karlsen's life dreadfully ended when a horrifying fire broke out inside their home while she was caught inside the bathroom.
Their three children were allegedly asleep when the tragic incident occurred. Erin woke up after hearing her mother's hair-raising screams and found their house was on fire.
Karl Karlsen reportedly rescued the children from the burning house, but Christina Karlsen was left inside, caught in a devastating fire. Soon after, she passed away from CO2 poisoning after inhaling smoke.
Christina Karlsen's unfortunate death was ruled a dreadful accident. After that, her husband inherited the $215,000 insurance money.
In 2008, shortly after Karl took out a $700,000 life insurance policy on his son, the boy was crushed to death by a truck. Karl asked his son to work on the vehicle at a funeral with his second wife, Cindy. He pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in 2013 and was sentenced to '15 years to life in prison' in Seneca County, New York.
In 2020, Karl Karlsen was found guilty of first-degree murder by arson in the tragic murder case of Christina Karlsen. He was sentenced to life without parole.
Catch the NBC Dateline episode titled, 'The House on the Hill,' revisiting the tragic murder case of Christina Karlsen.
