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When Dateline dives into true crime, it often leaves viewers shocked, and the case of Karl Karlsen is no exception. On the surface, Karl appeared to be an ordinary man who had simply faced more than his fair share of tragedy.
But as Dateline revisits his story, a chilling pattern of deceit, manipulation, and calculated violence begins to emerge. The crimes connected to Karlsen span decades, beginning with the suspicious death of his first wife in a house fire in 1991.
At the time, investigators accepted his version of events: that it was a terrible accident. But as more family deaths followed, each conveniently tied to insurance policies and financial gain, the façade began to crack.
What makes this story especially disturbing is how long it took for the truth to come to light. Want to explore the horrifying details of the 1991 homicide and the events that finally brought Karl Karlsen to justice?
Keep reading below.
Dateline revisits the 1991 house fire that killed Christina Karlsen under suspicious circumstances
The Dateline episode titled The House on the Hill follows the tragedy that first put Karl Karlsen under the radar, which occurred on January 1, 1991, in Murphys, California. On that New Year’s Day, a fire broke out in the family’s newly bought home.
While Karl escaped with their three children, his wife, Christina Karlsen, died in the bathroom. Strangely, she was found unburned, lying behind the door with a wet washcloth over her face.
At the time, investigators concluded it was an unfortunate accident, faulty wiring, or perhaps a heater malfunction. But even then, several details didn’t sit right. The hallway floor appeared soaked in kerosene.
The smoke detectors weren’t working. And most telling of all, Karl had recently taken out a $200,000 life insurance policy on Christina just weeks before the fire. He collected the payout and moved on with his life, remarrying and relocating.
Yet it wasn’t just the forensics that raised questions. It was Karl’s attitude. According to those around him, he seemed unusually calm after Christina’s death. In fact, some recalled how he made a disturbingly cold comment, calling his wife a "crispy critter," despite the fact that her body was not burned.
At the time, there wasn’t enough evidence to push further. But the death would later resurface in a devastating context.
Dateline uncovers how Levi Karlsen’s death led to a shocking new look at the past
Years later, in 2008, tragedy struck again, this time in New York. Karl’s 23-year-old son, Levi Karlsen, was crushed under a pickup truck while working on it alone. The Dateline episode revealed that Karl told investigators he had briefly stepped away and returned to find Levi pinned beneath the vehicle.
Once again, Karl received a massive $700,000 life insurance payout. But this time, suspicions took hold faster. Investigators started to see a pattern: both victims were close family members, both died in so-called accidents, and both were insured shortly before their deaths.
In 2013, Karl was convicted of second-degree murder in Levi’s case and sentenced to 15 years to life in prison. The conviction gave new momentum to the 1991 case. Authorities in California reopened the investigation into Christina’s death.
By 2014, Karl was charged with first-degree murder in her case and deported from New York to face trial. As explained in Dateline, the prosecution argued that Karl had intentionally locked Christina in the bathroom and set the house on fire to collect insurance money.
During the 2020 trial, forensic experts confirmed that the fire had been deliberately started and that Christina’s death was no accident. After nearly three decades, Karl Karlsen was finally found guilty of murdering his wife.
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