Ticking Timebomb: The Violent and Deeply Disturbing Life and Death of Serial Killer Charlie Brandt
When Teri Helfrich married her boyfriend Charlie Brandt, she was deliberately kept unaware of his violent past, leading to tragic consequences
Background
Charlie Brandt was the kind of unassuming person you would walk past and not give a second thought. He was a married man with a home and a stable job. Yet a closer look into Brandt’s history reveals a man with a dark history of violence who was seemingly living a double life.
However, in 2004, things came to a head when the darkness within finally exploded, with devastating consequences.
Join us as we uncover the chilling details of one of Florida’s most shocking criminal cases.
Childhood
Carl Eric “Charlie” Brandt’s life began on February 23, 1957, as the second oldest child of German immigrant parents. Due to his father Herbert’s job, the family moved frequently during Charlie’s youth, finally settling in Fort Wayne, Indiana, in 1968.
The Brandts also spent time in Florida, frequently vacationing there when Charlie was a boy.
Though Charlie was described as a good student, he was shy and withdrawn, taking time to adjust to new environments and often spending time alone.
Out of Nowhere
It was January 3, 1971, a Sunday evening. The Brandt family had just settled in for the night after watching their favorite show, The F.B.I., on their new color television.
The house was peaceful as Charlie's pregnant mother, Ilse, prepared a bath while his father, Herbert, shaved in the bathroom. Charlie’s older sister Angela lay in bed upstairs, engrossed in a book. No one could have anticipated the chaos that was about to unfold.
Suddenly, Angela heard several loud pops. Then came the screams, her father yelling, “Charlie, don’t!” and her mother’s desperate cries, “Angela, call the police!” The noise grew louder and more frantic as Angela realized something was terribly wrong.
Unknown to her, Charlie had taken a loaded handgun from his father’s drawer and entered his parents’ bathroom. Without hesitation, Charlie shot both of his parents.
His father was struck in the back, but he survived. Ilse, however, was not as fortunate. Charlie shot her repeatedly, killing her. Ilse had been eight months pregnant at the time, which only added to the tragic outcome.
In a Trance
As Angela scrambled to understand what was happening, Charlie suddenly appeared at her bedroom door with the gun in his hand. He aimed the weapon at his sister and pulled the trigger- Click- The gun did not fire.
What followed was a terrifying struggle as Angela fought off her younger brother’s attempts to strangle her. During the chaos, Angela saw something frightening in Charlie’s eyes. He had a glazed, vacant look as if he were in a trance. Then, just as suddenly as it began, Charlie seemed to snap out of it.
He stopped what he was doing and muttered, “What am I doing?” before retreating from Angela’s room.
With her brother seemingly calmed down, Angela ran from the house, screaming in her bloody, torn nightgown. She ran through the snow to her neighbor's home and pounded on the front door, startling then-16-year-old Sandi Radcliffe.
But by the time Sandi came to the door, Angela had already headed to another house; instead, a bewildered Charlie was standing outside.