How many “accidents” can happen to one family before they stop looking like accidents?
In 1991, Christina Karlsen died in a fire at her family’s California home. Her husband, Karl Karlsen, collected a $200,000 life insurance payout. Years later, tragedy struck again when Karl’s 23-year-old son, Levi Karlsen, was crushed beneath a pickup truck in New York. His death was initially considered an accident as well — and Karl ultimately collected roughly $700,000 from Levi’s life insurance.
But investigators would eventually uncover a much darker story.
Karl pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in Levi’s death, and the investigation reopened questions surrounding Christina’s 1991 death. In 2020, a California jury convicted him of murdering Christina by arson for financial gain.
And there was another chilling detail: Karl’s second wife discovered that a $1.2 million life insurance policy had been taken out on her — and she ultimately helped investigators expose the truth.
In this episode of Hot Justice, Ciara and Heather break down the deaths of Christina and Levi Karlsen, the insurance policies, the suspicious fires, the investigation that finally unraveled Karl Karlsen’s story, and the question hanging over it all:
Was tragedy following Karl Karlsen… or was Karl Karlsen creating it?
🔥 The Devil in the Dollars: The Karl Karlsen Case
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What is Hot Justice Podcast?
Two friends, countless crimes, one big question: why do people do what they do?
In Hot Justice, best friends and true crime obsessives Heather and Ciara dig into cases both famous and forgotten, blending deep research with unfiltered conversation. Expect late-night-theory energy, occasional gasps, and a lot of “wait, WHAT?” moments.
If you love true crime with heart, humor, and humanity — you’re in the right place.