While reading through the links to docs posted upthread, I'm confused.
It seems the mother had spilled the beans on what a menace this kid was, yet...in her letter for leniency she paints a much different picture of her son.
"Todd is not a bad boy. He never has been."
But...
A presentencing investigation report said Kohlhepps mother, Regina Kohlhepp, said he had noticeable emotional and behavioral problems since he was about 15 months old. She said he was always mean to other children, and if required to interact with them, he did so in an aggressive manner.
The things written about his behavior remind me of the 'bad seed' I grew up next door too. Thankfully, he never committed acts as atrocious as Todd, but he has been a lifelong non-law-abiding citizen, with several arrests.
Some people truly are just born bad.