that I just shot my gun in my house, my wife dead, and my little boys are going to run down here. I said, "What am I supposed to do? I need to get rid of this." I took a shower and then I took the children to the bus stop. >> This is Kenneth Harden Jr. 48 hours ago, Kenneth was responsible for murdering, hiding, and setting his multi-millionaire wife and nurse, Carrie Harden, on fire inside their Georgia mansion, one that Carrie had spent years building. [music] >> Successful business owner and St. Charles County native. Her story so great but cut so short. >> Carrie Harden graduated and then built a multi-million [music] dollar nurse staffing business and one that was snatched from her in the blink of an eye. What no one knows yet is that this monster will lead officers on a multi-state manhunt running 500 m across four different states. >> Was the idea just to get like to Mexico keep riding? I snapped and when I realized what was happening I had emptied out that entire Smith and Wesson It's a hot August morning in Faget County, Georgia, and Kenneth Harden Senior, calls police to report his son, Kenneth Harden Jr., may have just committed a horrible crime. Minutes earlier, the 39-year-old called his father and confessed to murdering his wife, 40-year-old Carrie Harden. Now he's fleeing town, and what soon becomes a massive multi-state manhunt, is underway. Meanwhile, investigators arrive at the couple's massive home on Merlin Court, where they quickly find evidence that a violent struggle's taken place. Blood is discovered inside, as well as signs that someone's tried to clean up the scene. But when cadaver dogs are deployed outside the home, a suspicious scent leads them to a large pile of yard debris. And underneath, officers find a shallow grave containing Carrie's remains. It's later determined that she'd been shot multiple times. The search for Kenneth soon expands and investigators learn more about Carrie, who's described by friends and family as a caring and compassionate registered nurse. But not only that, she's an entrepreneur who's built a successful nurse staffing company. In fact, her medical staffing group is a multi-million dollar company that operates in all 50 states. And Car's net worth alone was in the multi-millions. But according to her mother, she was planning on making a big change, accepting a new job at a veteran's hospital and leaving her marriage with the couple's two sons. Because while friends later said Carrie tried to hide Kenneth's violent behavior, an incident 10 years prior was a disturbing glimpse into what was to come. As a friend told police, Kenneth had busted out the window to the bathroom to get to her and chased her down the road with a gun. Detectives now had a possible motive for Car's murder, but Kenneth, the man who confessed to it, is still nowhere to be found. But that's all about to change on August 22nd when authorities track his white Cadillac to a motel in Covington, Louisiana, where a SWAT team takes him into custody without incident. Faget County detectives travel to interview him before his extradition to Georgia. And they want to know one thing. How did Carrie, the mother of his children, end up dead? But first, Kenneth clears the air about who is and isn't involved. and the shocking way he's managed to stay one step ahead of police since day one. >> And have an understanding of that, you want to move forward with talking to us? >> Yes, ma'am. And I need to do that for Elijah's sake. Um, based on what I heard from uh [clears throat] your conversations yesterday, >> it's most it's most appropriate to do that. >> Okay. Well, you've been in >> well arrived at around I guess 1:30 2:00 somewhere in that time frame. um I was not privy to the conversation specifically um that you had at the van. However, when the staff, including yourself, came back over to um the gay area, there was a lot of conversation that would suggest that somehow Elijah's involved in something. He's not. Um we took on Elijah u when he was 15. >> Right out of the gate, Kenneth wants to make sure authorities know his foster son, Elijah, had nothing to do with his crime. But how does he know Elijah was a person of interest to begin with? The answer is simple. After fleeing to Louisiana, Kenneth still had access to the home security system. And as investigators arrived, he watched and listened in through his phone as they process the scene. The information he hears would influence his actions while on the run, including altering the appearance of his Cadillac to avoid detection. But to protect his friends and family, he knew it was time to come clean. My movements stopped around that time cuz I'm like now I was not intending on Elijah to be caught in this. Like I was like what you know or Johnny or my sons. They have or my father have zero to do with anything that's going on. So I needed to make sure that that's clear. I have I have an attorney. I have multiple attorneys. But I need to make sure that that's clear that them boys, uh, Elijah, Jonathan, Kennethan Kingston, they have zero to do with any of this. >> Who's Johnny? >> Johnny's a longtime friend of mine. My man Johnny, >> he he doesn't live at that house on >> He does. He's staying with us right now currently. >> Oh, does he? >> Yeah, he was he was staying in the uh the basement uh the guest bedroom down in the basement adjacent to the movie theater. >> Okay. >> I don't know. We met here. >> You did meet him. He was in he was in the van with Elijah. >> Yeah, my mother and I did. >> Okay. >> I don't remember seeing you yesterday, so it's possible. >> I was there. >> I know a lot of people there, so yeah. Um, >> at work. >> Yeah, Johnny was in the van. >> Okay. >> Well, Elijah and um they have nothing they don't know anything. There's nothing they can tell you cuz they don't know. I didn't talk to them. You know, it just is what it is. So, now what questions do you have for me? >> We're just trying to [clears throat] put the pieces together, trying to figure out >> there seems to be some confusion about that as if there was some uh something that's not completely obvious. I I flew my dad down here on uh today's Thursday. I flew my dad down on Tuesday evening. Um, I told him that it was emergency. You see the text message, so you already know that. You already know that I did not discuss anything with him. When I got done speaking with my father, he obviously was distraught and um I wasn't going to stand there and look at that. I left. And um I told Rico as I was closing the door to this printer, he said, "Uh, I'm going to pray with him." Is what he said. I said, "Okay, I'mma leave. Do not leave this parking lot until you contact the Fed County Sheriff." I closed the door and [clears throat] I left. My dad was uncontrollable. >> When Kenneth's father arrived in town, his son soon told him of the horrible crime he just committed. But Kenneth Senior's reaction wasn't exactly what he expected. And Kenneth Jr.'s first instinct wasn't to own up, it was to flee. Yet, as he goes on to explain, his marriage to Carrie had been circling the drain for some time. And it seems that all the money in the world couldn't save it. And if you like watching guilty people like Kenneth try to talk their way out of murder, you're in the right place. Subscribe. >> We both acknowledged that we needed to fall back from the alcohol. So, I had limited my use daily. I was only drinking like one glass of Grand Maria day and that was just to go to sleep and she was committing to do the same. Typically the people who you are interviewing this position are not in my lifestyle and I know that that provides more questions and I know that leads y'all to make like certain assumptions that's probably not true but been experiencing a lot of success. like everything that I'm touching with the construction business has been panning out. And I had just closed a $20,000 deal with a guy. He lives right around he lives 5 minutes from the house building in a showroom garage. And she had heard that. So she was excited. I was excited. We were having a good time. And uh she like, "Can I have my liquor?" And I had lied and told her I had poured it out, but she knew I was going to pour our liquor out. So I had it in my bathroom cabinet. I went and got it. I gave it to her. and I fell asleep in my red chair. It was spun around. Uh, she busted the room. [snorts] The camera stamp will tell you when that was. I think it's about 8 or something. And asked me if I was going to come upstairs. I'm like, "What's up with the tone?" Like, "You've been drinking." And she hate when I ask her that, like if I say like, "You've been drinking." And um we started arguing and I might hear, you know. Um I'm trying to think if I ate. I don't remember if I ate or not. I don't remember if I ate or not. So I'm sorry I can't provide that detail. I know that that conversation was uh that argument was rough. She hit me in the head with it's a metal stud thing. that's in my office and I had a pretty decent size known down now some um I pushed her off of me at one point I was holding her hands and she was saying let me go let me go let me go I'm a let me go and I'm like you got to calm down [clears throat] and by the way I know that's not typical for most married couples it's typical for us they they have said we toxic But whatever. Um, I let her up. She said a lot of [ __ ] but she went upstairs. She had left. She had been coming and going. And she does that a lot. She been doing that since I met her. Or would we have an argument and she'll leave. In the beginning, it was a cat and mouse thing where she'll leave cuz she liked the fact that I would chase her. And I remember being back in St. Charles County and St. Charles police like, "Man, y'all got to stop all this cuz you know she'll leave. I'm speeding behind her, racing down the street. Come home. Come home." She been doing that. But I learned as I got older like that stuff is dangerous. So I'm going just stay put. Whenever she leave I'm going just stay put. She left and came back a couple of times and I know that at some point I'm like just leave or just call the police. Like if you feeling like it's what it is cuz she kept saying that she felt like I had hurt her. But see, that was the other thing was I was protective of what I was saying because I've been in several situations with her where she's called law enforcement and said that I did something to her that I didn't do. Uh the largest time would have been in 2013 when that restraining order got pulled and um she had bruises on her arms, but that wasn't for me. It was from a patient at a facility and I had to wait 2 weeks on a restraining order just to show that judge those text messages so I could get out of that situation. And he told us both never to come back to this court. But there was another time where she and B have a record of that where she called the police. She had took a sock, put a horn in it and hit herself in the face. See, the thing was I was outside the whole time with my neighbor and I came outside because I felt they going that way. So, I said, I need to get in front of a witness. And when the police arrived, um, they were pretty hostile with me. And it was starting to just that I'm keep as a as a as a black man, I keep having to interact with with police that are going to be hostile because they're being told things that are not true. And um they were hostile with me. My neighbor was like he has got nothing. He's been standing with me. He had cameras. That's why that's why I have came because I argue with her in front of a lot of cameras because I know they didn't. >> A history of alleged false allegations, restraining orders, and near constant drama. Kenneth and Car's marriage was toxic to say the least. But how did what seemed like a routine fight between the couple escalate to murder? >> At this point, I'm on drink three and I sit down at my table outside my office. I fire up a cigar and I'm sitting there drinking and kind of thinking about everything that is already taking place. and um [clears throat] she calls me. It's a quick conversation at about 12:47 or so and says that she's going to leave and take the kids unless we have a conversation. I did not immediately get up because I already knew this was [ __ ] So, I calm myself, kept my self calm. I finished my drink and then I went upstairs. When I went upstairs, she just turned back around and left because it was different than what our normal toxic pipes was um because I saw her firearm. Where it was sitting when you went in the house is not where it was sitting. It was actually sitting on a bed. But I saw it. So I'm like like what type is we playing her, you know, and we start arguing. She telling me she going to take the kids. I told her, "You're not taking the kids. You taking the kids off my damn body. You're not taking the kids have nothing to like, why do you keep bringing up the kids?" That's why I said like, "What do you keep bringing up the children for? They're not a part of what's going on." And um I don't see it that way. You got I'm tired of your [ __ ] I want a divorce. You can have a divorce. You can have whatever you want to have, but you just not going to take the kids in the way you think you're going to take the kids. You're not waking them up out of their sleep like you did in January of last year. You're not doing all this [ __ ] with me, Carrie. I don't want to do this with you no more. Like, no. I'mma show you. And when she went to grab towards her gun, [clears throat] I don't know that she got her hand on it because when she did that, um, I snapped. And when I realized what was happening, I had emptied out that entire Smith and Wesson MMP shield 2.0. And I don't know if it was seven shots in there or eight, but I know they was all empty. She got up off of the bed and she walked and collapsed into the sun room. And at some point before she took her last breath, she said she was sorry, she said she shouldn't have said what she said. And I didn't deal with that because I started panicking because I said I just shot my gun in my house. My wife dead and my little boys are going to run down here and see this. Everything you see after that is that it's not what you all were discussing on camera. And I several times the way that you guys were talking about it, I kind of wanted to turn around and come back. It was it was kind of annoying that you all couldn't see why I had did what I did. I didn't do what I did cuz I was trying to hide something. You can't hide what happened. It's impossible to hide it. I did what I did because I was trying to limit what my key is Elijah and Jonathan would see that would lead them to understand what went on. I didn't tell them what I what I did. I didn't tell them what was happening. And I was trying to clean things in a way where [clears throat] I did not want my like I didn't want my sons to walk in their mother's blood coming and knocking on my bedroom door. I didn't want them to see blood on the door. I didn't want them to see blood in the sun room. I didn't want them to see blood on the carpet. But it was at the point where I got to the carpet where I'm like, I'm just making [ __ ] worse. And I had been drinking. So, I wasn't doing things that I would have done if I was sober. Um because, you know, I made it appear like like I'm trying to hide someone. That wasn't really the case. I said, "What am I supposed to do?" Whatever. So, first I tried to burn it. I ain't never did no [ __ ] like this. Uh, my damn near killed myself. You saw my gas can. Um, you know, when I poured gasoline onto it, the fire came back and damn near exploded the can. Thankfully, it's got that safety mechanism. I hurried up and threw it down. And then I took it and put it where you found it, by the trailer. Um, I eventually took that white bucket that you found. I went and got water out of the pool and stopped the fire and just let it be what it was going to be. The fire had got so big. I'm like, at this point, my neighbors are going to see this [ __ ] Um, I took the kids. I took a shower and then I took the children to the bus stop. >> The description of Car's passing is harrowing to say the least. And while it easily could have been prevented with a little more self-control and a lot less alcohol, years of simmering rage had finally caused the otherwise cool and collected Kenneth to explode. But now that he realized how messy murder is, he was faced with a serious problem. protecting his kids from the gory evidence and covering up his crime long enough to figure out his next move. >> I went back to clean and then I said to myself, I stood out on the deck and I said, "From here, I can see her. So, I got to do something about this [ __ ] Like, I can't let these boys see it." That's the only motivation. I finished cleaning what I felt needed to be cleaned so that I could close the door to the master bedroom. I did try and see if I could steam clean the blood on the floor. I was like, "Nope, can't do that." And then I sat down and faced the reality of what I had done. Um, I took my heart out my chest. I ruined my son's lives. I cancelled my life is forfeit. The only person really in my life that's been a supporter to me. I killed. I brought shame on my family. And I said about all that. I wrote a power of attorney. I wrote the last will of the testament. And then I was unsure about how I was going to proceed. Am I going to murder myself now that I've done this? Am I going to choose death by cop? Or am I just going to surrender? And I don't think that I cleared that up until I was in that hotel room yesterday. And I think what helped me make that decision was the morning when I told Daddy what happened. And his response was shocking, but it wasn't shocking because what I've done is this horrible. And uh when I called him and I said, I'm cornered in the hotel room. I literally just opened the door and came in here and this is or I know it is. And then I called dad and I'm like uh you know what what do you think I should do? You know, and I'm like you know he's like you don't think that this conversation is being recorded? I'm like I'm pretty sure it is dad. I said I don't really have an option. I'm sitting here right now. My back is against the wall. I'm backed into a corner. and he told me, he said, "Son, I can't take any more of this." And I could hear my children in the background. And my my 11year-old's really smart, so I know he heard that. And so I made a conscientious decision and I made him a promise that I would surrender peacefully with no resistance. And that was on the table of options. I just needed to come to terms with that. And if you all hadn't have been so good at your job, you know, maybe I'm maybe I'm gone. If the GBI hadn't immediately came and recommended that you track the OnStar, maybe I do make it to Mexico. And then the accountability is just in my head. But I I don't think that that works great. You know, this is the preferred method. When you ask people about me, you will find that they're going to tell you that Ken's always been a person of accountability and integrity. I've always been that. So, this is outside of my character and I realize that it puts me in a bad light and that it makes the things that I'm telling to you questionable, but no, accountability for me is the first part. That's the thing that I need to do. And um I just had to be forced to get to this point where I could do what was necessary. But now once I knew that that's what I needed to do, I don't have a problem doing that. That's why I'm having this conversation with you. Max is going to be when he finds out that I've spent the last hour talking to you without him being present. But if he had been present, I wouldn't have changed what I told you cuz what I just told you is the truth. Um it's verified um by the by the [ __ ] that you had already assumed. Um one of the guys comes out of the house like some of the team [clears throat] they got to they got to understand that not every house is the same. I have ears and eyes everywhere. You can unplug stuff. it don't change that I'm able to hear everything you saying and doing. He come out the house like talking about the bullet in the headboard. Remember that? The way he went about talking about that was pissing me off. It's like nobody's trying to hide nothing. Jack, I know that that bullet hole is in that wall. I didn't I didn't fix it because there's nothing that I'm trying to hide here. What I was doing was that bullet hole was is it's not really all that noticeable. He made itself seem like he was a genius for finding it. I took care of things that I needed to take care of that the children would not see. So when they do come back to that home, when you all release that crime, have you released the crime scene yet? >> It'll be probably after our conversation. [clears throat] >> Okay. So when you release that crime scene, my son's going to go back home. Maybe he did not know that went on. You all didn't cleaned up nothing. So I needed to make sure it got cleaned up. So my boys coming there, they don't [clears throat] know nothing about this. So, my daddy going to try to keep it quiet for as long as we can. And you know what? Really? I said to myself, when Elijah finds out about this, he's going to hate me. I'm okay with that because I deserve that. >> Kenneth wants to look confident, but the harder he tries to hide the truth from his kids, the more sad and pathetic his efforts seem. And while blaming cops for missing key clues may make him feel superior, it's an obvious defense mechanism against the tremendous fear and guilt he now feels. But if he loves his kids so much, it begs the question, why would he brutally murder their mother in the first place? >> And when I called bad and told him that I have successfully surrendered and I have been booked into whatever, I don't even know where we're at. I keep hearing it's either Cington and I keep hearing this Saint something. So whatever it is, I told Daddy that and he says uh he says Elijah want to talk to you and I'm expecting the worst and he gets on the phone and he says sir I just want to tell you that I love you and I'm Take your time. I want to tell you I love you and I'm not mad at you. And I got these boys. They're my brothers. You all can hear. It's on the uh on the jail recording line. >> [snorts] >> I hope this clears this up for you. From my viewpoint, I want to make sure I reiterate this. I am not putting anything on Carrie. We've had a lot of tough conversations. We've had a lot of arguments. [snorts] We've put oursel in a bad situation because now everything time we have an argument. I might even try to claim self-defense. I just know that when she went to grab for it, I had like lost control of myself. And I'm telling you that because that's how I viewed it. I'm not telling you that because I'm trying to alleviate myself from taking accountability. I did that just so that my sons wouldn't see it. I knew that she would be found. So if I queue her in a place where they can't see what's going on, that's where I was at with that. That's it. I left because of how you arrived [snorts] and with all of the resources that I have access to after you all had the conversation, and I believe you did at the sprinter with dad, whoever was first on the scene. It wasn't I don't think it was either one of you all, but I couldn't really see. It was so far back, but whoever was the first on the scene when the sprinter was still there. >> Mhm. >> And then you all made the decision that you needed to go check the house. It was at least 11 of you. And how you came in the triangle formation would have represented a problem for us and for you if we had allowed that to occur while I was there. That's why I left. >> I got body armor. I got body shields. I got ballistic. I got scopes. I'm a excellent shot. That would have been a terrible thing. You saw what's in my vehicle. And I'm not saying that it's in my vehicle because I planned on it. But I'm saying all that's in my house, too. And and under those circumstances, that's my counsel. Like I just I don't know if I'm explaining that in a way that makes sense to you. I hope it does. But >> that kind of aggression, you doing your job, but I'm perceiving that as aggression. [clears throat] Like I told the police yesterday, I don't have any beef with you, so you don't have to worry about me harming you. And I don't have any beef with Fed County either. You look at the history of that address and what I've done. I've chased criminals out of that out of that city. I'll work with you. So, I back the blue. I don't have a problem. And I know that that was going to that's why I've been trying to avoid this with her because it puts me in I'm trying to maintain the respect that I have as a respectable man. I can't do that having police in my address. [snorts] And I knew that if you all came in light of me deciding to to tell you myself that it's going to end up a shootout and you not going to be at a place of advantage. >> The cocky Kenneth's proven himself an expert in selfdeception. But the logic pretzel he's twisted himself in is impossible to untie because even though he's already confessed to murder, he thinks an arm standoff with police would have been an appropriate response to his arrest. So despite his claims of being a stand-up guy, it's a keen insight into the real Kenneth, the one who concealed evidence of a murder before skipping town and doing everything he could to cover his tracks along the way. >> When did you change tags? Cuz we have you in >> and then we don't have you no more >> in Louisiana. >> In Louisiana. And where' those come from? uh something rando like I walked up on a uh body shop a couple exits back from the Coington body shop. >> Oh, okay. >> And um I was just walking around there with a bunch of people around and I had some random like uh I'll pay for a temp tag. And he's like, "We don't have a temp tag. We're a dealership. I'm sorry. We're a body shop, not a dealership." I talked to him a little bit longer. I didn't discuss anything with him. And um I did tell him I was desperate. Said, "I'm pretty sure right now my tag is going to get me in trouble if anybody reads it." And I said, "All right, but you can't help me." So I gave him $100. Then they got prepared to turn around and walk off. And he said, "Wait one second." He disappeared into the shop, came [clears throat] back out with a tag. I said, "What does this go to?" He says, "I don't know. We got stacks of these. And I'm like, "Okay." And I just put it on my car. >> Okay. All right. Um, do you remember how many rounds you fired Monday night? >> Whatever was in the gun. I think >> Do you know if it was fully loaded? Cuz I think MP hold 15. >> No, not that guy. You got to upgrade yourself, man. >> Oh, I'm thinking about >> There's so many guns out there. >> That's the uh >> It's a smaller version. Yeah, that's that's eight. >> Okay. >> With something in the chamber, I think. >> Right. Do you think it was fully loaded? >> I don't know. >> I know you said you you know, you just >> Yeah, >> lost it. And I get it. >> Yeah, it clicked. So, all everything came off, but it's at least six shots. >> I just I feel like we would have we should have found more holes. You know what I mean? that we found the one in the headboard and that was it. >> How close were you to her? >> Pretty close. >> So, when did you stop listening? >> Every so often I would just stop listening to it because it was bothering me. The whole thing was bothering me. Um, you know, and parts of it were bothering me that shouldn't be bothering me. you know that on the opposite side I know there's no quarter given but I'm like you know people were complaining about it being hot the need for water the girl from forensics was saying her feet were hurting you know tired of walking back and forth up inside of the house and you know I was just listening because I was learning different things um I didn't realize that there was a accurate description of my vehicle And um you guys had a meeting at the mailbox about my my vehicle, but what you suspected that I was driving and somebody was like, "Well, he's got a black racing stripe and he's got uh red stripes on the side." I'm like, "Well, this is not good at all." So I stopped and took everything off of it, you know. So that was helpful. >> You took the stripes off? >> I took the stripes off my vehicle. Yes, sir. >> Oh, okay. >> Yeah. They're in the It's in the trunk of a of a car. >> Oh, okay. Was the trip west was the idea just to get like to Mexico, keep riding? Were you going to go to California? >> I wasn't sure what I have a plan. >> I didn't have no plan. >> I just knew that I didn't know what I wanted to do. And until I found out, my head was spinning. And I hope you can understand that it's a lot that I have done. >> Sure. You've seen my home. >> You've seen some of what my businesses has going. >> What kind of guy is in this situation? >> That by itself, right? So, I'm dealing with all of that. You've had a chance to, I think, at least see a picture or two of my boys. >> They're good kids. >> You talk to them. You see how smart you see how you are. Yeah. [snorts] All right. Come on, man. Keep SRO took them took care of them. yesterday. They they you know, we didn't know what we don't know you. We don't know what kind of state you're in. So, they actually were there. They had their own private protection and they didn't know it. >> And then they um they were reunited with your father to take care of. So, they're being taken care of. >> Like it's a lot for a human being to deal with. Like you had a bad decision that you made. >> Mhm. And then you have the mess that he caused. >> Mhm. >> And then you need to find a way, which I think God created that. >> But you need to find a way or a higher power if you don't believe in God. You need to find a way to take accountability without anyone else coming to harm. And that's a that's a big thing. >> Sure it is. >> And then you don't know what your state of mind is going to be is changing. I would imagine constantly. I mean, I really would. I would imagine constantly. >> And then every move I'm making, I'm questioning, is this going to come up in my interrogation as something that I'm trying to hide or do like, you know, I'm throwing the phones out cuz I don't want to get trapped. So, I bought a burner phone. I didn't really want to call anybody on my business phone until the first call I made was to him. And I actually was using that phone just so I could have internet so I could GPS my way out of uh Georgia. And the reason I was trying to GPS my way out of Georgia is cuz I know as long as I sit in Georgia, I'm being recorded cuz Georgia is a state that records a awful lot. And I'm like, whatever decision I make, I don't want to make it here because I'm going to be recorded and they're going to be upon me before I have decided what I want to do. >> Mhm. >> Um, you know, actually, I regret to a certain degree even getting the plate because that made me stop and I got the plate and then now I'm thinking something that's true that's not true. I'm thinking [clears throat] I got time, but I don't have any time. You know, until you make a decision, you got to continue to move forward, >> right? >> And that's what I should have did cuz I knew Onstar was going to be my undoing. You can't rip the OnStar out the car. So, I knew that that would be my undoing, you know, and I knew as long as I kept my gas trips to less than 5 minutes and on mobile, it's unsafe for you all to uh have OnStar to deactivate that vehicle while it's in drive. So, that was my plan. I don't know what I intended on doing. I talked about potentially Mexico and then I'm like, well, that means I would have to walk across the desert and I don't know if I'm prepared to do that. Can't passport my way in there, >> right? >> Um, so I hadn't made a final decision on that and I apologize that I don't have a better answer for you. I didn't know what I was going to do. >> Kenneth wants to give off the impression that he did the right thing by turning himself in, but the reality is anything but. because if his vehicle hadn't led authorities to the motel, there's no telling how far he would have gotten. Nevertheless, Kenneth seems able to justify his behavior as only protecting his family. And his last conversations with his children before fleeing proves it. >> What was that conversation about? >> It was cryptic as hell. And both of them were standing there and they looked a little afraid because I was uh beyond a place where you could communicate with me in a in a normal way. I was just telling people things. So I walked up to Johnny and I'm like, "When you see my father, tell my father that if he has any questions or needs any paperwork, it's in my office." I looked at Elijah and said, "I love you. I'm proud of you. I believe in you. Don't ever let anybody tell you anything different. And he said, "What are you saying? Like, I'm not going to see you again." You know, he a goofy. You know, as much as a a 20-year-old can be sharp as he is, he's still a 20-year-old. So, he kind of, you know, you know, get what the hell going on. >> Yeah. >> You know, it's right in his face. He can't see it. And I was blessed that that was the case cuz I didn't have to explain myself. and he said, "Uh, so I'm not gonna see you again." I'm like, "No, you're not gonna see me again." And it was cryptic. He was confused. Um, after they left, I think he text me, "You have his phone." He said, "Uh, I'm fearful or something to that effect, but I will make you proud." you know, so he sensed there was something going on, but um there was no way that I would have told him what what what that was because I knew that it would have broke him. >> Did one of you personally tell him what happened or did that I think your dad probably did cuz I haven't spoken to him. [clears throat] >> Again, guys, this is not a conspiracy. their reactions. >> I mean, it didn't seem like something was planned out for weeks and weeks or anything like that. It just, you know, >> there's some there's some [ __ ] that's all of a sudden occurring and you just like making decisions and they're not good decisions, but decisions are being made that you're being made because of this panic state of mind that you in. And it's only tied to the children. You know what I'm saying? It says, >> "I can't let the kids see this. I can't let these kids see nothing like this, you know? I can't let them see anything that would suggest some foul [ __ ] >> Did you have any conversation with the kids about where Karen was? >> Nope. Not a single one. >> Did they ask anything? >> Nope. And that was a blessing. Uh part of it is is that I didn't allow space. So, I got them up at 6:00. Kingston have to be on the bus at 6:30. Got them up, told them I love them. asked him how they slept and immediately started on that. >> Mhm. >> When he was done, I handed him a granola bar, which he was pretty distracted and excited about. And that carried us through until I got him off to school. It was a um it was a heroin feat for a father in this scenario because I did not want to be faced with that question and I did what I needed to do uh communicating wise to keep him from even thinking about it. you know, it's just another day, you know, maybe mom's still asleep, you know, and dad's taking us today. It's all good. Like, and I'm glad it worked out that way. >> The neighbor to your left, [clears throat] if you're looking at your house, the left hand side, >> he's a weird old dude. >> He's got a little white dog. >> Yeah. >> He said, "No, I mean, he was he came out, of course, cuz all the cars." >> Yeah. >> And um he just said, "I just hope everybody's okay. They're super focused." He was a nice guy. I'd want to know that what my neighbors said about me. But >> yeah, I take care of my neighbors. I feel responsible for them. They're all senior citizens. I cut the grass. I fix I saw those cars, too. And my sit I know they are. Well, nobody came out shaking your head saying I do it. >> You're not going to find them. >> You know what I'm saying? And nobody nobody heard anything according to them. So, >> that's not who I am, sir. There's been a chain of events that have been out of my control. I've sought help and um her and I couldn't come to agreement on how to get help together. She refused to go to counseling. Man, crying like a girl, man. [snorts] While Kenneth may claim this isn't who he is, his actions speak far louder than his many words ever could. And in the eyes of the law, those actions make him a coldblooded killer. Kenneth Harden Jr. pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including felony murder, concealing the death of another person, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, plus 15 years. We hope you enjoyed today's video. 85% of our viewers aren't subscribed, so if this is the kind of content you come back for, just hit subscribe. It's the single biggest thing you can do to support the channel. [music] If you want to keep watching more, check out one of the most intense cases we've ever covered right here.