Trial of Karen Kahler & Children: Intimate Partner Homicide meets Absurd Defense

The trials of intimate partner homicides, silenced by those whom at one time professed to love the spouse or partner during the relationship, have turned courtrooms across the county into theater of the absurd.

Defense tactics are now being argued in a court of law that teeter more on "hearsay" than fact. Add to this mix the past history of abuse, often not admissible during trial, and you have a recipe for disaster. The courts allow for a defendant's mental state at the time of the killing, but the pattern of conduct leading up to the murder has little or no significance.

As a tragic example is the current murder trial of Kraig Kahler. His defense, and the headline after the second day of trial is, "Kansas Murder Suspect Blamed Divorce on Wife's Lover." This is where the absurd enters the picture in this case. There are four people who lost their lives on November 28, 2009. They are:

Karen Kahler (estranged wife)

Emily Kahler ( 18 year old daughter)

Lauren Kahler (16 year old daughter)

Dorothy Wight (grandmother)

A son, Sean, 10 years old at the time, survived by fleeing to safety down the road to a neighbors home.

The blame game should not be a defense for a man who carefully planned out the murders of his family. Karen and the kids go to grandma's for Thanksgiving weekend, he follows their every move, just as he had been doing for months prior to the day of the murders.

Prior to the shooting he stalked Karen. Kraig Kahler lost his job the Director of Columbia Water & Light because of his criminal acts of stalking and violence, the couple was in the middle of a divorce.

The defense is claiming that their client had a mental breakdown because Karen was in a relationship with another woman.

•  Forget the fact that Kahler had been violent towards Karen for years. 
•  Forget the fact that she filed for divorce to get away from the violence. 
•  Forget the fact that Kahler is a psychopath.

 His behavior and actions are that of a very sound and stable individual who conveniently, according to the defense, has had a mental breakdown. That sounds like hearsay to me. Isn't the trial about the murders?

• Didn't Kahler get in the car and follow his family? 
• Did he stop and pay for gas on his road trip? 
•  Did he load the weapons prior to the murders? 
• Did he go into hiding after he shot his family before he was arrested? 

 Those sound and appear to be very thoughtful steps of an angry abusive, controlling, killer!

Karen Kahler is not here. As a matter of fact, she begged for her life before he pumped more bullets into the mother of his three children.

Kraig Kahler's actions on November 28, 2009 were not hearsay, but premeditated . The life and or lifestyle choice of Karen Kahler should not be on trial.

The actions of a very sane man taking the coward's way out speaks volumes of a psychopath using the system to his advantage.

For victims of intimate partner violence that leads to homicide, this is a tragic view from inside the theater of the absurd!

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Susan Murphy Milano is a staff member of the Institute for Relational Harm Reduction and Public Pathology Education. She is a specialist with intimate partner violence prevention strategies and high risk cases and available for personal consultations through the Institute. She is also part of the team at Management Resources Limited of New York.

Susan is the author of "Time's Up: A Guide on How to Leave and Survive Abusive and Stalking Relationships,"Moving out, Moving on, and Defending Out Lives. Susan is the host of The Susan Murphy Milano Show, "Time'sUp!" . She is a regular contributor to the nationally syndicated "The Roth Show" with Dr Laurie Roth and a co-host on Crime Wire.

If you would like to schedule Susan Murphy Milano for interviews, please contact: ImaginePublicity PO BOX 14946 Surfside Beach, SC 29587 Phone: 843.808.0859 email- contact@imaginepublicity.com

D-Day

The control over where she went, what she did to how long she stayed out to run a quick errand was manageable for Karen Kahler no different from others whom love their husbands and work hard to make the marriage work. After the birth of their daughters Lauren and Emily the violence increased and her husband Kraig Kahler’s jealously over his wife’s daily routine was a nightly interrogation. And if he did not believe Karen, she paid the ultimate price and was beaten. A third child was born, Sean, a boy and Karen prayed her abusive husband would shift the good part of him, the man she fell in love with and be involved with her son.

Kraig Kahler's yearly salary was $150,000 as the former director of the Water & Light Department in Columbia, Mo., where he faced other charges. But, when city officials learned he was also terrorizing his wife and family it lead to his dismissal. Online court records show Kahler was scheduled for trial in Columbia this past Wednesday on a domestic assault charge that stemmed from an altercation with Karen in March of 2009.

Karen like so many women who are abused filed for divorce rented a house and she and her 3 children began their journey of freedom. Karen wanted her children to maintain a healthy relationship with their father, but, as many violent abusers do, they dismiss the female children and shower all their attention on the male child as in this case.

(Lauren, Emily and Karen)

After the family moved Kraig Kahler became more obsessed. Although he was never “caught in the act” he stalked her, slashed her tires, became obsessed with her on-line computer activities, but was never arrested. Even though she obtained a restraining order it would be no match against the rapid fire power of a weapon.

Karen Kahler and her daughters Emily and Lauren were shot to death by Karen's estranged husband while they were visiting her grandmother, Dorothy, for the Thanksgiving holiday. Dorothy was also shot and and died a few days later. Sean, Karen's 10 year old son, escaped from the house, called for help and was not harmed.

That evening 3 generations were erased within moments by a man that with his entire being believed he owned the ultimate power of when Karen, Emily, Lauren and Dorothy would take their last breath.

Twelve hours later Kraig Kahler was arrested and is being held on $10 million dollars bond. In the months to follow people will point blame or perhaps say he was severely depressed or he was not in his right mind at the time of the execution of his family. The fact is he was in his correct frame of mind all along. He is not insane and his motive was clear. The years of agony and expense this will cost the State of Kansas with motions, hearings, continuances trials, appeals, is not worth the life of this serial killer.

I say throw him on an island in some remote area of the world without access to another human sole. Afterall, he thought nothing of their lives!

Part 2 tomorrow