Going West: True Crime - Camp Keller Murders // 371

Starting point is 00:00:00 What is going on True Crime fans? I'm your host Teez. And I'm your host Daphne. And you're listening to Going West. Hello everybody! Today's case is one that Heath actually found for us on TikTok and it is nuts and just so troubling and it only happened a few years ago so good, good find Heath. Yeah, honestly I was just scrolling through TikTok, I saw this video, I was

Starting point is 00:00:37 extremely fascinated by this story for many many reasons but it's also extremely tragic as well. Well you saw one of the vlogs right tragic as well. Well, you saw one of the vlogs, right? I did, yeah. Somebody posted one of the vlogs on their TikTok page and it is disturbing to say the least. And you guys have no idea what we mean by vlogs, but there are vlogs associated with the crime that takes place today, so yeah, that's what I mean. It's just absolutely nuts. So let's dive into this one.

Starting point is 00:01:03 Alright guys, this is episode 371 of Going West. So let's get into it. In April of 2012, a mom and her daughter were murdered in their home by someone they thought they could trust. A self-proclaimed survivalist, the killer documented their plans and ideas for the end of the world and the end of these women's lives. This is the story of Lynette and Kaylene Keller, also known as the Camp Keller Murders. Lynette Louise Rocha was born on May 28th, 1970 in Pomona, California to parents Albert and Lupe right alongside her twin brother Jean, and that she also had a sister named Kimberly. When Lynette was young, her family relocated from Pomona to Laguna Hills, both of which earned Southern California, but later they moved again, this time to the suburbs of Portland

Starting point is 00:02:52 Oregon, and it was there that Lynette met fellow student Peter Keller. After graduating from a low-ha high school in 1989, the two fell out a touch for a bit, but reconnected a few years later, becoming in Lynette's words, quote, best friends. Though the relationship wasn't immediately romantic, Lynette remembers Peter telling her early in their friendship that he was just super eager to get married and have children. Peter asked her whether or not she wanted to get married, to which Lynette responded that she didn't really have the desire to do so. But when Lynette's sister Kimberly told her to give Peter a chance and that she thought they'd be a great couple,

Starting point is 00:03:35 Lynette decided to go on a date with him. And after three months together, Peter again brought up marriage and children, and Lynette again told him that she didn't think she wanted to get married and she couldn't really see herself having kids. So he is like really pushing this idea on her, but she's like 19 at this time, so it totally makes sense that she's not really thinking about these things right now, but Peter proposed to her just weeks later anyway, and Lynette said that she was thrilled by this and gave an unequivocal yes. Later calling him the love of her life.

Starting point is 00:04:11 Lynette is remembered as being a vivacious and creative woman who was known for her many crafting endeavors, and fellow crafters were called her incredibly warm and gentle spirit. When a workplace injury left her unable to hold down a full-time job though, Lynette really leaned into her hobby and began selling craft jewelry, paper flowers, and custom scrapbooking supplies online and at craft fairs in the area. But she also learned to sew, which helped her make dolls and stuffed animals. Along with the income she made from her crafts, she also received a

Starting point is 00:04:45 disability payment from the state, but even so, Lynette's family recalls Peter being very stingy with their money, even calling him, quote, controlling and cagey about it. So Lynette would sometimes have to borrow money from her family members in order to get things that she needed, as her husband just wouldn't budge. But she continued to persevere in her passions and started a YouTube channel, chronicling her halls that are favorite crafting store Michaels, and offering tips and tutorials to other crafters. Despite what her family recalls about the Keller's finances, Lynette frequently praised and thanked

Starting point is 00:05:23 her husband for his contributions to her hobby, which we're going to touch on a little bit later. She was super, super grateful. And in addition to her crafts, Lynette is remembered for her skills as a chef, especially when recreating classic dishes from her Mexican heritage. So after Lynette and Peter got married, they settled into the Portland area, and Peter found work as a computer repair technician. He was also an avid outdoorsman,

Starting point is 00:05:49 and when I say avid, this guy was basically a survivalist, and he spent much of his time hiking solo, and you'll see this outdoorsy side come out much more as this story continues. So on June 28th, 1993, exactly one month after Lynette's 23rd birthday, the two welcomed a daughter that they named Kayleen Nicole. And as Kayleen grew up, the family eventually relocated a few hours away to the small rural city of North Bend, Washington, which for those who don't know is just outside of Seattle, where Peter settled into the routine of taking near daily hikes

Starting point is 00:06:27 While Lynette made friends in the crafting community and Kayleen began attending Mount Si High School Kayleen eventually picked up her dad's knack for computers and was fascinated by computer gaming technology So after graduating high school in 2011 So, after graduating high school in 2011, 18-year-old Kayleen enrolled in nearby Bellevue College, and also found a part-time position testing video games, which was basically a dream job for her. In her senior year of high school, Kayleen started dating a guy named Carson Brammer, who was also passionate about video games, and Carson finally remembered bringing his massive television over to Kaleen's house to play portal in Skyrim together. Outside of her promising academic future, Kaleen, like her mom, was also a very great cook, and she was known in her family for her cookies,

Starting point is 00:07:18 which were baked from scratch. Having grown up in the lush climate of the Pacific Northwest, she was also passionate about the environment and nature, but tragically with so much seemingly ahead of her, Kayleens life in future were cut off by an unsuspecting source. On Sunday April 22nd 2012, residents in the Keller's North Bend neighborhood heard what they thought was an explosion coming in the Keller's North Bend neighborhood heard what they thought was an explosion coming from the Keller's home, followed by a fire that quickly engulfed part of the house. When law enforcement arrived to investigate further, the fire was accelerating quickly.

Starting point is 00:08:01 Though firefighters fought to enter before the fire claimed the Keller's lives, they were too late and soon after, two bodies were pulled from inside. But almost immediately, investigators suspected that something was a rye. Now the fire was confined to the kitchen and in another area of the house, they recovered a homemade undetinated pipe bomb. Also inside were six plastic gas cans filled with gasoline that seemed to have been scattered around the house as ammunition for this fire. A rapid investigation of the property ensued because again, they just really felt like something was off here, it seemed

Starting point is 00:08:43 like this fire was started on purpose, and the fire was traced to a skillet on a lit stove that contained yet another full plastic gas can. But the most disturbing detail of the ordeal came when the bodies were recovered and examined. Because 41-year-old Lynette and 18-year-old Kaelene had not been killed in the fire. They had been shot in the head. Both women were killed by a single close-range shot to the head and had been left in their respective bedrooms to be covered up by this fire. However, Peter Keller was nowhere to be found.

Starting point is 00:09:24 His car had vanished from the residence and he didn't return for the entirety of this investigation. Attempts to notify next of kin went unanswered, so police were completely stumped as to what happened, who was involved, and just what was going on. 24 hours after the fire, the Washington State Medical Examiner's office concluded that the cause of death for both Kayleen and Lynette were gunshot wounds to the head. On Tuesday, April 24, detectives officially announced that Peter Keller was a person of interest in the strange deaths of his wife and daughter.

Starting point is 00:10:05 The share of Sargent of King County Cindy West addressed the media by saying, quote, we certainly have not ruled him out as a suspect. There is a possibility that he's also a victim somewhere. But as more details from the investigation revealed themselves to law enforcement, that theory began to seem less and less plausible. By Sunday afternoon, the Keller family car had turned up in a parking lot in downtown North Bend, but there was still no sign of Peter.

Starting point is 00:10:38 When investigators notified Lynette's family, they were alerted of a potential motive of Peter's involvement. So basically Lynette Sibling's and parents reported that Peter was somewhat of a Doomsday Prepper, and that he had spoken for years about living off the grid. And as law enforcement scoured the home for any indication of what had happened to the Keller women, these stumbled upon a few clues that Peter had been involved. Now, when the King County Sheriff's Office dropped in on the computer refurbishing shop

Starting point is 00:11:10 in Preston, Washington, where Peter had worked, his co-workers claimed that he had departed from work on Wednesday, April 18th, so four days before Lynette and Kaylene were killed. And he also told his fellow employees that he may not be back to work for a few days or potentially ever. So obviously this is really weird

Starting point is 00:11:32 because I don't know why he would say, I may not be back to work for a few days, but also I may just never come back. Like, yeah, kind of gonna weird. What kind of reaction are you trying to get? Yeah. So then two days later on Friday, April 20th, Peter withdrew $6,200 in cash from the family bank account.

Starting point is 00:11:52 Now, his bank account also showed that he had recently purchased a new laptop computer in the two weeks before the fire. And although investigators did recover the Keller's car, Peter's mountain bike was still missing from the property. So they kinda just wondered if maybe he had fled on this bike. And then strangely, the safe was left open as well as the door to the outdoor shed.

Starting point is 00:12:18 Lynette's family attested that Peter had what they referred to as a quote, survivalist mentality, and that he was somewhat of a loner who desired to live off the grid. They also confirmed that he had a large arsenal of guns, ammunition, and even body armor in the home, none of which were recovered after the fire, meaning that he likely had all of those things with him, wherever the hell he was. Yeah, so it's weird. They find the car downtown abandoned, right? His bike is gone. All this ammunition is gone.

Starting point is 00:12:51 All this weird survivalist equipment is gone. And they have no idea where he is. They don't know if he's a suspect, if he's a victim. They don't know how to think of this. But he seems like the only person at this point who would kill his family and then leave, but they're also like, why would he do this? Like, nothing is connecting here.

Starting point is 00:13:11 Yeah, I don't think that they have at this point, they don't have any motive as to why he would have done something like this, but I think now they're starting to lean towards him being, you know, the main culprit,, like, you know, if he was taken hostage or something, I don't think that all of his survivalist gear would have gone with his captors, you know what I mean? Yeah, and the fact that the her family is saying that they could see him having motive for something this horrific and then also, Kayleen's boyfriend Carson remembered Peter proudly showing off his collection

Starting point is 00:13:45 of guns, and also recalled her telling him that Peter was, quote, preparing for the end of the world, stashing supplies to live off the grid in a fort in the wilderness one day. So now, that's coming into play, and it's just adding like all these crazy dimensions. But still, they cannot find Peter at this point. Well, that's why this conversation of this fort in the wilderness is so important because they found out that this fort existed here, he had this fort, and neither Kayleen nor Lynette were permitted to see the fort.

Starting point is 00:14:21 And even Carson said he knew this fort existed and that he had seen a picture of it. But before all this happened, no one seemed to realize quite how nefarious Peter's plans actually were. They also didn't know where the bunker's exact location was, which posed another issue for police. So Peter would go on these long hikes by himself multiple times per week to shuttle supplies to the location while his family thought that he was just out on their local hiking trail.

Starting point is 00:14:50 So police knew that this bunker had to be close by, but they needed to find out exactly where it was. And at this point, police now feared retaliation, knowing that they were in pursuit of someone who was not only armed, but also, according to his extended family, possessed a strong distaste for authority. Police even announced that they believed Peter was capable of procuring a hostage in order to leverage power over law enforcement, and that he would fight back with firepower if challenged.

Starting point is 00:15:27 After the women's autopsies revealed that they had died by gunshot wound, investigators shifted into a full-scale hunt of the man that they believed to be an armed and dangerous murderer. On Tuesday, April 24, 2012, so two days after the murders and arson of the family home, police officially announced that Peter was the only person of interest in the case. Prosecutors and detectives filed a probable cause affidavit against Peter Keller alleging

Starting point is 00:15:59 two counts of first-degree murder and one count of first-degree arson. As law enforcement combed the Keller House for any indication of where Peter was hiding out, they came upon the gas cans and the homemade bomb, demonstrating they had likely hoped that the entire property would be engulfed in a scolding fire incapable of leaving a trail of clues that led authorities back to him. But much to Peter's dismay, the fire failed to move past the kitchen. King County Sheriff Sergeant Katie Larson reported, quote, When authorities got inside, they saw gas cans distributed throughout the house because

Starting point is 00:16:40 he wanted that place to go up in flames. What we found there was a safe, and in the safe, there were photographs. We saw preliminary drawings of the bunker, and when we looked at the pictures, we knew he was building something. Then, it was just a matter of taking those photos and figuring out where that bunker could be.

Starting point is 00:17:03 And I have to say, I'm really surprised that he left these photos and plans behind like any trace that a bunker existed. It seems kind of a kind of careless. I think his plan just went to shit and you know the house didn't go up in flames like he really thought it was going to. That's true. He did not count on any portion of that house remaining untouched by the fire. Especially because also inside, police found what is perhaps the most chilling evidence recovered in this fire. Peter's video diaries detailing years of plans to commit familiar side and abandon all of his responsibilities to live in a secluded fort in the wilderness had been

Starting point is 00:18:19 ruminating for 8 years, according to the personal effects left behind in his home, he had become much more serious about this desire and the months leading up to the murders. It's unknown what the trigger for his plan was, but Peter began recording his every move, narrating it in a video blog, although he kept them private and it left them in his home to burn. Yeah, it's not like he was posting these live on YouTube or something. These all came out afterwards. Yeah, it seems like he never had intentions of posting these, although he did address this invisible audience.

Starting point is 00:18:57 Yeah, I wonder, it is weird though. I wonder if he had recorded these for himself. He wanted to act like he wasn't alone out there and act like he had this audience of people that wasn't there and that was the whole purpose of it. Or because obviously these were supposed to burn in the fire. Or maybe he wanted these to come out later and change his mind. It's just, it's so weird to me that he recorded this.

Starting point is 00:19:23 And as you guys will hear in a second when we play some of the clips, he does multiple takes, like, oh, he gets disappointed, he doesn't like that take, so he does it again, so it's like he wants people to hear this. Yeah, I don't know. I mean, I think maybe in the event of his, you know, potential death, they could possibly stumble upon these videos that might explain some of his reasoning

Starting point is 00:19:45 for doing what he did, but obviously he left them in the house and possibly thought that they were going to burn, so I don't know. But you know, his pent up resentment for his wife and daughter and you know, the responsibility that he felt to them was evident in his confessionals. Like he was especially disillusioned with Lynette due to the fact that she was in recovery from her work injury and left with chronic pain and fatigue. As if being injured is her fault and like that's your wife, so in sickness and in health, right?

Starting point is 00:20:16 Yeah, I mean it's really messed up that he's basically blaming her for being out of work. And obviously, I'm going to talk about this a bit more, but this guy is a complete piece of shit. But it seems like her retirement from full-time work left Peter feeling bitter at assuming the position as the sole provider for the family, which he clearly was not happy about. In one of his blogs, he said quote, I just feel like I'm getting knocked back every time financially. My wife is just gonna suck all the money out that I have.

Starting point is 00:20:47 Which is interesting as well because somebody who wants to live off the grid, you don't need money or at least you don't need very much money, so why do you care? Well the thing that also pisses me off about this case is the fact that he was the one that pressured her into getting married and having kids. And now he's the one that's like, oh well, I want to be selfish and go live in a bunker in the fucking woods like, bro, grow up. Yeah, and oh, I have a wife and I have to take care of her financially and when she's in poor health, like God forbid, that's what you signed up for, dude.

Starting point is 00:21:19 Yeah, it's just insane. So ironically, Lynette, who was also a frequent video blogger, spoke adoringly of Peter on her channel. And she praised him every time he offered her extra spending money for her scrapbooking hobby. Her craft room was adorned with pictures of them together, and Lynette made a point of mentioning him in every single video that she posted, acknowledging all that she felt he did for her.

Starting point is 00:21:45 And that just breaks your heart, like what a loving woman and he is so rude. Yeah, manipulative, rude, and selfish. So in one post shortly before her murder, she said, quote, he got me all that furniture and then he put my shelves up for me, such a great husband. Peter, on the other hand, seemed blind to the appreciation that Lynette showed, and was surprisingly self-deprecating in his recordings, exhibiting signs of what were likely years of repressed indignation and oppression. And when referencing killing Lynette and Kaleen, he said, quote, We haven't done the part that I'm not looking forward to and we're getting pretty close to that time

Starting point is 00:22:26 I guess I'm probably a couple months away maybe three. So yeah, I know once I do this I could either die then maybe something will happen or a few days or weeks or maybe even years My goal is to make it ten years, but that's the other hard part It's either to not care about dying and to still care about the project. And we're gonna go ahead and play a couple clips from these vlogs, if you will, so you guys can kind of hear his voice

Starting point is 00:22:54 and what he's talking about. Well, it's about two weeks before the end. This is gonna be my last video probably before to laugh for that. That's terrible. Well, it's about two weeks before I finally drop out of society and start this project. Well, it's about two weeks before we finally drop out of society, fully commit to this.

Starting point is 00:23:39 This is probably going to be my last video, until after that. I just wanted to get one last video in before that time. So far, I'm... Comes in terms with it. Doing okay. It's starting to accept it. It doesn't really freak me out anymore. Like it did sometimes. At this point, I don't know what's gonna happen.

Starting point is 00:24:05 I may get caught right away. Basically if I get caught I'm just gonna shoot myself. So I could basically be dead in two weeks or three weeks I don't know. It's all up to chance at this point. So I don't think anyone knows where I'm at, but if they put it together, you know, at this point I have to take that chance. All right, so Peter described himself as fucked up and claimed that he hated his life, asking himself, quote, how did so many things go wrong? He called himself ugly and said that nobody cared about him. However, he also refused to take much responsibility, saying he blamed his strict Mormon upbringing and his quote, shitty family life for his unhappiness.

Starting point is 00:24:56 I mean, at this point, just get a divorce. Haven't heard that in a while, but it does apply here very heavily. Because despite having an adoring wife and daughter at home, he said that he tried for years to pull himself out of his depressive state, but that he always reverted back to his angry and self-deprecating nature. The only thing that seemed to bring Peter Joy was making plans for his future of living solo in a bunker off the grid. Which just pisses me off so much. Like, if you want to live off the grid, go do that. Why are you

Starting point is 00:25:33 taking your wonderful daughter and wife off this earth? Just so you can go die in a bunker alone. Like, just go. I mean, it's very, very obvious that he's extremely selfish. He's a fucking manchild this guy like he he can planes about Oh, I'm so ugly and people don't like me and they don't care But you have a wife and a daughter who loved you and you killed them so that you could go live by yourself and live this dream of Being in a bunker like I just you know, it's I feel no sympathy for this guy I know it is so frustrating and he described giving up on himself saying, quote, you know, I've tried, but I keep coming back to the same person I am. I guess it's also because I don't have anything.

Starting point is 00:26:16 I never did. No money. My looks are horrible. No personality. I mean, I'm okay with it. It's just, I understand now very clearly. This is the only thing I have. Bro, what? Like, that's crazy to me. Yeah, it's almost like he's making an excuse for why he's doing these things, saying that his life is messed up, and all these horrible things keep happening to me. You know, he's trying to play this victim. Like, he's got this victim mentality going on, but he is not the victim in this case. Yeah, and then he has to bring his wife and daughter down with him, and it's so horrible.

Starting point is 00:26:52 So Peter claimed that living this lifestyle was something that he'd wanted to do since he was a teenager, calling himself an introvert, and that he desired to live alone in the wilderness so that he didn't have to quote, deal with people. Again, go do that then. He also expressed a desire to live in existence free from any sort of societal infrastructure or pressure. In one video, he explained the following. I'm getting to the point where I'm just trying to live and pay bills and live as a civilian

Starting point is 00:27:24 and go to work. It just freaks me out. It's actually more comfortable for me to think about. Living out here, robbing banks, pharmacies just taking what I want. For as long as I can. At least it will be exciting. Won't be boring. And I don't have to worry about Leonardo or Kaleen. And everything will be taken care of. Just be me.

Starting point is 00:27:52 Based on his surroundings in the videos, as well as the blue pranks and sketches recovered from inside his home, police surmised that Peter was likely in the Cascade Mountains, somewhere off the rattlesnake Ridge hiking trail. King County Sheriff Steve Straun issued a warning to the public, cautioning them against approaching Peter in the wilderness, saying, quote, based on the facts that we have right now,

Starting point is 00:28:18 we believe that violent death came to Lynette and Kayleen unexpectedly in their home from a family member who had been familiar and trusted. The obvious question is, how much danger does Keller present for hikers, campers, and the public? I don't think we need to be fearful, but we do need to be aware and use common sense to stay safe.

Starting point is 00:28:41 If you're hiking or using areas of the mountain, carry a cell phone, do not confront Keller and let us know if you see or know anything about his location. And what a terrifying thought for locals, people who do hike and go outdoors and work at banks and work at pharmacies and people who are aware of what's going on, knowing that this madman is just on the loose and that they have no idea where he is. Yeah, they got this wannabe Rambo Bear Grills type-dude just hanging out in the wilderness, building bunkers, and you know, there are people that use these hiking trails daily, so it's very scary to know that there's this guy out in the wilderness with a ton of ammunition.

Starting point is 00:29:26 And also, ill intentions. So in the hard drive removed from the Keller home, authorities found multiple photos of the wilderness in which his bunker was located. Scouring the photo for context clues, they spotted power lines in a deeply wooded area. Now when smoke was seen emanating from a rugged area off of the rattlesnake Ridge Trail in the mountains just outside of North Bend, police believed that they had zeroed in on the location of what Peter liked to call camp Keller. On Thursday, April 26, 2012, so four days after the murders. Sheriff Steve Strahan announced that they believed

Starting point is 00:30:06 Peter to be in a secluded area of the foothills of the Cascade Mountains, about 25 miles or 40 kilometers east of Seattle. Peter took a shockingly lazy approach toward eliminating his family and relinquishing his entire existence to live by himself underground. Though he admitted that he wasn't looking forward to killing his wife and daughter, he also expressed little to no remorse at doing so. If apprehended, Peter even had a backup plan, which was simply just to take his own life. He said frankly in one of his recordings quote, At this point, I don't know what's going to happen. I may get caught right away.

Starting point is 00:30:47 Basically, if I get caught, I'm going to shoot myself. So I could basically be dead in two weeks or three weeks. I don't know. It's all up to chance at this point. I do have my escape, and that's death. I can always shoot myself, and I'm okay with that. God, I can't stand this guy. Though the murders seemed entirely preventable to everyone on the outside, Peter spoke about them as a foregone conclusion, almost as if they had already happened. In another one of

Starting point is 00:31:18 his videos he admitted, quote, part of me has a hard time even imagining doing what I'm going to do. but as I think about it, I always come up to the same conclusion every time. I'm starting to get more okay with it. Other times I feel like I'm more than ready. I've tried to make it in this world and it's just not happening. I'm 40 now and I'm running out of time. I don't even question it anymore.

Starting point is 00:31:43 It just seems like everything makes so much sense now. You know, just the more I've thought about it, the more I understand it. I don't really feel bad about it. It's just the way it is. You know, certain things happen that cause this to happen, so I've just kind of accepted it. Again, it's so like I can't even express how annoyed I am with this guy, but just knowing that you can start over, you can do other things. You don't have to be a computer repair guy. Like you can live off the grid if you want to

Starting point is 00:32:12 and spend little money and you can figure out how to make that work for you without having to take your life and your family's lives and put the public in danger. And you can also learn how to get a divorce, because at this point, you know, your daughter's 18, she's in college, she's living her own life, she's out of the house.

Starting point is 00:32:32 So if you wanted to get a divorce, it could have just been you in a bunker somewhere by yourself with your wife and your kid still alive. Yeah, if you're unhappy, figure something else out, but don't harm yourself or other people. But anyway, Peter's worst case scenario was realized when police finally apprehended him using a SWAT team in helicopters to trace the source of the smoke, believed to be coming from the chimney of his underground layer.

Starting point is 00:33:01 Around 6 a.m. on Friday, April 27, two helicopters responded hovering low over the wooded areas in both Noqalmi and North Bend. Local media outlets were kept in the dark as the King County Sheriff's Office were concerned that Peter was tracking the developments of their search, assuming that he had internet access on that new laptop that he purchased two weeks earlier. In the North Bend neighborhood of Forster Woods near the trailhead of Rattlesnake Ridge, locals observed men in fatigues entering the forest, presumably to scale the mountain and descend upon Peter's residence. Authorities shut down all local access trailheads

Starting point is 00:33:46 to ensure that no one was hurt in the crossfire if Peter decided to fight back or flee. When SWAT team members and officers from the King County Sheriff's Office arrived at Peter's bunker, they dropped tear gas through one of the hatches, hoping to smoke Peter out. But when that didn't work, they entered into a standoff They dropped tear gas through one of the hatches, hoping to smoke Peter out.

Starting point is 00:34:05 But when that didn't work, they entered into a standoff that lasted 22 hours. Swat team members were hesitant to raid the bunker for fear that Peter had rigged it with booby traps or even homemade bombs. Sheriff Sergeant Cindy West regarded the situation as, quote, one of the most difficult they had ever faced. And added, quote, the bunker is amazingly fortified and pictures don't do it justice. But finally, after an all night stake out and no cooperation from Peter, authorities raided the structure around 10.30 a.m. the next morning, which was Saturday, April 28.

Starting point is 00:34:49 Inside, they discovered Peter Keller deceased, lying in a pool of blood with a gun nearby. So after all that, he did take his life, which was a very shallow victory for the shocked community as well as Lynette and Kayleon's grieving family. After nearly a full day in the wilderness, four members of the SWAT team were admitted to the hospital to be treated for exhaustion and dehydration, and another officer sprained his ankle due to the rugged terrain. They believed Peter had been dead for hours by the time they repelled into the bunker, and his body was removed via helicopter. After a team of experts made sure the property was cleared of explosives, investigators descended into the bunker in hopes of finding out more

Starting point is 00:35:39 context for the tragic loss of an entire family. After reviewing all of the video footage that Peter left behind of his years of preparation and plotting, Sheriff Strong called the pre-meditation quote, Breath Taking in its evil, and added quote, It's a little bit chilling because it makes you very aware of the fact that he planned to go into the bunker weeks, months, probably years ahead of time, and also indicates that he planned to commit the double homicide years ahead of time. From within the depths of this bunker, police removed 50 large trash bags worth of belongings

Starting point is 00:36:19 that Peter had hiked up the trail himself. To begin construction, he dug 20 feet into the side of the mountain, and the bunker contained three stories. The foundation was supported by cement and massive wooden beams, which he had used a pulley and leverage system to put in place. Lining the walls were tools, camping equipment,

Starting point is 00:36:44 five-gallon paint buckets, shovels, and lighting and electrical equipment. The bunker boosted running water, self-installed pipes for indoor water and plumbing, and was wired for indoor lighting controlled by light switches. Peter dug a chimney through the ground, connecting to a wood burning stove to expel smoke, which is how they caught him. And there were multiple hatches for easy entrances and exits. In addition to the household goods, Peter had spent thousands of dollars stalking the bunker

Starting point is 00:37:16 with guns and ammunition. And among the 13 guns recovered from the property, law enforcement found the gun whose bullets matched those found in Lynette and Kayleen. Unbeknownst to his family, he had hiked everything in from his home about an hour away. Routinely throughout the week, Peter would pack the items into his car, park at the trailhead, and then carry them up the mountain to camp Keller. To keep the electricity on, he had even carried in a generator. The bunker was concealed by just a green tarp and some stray brush and branches. In his small kitchen, Peter stalked utensils, dishes and food, including 45 pounds of beans alone, dozens of bottles of soda, alcohol, and even supplies to make homemade wine.

Starting point is 00:38:11 Sheriff Straun claims the team was shocked at the intricate nature of the bunker, saying quote, this isn't a hole in the ground, it's an elaborate structure. Now sadly, because Peter took his own life, Lynette and Kayleen's bereft family were left without answers. There doesn't seem to be a logical explanation for why he felt the desire to kill the two people that he was closest to in the whole entire world. The foremost study of family annihilators took place between 1980 and 2012 and established the four main motives of those who commit familiar side in modern day psychology. Now the first is the self-righteous killer

Starting point is 00:38:50 who blames the mother of the family for her wrongdoing and for driving him to the conclusion that he had to kill her and their child or children. Then there's the disappointed murderer who feels that he was let down by his family, or that his children aren't properly carrying on the legacy that he feels he handed down to them. Then, we've got the paranoid killer, who sees the outside world as a threat to their nuclear family unit, and is motivated by the desire to do what he sees as protecting his family.

Starting point is 00:39:23 And then, finally, we've got the AN Anomic Killer, who uses finances as the motivation behind the murders, and feels his family is bleeding him dry, or that they're the source of his financial dress, and pose a burden to him. Now Peter would likely fall into that last category. But also, I can definitely see him in that first category as well, the self-righteous killer who basically blames the mother of the family for her wrongdoing. Like, I think not only is he stressed about the financial situation in the family, but he also has a lot of resentment towards his wife for not helping him essentially provide for the family.

Starting point is 00:40:04 And he sees that as a reason to take her life. And it's tough because we can be frustrated all we want and sell these things, but clearly mental health does play a role in this. So I think I do want to mention that it's easy for me and he then all of us to kind of look at this and say, why would he do this? Just like we could say to any murderer.

Starting point is 00:40:24 But obviously he was not in his right mind. look at this and say, why would he do this? You know, just like we could say to any murderer. But obviously he was not in his right mind. And he did an unthinkable thing. But to close all this out, please obviously we're very concerned about safety issues. And they were worried about potential copycats. So they destroyed Peter's bunker and they filled it all in. One lasting legacy that Lynette and Kaylene left behind is a scholarship in Kaylene's name at the Digipen Institute of Technology in Redmond, Washington, which she dreamed of attending one day.

Starting point is 00:40:56 In addition to any money left behind by Lynette and Peter's estate, the thousands of dollars that Peter had squirreled away in the bunker all went toward establishing this scholarship. And in the words of Lynette and Kayleyn's family, it's quote, geared towards individuals who emulate Kayleyn's persona. Thank you so much everybody for listening to this episode of Going West. Yes, thank you guys so much for listening to this episode and on Friday we'll have an all new case for you guys to dive into. Do not forget to check out our socials for photos and all the video blogs and all that

Starting point is 00:41:41 kind of stuff and photos of course of Kaylene and Lynette, all the pictures that are associated with this case, you guys probably will wanna see it just to get a good visual of everything that we've talked about because there is a lot to see. So our Instagram is at Going West Podcast, Twitter is at Going West Pod, and we're also on Facebook. Yes, I mean, this case really, really intrigued me from the get-go because obviously

Starting point is 00:42:07 I love everything outdoors. And yeah, creating a bunker sounds like a really, really fun thing to do, but not when it's taking the lives of your family in order to do so. So thank you guys so much for listening to this episode, and again, we will see you on Friday. So for everybody out there in the world, don't be a stranger. ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ‿ʻ� you

Going West: True Crime - Camp Keller Murders // 371

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