Heavily pregnant Kristen Henderson had already named her unborn baby girl. The 35-year-old had chosen “Loryn Brooke” for her daughter and couldn’t wait for her arrival.
She already had a son, Clayton Chambers, eight, from a previous relationship, but this would be her first child with husband Christopher, then 40.
Kristen was excited about the new baby, but there was a cloud hanging over her happiness. The Hendersons had been married less than a year, but their relationship was already on the rocks.
As much as she’d tried to fix the problems in their marriage, things were only getting worse.
It was 2015, and the couple had moved from Michigan to Alabama and were staying with Kristen’s mum, Carol Jean Smallwood. It was a busy, loving family home.
Kristen’s dad also lived there – along with Kristen’s sister Kelly Smallwood Sokolowski, Kelly’s husband, and their one-year-old son, Eli.
In June 2015, Kristen finally kicked her husband out and filed for divorce. The family changed the locks and, later that month, Kristen filed for a protection order against Henderson. She reported he had hit her.
As Kristen adjusted to a future as a single mum, supported by her family, her divorce application revealed something shocking.
Her marriage was illegal. It turned out that Henderson was a bigamist.
He was still married to his first wife, Rhonda Carlson. He had married her in February 2013, and they had a daughter together.
But Henderson hadn’t divorced her before marrying Kristen, so their marriage wasn’t even legal.
Kristen was left reeling. “He has lied about everything since we met,” she wrote in her order of protection filing.
The order was granted, and Henderson was told to stay away from Kristen. Rumours were that he’d reconnected with Carlson, and she said they were house hunting.
By now, Kristen was nine months pregnant and ready to have her baby. But a week after the protection order was filed, on 4 August, 2015, witnesses reported flames at Kristen’s parents’ home in New Market, Alabama.
Fire ravaged the building and emergency responders raced to the scene to battle the blaze.
No one knew who was inside, but when the blaze was finally extinguished hours later, the full extent of the tragedy was revealed.
Four bodies were found in the charred embers of the building and sadly, five lives had been lost in the fire. But autopsies revealed it was no accident – they had been murdered.
Kristen had been shot in the neck and stabbed. Her unborn baby had been cut out of her womb and the foetus had been stabbed.
Carol had been shot and stabbed in the eyes. Kristen’s son Clayton was also stabbed but, horrifically, it was discovered that he had still been alive when the house was set on fire.
The final victim was Eli – Kristen’s nephew. He had been stabbed too, but the cause of death was carbon monoxide poisoning.
The house had been doused in petrol – presumably to cover the murders – but there was no hiding the bloodbath that had occurred. Each killing had been done with such rage.
A whole family had been wiped out. Kristen’s dad, brother-in-law and sister hadn’t been home at the time – their heartache was devastating.
Straight away, suspicion fell on Henderson. And sure enough, his phone internet history was revealing.
There was also security camera footage of him at the crime scene wearing black gloves, but there was someone else there too. He had not acted alone.
Carlson, then 42, was also on the surveillance footage. She was carrying a petrol can. They were both seen entering the home and leaving before smoke started to billow from the building. In Carlson’s car, investigators found a gun and ammunition. They were both arrested.
Henderson didn’t give a statement but while in prison he said to police, “I’m glad you caught me when you did, because I couldn’t live with what I’ve done”.
Realising there was no escaping prison, Carlson turned on her husband. In exchange for a plea deal that would allow her to avoid the death penalty, she agreed to testify against Henderson and seal his fate.
Carlson admitted she had been part of the planning, but had only brought petrol to the scene.
Many were angry that she was underplaying her role in the crime. She had known what Henderson was going to do and didn’t stop it.
Henderson and Carlson were indicted on 19 counts of capital murder. At the trial, Carlson admitted being part of the plotting, but not the killing.
She testified that they’d planned the crime together and had even considered keeping the baby, but she didn’t want to be a mother again.
Henderson agreed and had allegedly said the baby would “end up whining like her mum”.
It was tough testimony for Kristen’s family to hear. At one point, Carlson said that Henderson had researched how long an unborn baby is viable after the mother dies.
Carlson said they’d agreed to strike when the male family members were out of the house. Henderson had especially wanted Kristen’s dad to suffer.
Carlson said she had brought the petrol can and didn’t think anyone was alive in the home. Henderson then poured it and lit the fire.
Henderson’s defence team argued that Carlson had “blood on her hands”. And while Henderson had been the one to commit the acts, it was Carlson who had planned the murders and had the motive. They called her plea arrangement “a deal with the devil”.
The jury was faced with more than 100 graphic autopsy pictures of the victims. The brutality of their killings, and the attacks on young children, made the trial shocking.
The jury deliberated for 14 hours over two days, before finding Henderson guilty on all 15 capital murder charges.
In October this year, he faced sentencing. He made a statement to both Kristen’s family and his own.
“I’d like to give my deepest apologies to the family,” he said. “This is an event that should’ve never happened. I’d also like to apologise to my mum and my daughter.”
Kristen’s sister, Kelly, spoke movingly about the loss of little Eli.
“My daddy passed away in September of last year and I had a dream, and my daddy was holding Eli in that dream. I know that I will see them again,” she said.
Kristen’s brother Keith Smallwood said that his family were “good people”, adding, “We all loved each other, so it’s been hard.”
The judge sentenced Henderson to the death penalty. He said, “Mr Henderson... may God have mercy on your soul. May God provide peace to the families of this tragedy.”
As arranged by her plea deal, Carlson has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Five lives were lost and it’s still unclear exactly why Henderson committed so many horrific acts that day.
His secret had already been exposed, but his quest to hurt Kristen and her family would result in one of the most brutal massacres in Alabama history.
