[0:00]August 9th, 2024. The police department in Green Township, Ohio receives a chilling 911 call. 911, what's the address of your emergency? Yes, ma'am. Uh, I live at 3365 Palms Hill Lane, and my neighbor's down the street, it looked like somebody ran out the yard. They were on the porch yelling, "Help." It looks like a man was stabbing a lady and just dragged her body back inside her house. The cops rush to the scene to find a man lying bleeding on the porch. What happened, man? [Inaudible] Is your wife here too? Was she attacked? [Inaudible] This is what happened. [Inaudible] Where is she? Is she stabbed? [Inaudible] Roger that, down two victims. Start. 75-year-old Barbara Mortimer is lying unresponsive on the floor, covered in blood. The man on the porch is her 75-year-old husband, Tom, who's survived the attack, a widower. They're an old married couple living on a quiet street and enjoying their retirement together. So how did it end like this? Is this a burglary gone wrong? Or could it be something else? No, I know something's wrong here. Okay. I know something's wrong. Yeah. Another officer begins to canvass the neighborhood for other witnesses. So what all did you see? I came home, got out of my truck, and, uh, I heard a lady frantically yelling, "Help, help, help." Okay. I looked here, I looked around, I looked down. I saw she'd just come out the door, guy followed her out. Okay. Do you know who that was? I, I have no idea who they are. Okay. No, all I saw. Okay. And, uh, I saw she went down, and the guy over the top of her just doing this. Okay. And then he went inside. Okay. And I'm just for a second like, you know, did I just see what I thought I saw? Yeah. I waited a minute. She didn't get up. I, I called 911. Uh-huh. 911, what's the location of your emergency? Yeah, 3365 Palm Hill Lane. I just called it in. It looked like somebody got stabbed down the street. He came back out, yelled something. I couldn't hear what it was. Grabbed her feet, just drugged her ass inside. Okay. Her head was bouncing off the step. The screen door was smacking her in the head. Okay. Um, I was on the, I was on with the dispatcher, told them all that. Uh-huh.
[2:17]Um, then he came back out, had a bag and something else in his hand, got into his car, I called 911 back. The guy who did the stabbing leaving in a Honda. It's gray in color. Gave them a what plate I could get off of it. Gave them a description. Okay. Um, that's when I noticed the old guy. walking around. He was walking around the yard. Okay. It looked like he was covered in blood. Tom has a chilling revelation to make. I'm not sure if anybody talked to you yet, but who, who did this? [Inaudible] Okay, and what's his name? Kenneth. This family home has become the site of a horrifying domestic drama, one that's ended in blood. Barbara is dead, and her husband has life-changing injuries. What could possibly drive a son to try to kill his parents? The system failed us. It's, I, I, it it system failed us. Here on the Decoder, we'll deep dive into police footage to understand exactly what went down in the Mortimer house that fateful day, and what led to Barbara's tragic death. Green Township is a suburb of Cincinnati, known for its safety and green spaces. It's a popular place to retire. Tom and Barbara Mortimer, a lawyer and a sales clerk, respectively, were looking forward to growing old there together, now that they'd both stopped working and their three children had left the nest. Their two eldest had given them grandchildren already, while 40-year-old Kenneth, their youngest, remained single. And they enjoyed a cordial relationship with their neighbors, who all tried to look out for one another. It's one of these neighbors who calls 911 on the afternoon of August 9th. Did you see him? It's on the same side as my house. Yes, I saw him, he was yelling, "Help." I saw him leaning over her on the porch. It looked like he was stabbing her. He walked back inside. She laid there, and then he just came back outside and dragged her body inside. Okay. And she, she just mo- She was moaning. This neighbor doesn't immediately recognize Barbara's attacker. Do you remember what he looks like? White, black, Hispanic, biracial? He's a white man. Um, probably about six foot tall, looked like reddish hair with maybe a beard. Okay. Did you see the knife at all, or was it just the motion? It was the motion. Uh, he had something in his hand I couldn't tell exactly what it was, but it looked like the motion, it looked like he was stabbing. The Green Township Police Department are dispatched to the scene immediately. [Inaudible] Are you stabbed in the side? Where's your wife stabbed at? I don't know. Okay. I'm going to go check on her, okay? Tom is upright and talking, though he's been stabbed three times, once each in the head, neck and chest. But he's concerned about his wife most of all, and it's not looking good for her. I don't think there's much we can do on that one. [Inaudible] Go check her if she's more serious. Um, she may be DOA. Barbara has been stabbed twice in the head and once in the neck, through her carotid artery. These injuries are not survivable, and at 4:15 PM, she's declared dead. The corporal recognizes a homicide when he sees one, and he has to make sure the EMTs aren't in danger. You want to help me clear the house? We're going to clear the house. All right, buddy. We got to send you in for a second in there. I just need some sort of information on her whenever we get it. I'm sure you guys. We could probably run something on the auditor's website. Do we know who she is? Uh, yeah, Barb. Barb? I think it's Barbara. Barbara? I haven't ran her out yet, but I got that from the neighbor. You don't see a bloody knife or anything, do you? Oh, yeah, back here. The neighborhood is rallying around the Mortimers, particularly Tom, who's not out of danger yet. I'm getting, I'm getting some, uh, towels or something to apply pressure. [Radio] The name is Kenneth Mortimer, gonna be their son, Mortimer. I'm sorry, last name Mortimer. Thanks, sir. [Radio] Okay, that's clear on Kenneth Mortimer. Do we know what he is operating? Do what? Kenneth did drove off in a car. Do you know what kind of car it was? It was a, uh, I, I told the dispatcher so. Okay. Gray silver Honda Four-door. As the deputy runs to get towels to help Tom, over the radio, his fellow officers discuss their potential suspect. A sergeant, freshly arrived on the scene, has asked Tom, who attacked him, and Tom named his son. I am not sure, if anybody talk to you yet, But who did this? [Inaudible] Okay, and what's his name? Kenneth. Uh, what happened? He just went crazy, grabbed a knife and started stabbing us. Okay. Did he stab both you and, is that your wife? Yeah. Okay, he stabbed both of you? Okay. Where's the knife at now? I don't know. Okay. Where was he stabbing you in the house? Oh, God. Uh, no, I don't know. I need the airway bag. Got it. Did we get a plate on him yet? Yes, they put a plate out, assuming that's it. Okay. The dad told me it was the son. That's, I just confirmed that with him, too. Is this yours, because Yeah. Yeah, that's what I was just going to say do. You got the ambulance? Yep. Uh, several of the neighbors said they saw the son next door, so I think we're pretty solid on that's who it was. I just want to make sure he's gone for sure. We've cleared the house. Okay. Tyler and I did. Okay. Um, we cleared the house and, uh, we have witnesses saying he drove away. Okay. Tom is taken off to hospital in an ambulance. Thomas, we're trying to get you some, get some vitals and get an IV started on you, okay? Did you check the stab wound on his head? I see bleeding controlled everywhere. I didn't actually look at it. I don't see any active bleeding. Just clots. Oh, sh*t. His wife is dead. Does he know? You going to tell him? I'm going to wait for the detective to get here. With Tom safely in the emergency room, another officer begins to canvass the neighborhood for other witnesses. Did you hear anything or see anything? came out, and he had blood all over him. Yeah. 3377 Palm Hill Lane. about my next-door neighbor. Um, I don't know the exact number, but his son just stabbed him, and he's walking around. Did he say anything? Did you hear him say anything? I think he said his son just stabbed him. Uh, Kenneth is his son's name, and he's got mental problems, I think. He's in his 40s or something like that. Okay. He lives with them. He's the Did you see Ken here at the house today? And I think I saw him run around and go into the garage area, but I can't see that back from here. Hello, sir. You're Abby's husband, right? Yep, that's me. What's up, man? How's it going? Do, uh, were you here? I was taking a nap. Did you pull up your camera footage? Unfortunately, our camera is I don't even know if I'm logged in, but I'm a slacker, and, uh, our thing's low.
[9:26]So I don't know if it actually recorded anything. There's also a lot of local curiosity, and it means attention. I can't say anything, unfortunately, yeah. Is she okay, though? I can't say anything. It's an ongoing investigation, yeah. He told them to hang out down the house. This kind of thing doesn't happen in this neighborhood, and it means attention. I just got a question for you. Yes, ma'am. Can I ask you briefly a question? Yeah. Whoever this person is that did this, saw him plainly. Like, they drove right by him, seen him on the corner. Can you even tell us if they caught them? 'Cause I'm kind of concerned. What if this person's going to come back tonight? Yeah, I don't.
[10:07]'Cause he said he gave them a plate number and stuff. Yeah, we, we, we have a lot of information, so it's just a matter of time. I mean, we're going to, we're, we're obviously work as hard as we can to find them and it's going to be quick.
[11:00]It's imperative that the cops notify the Mortimer's wider family before the press do. But it doesn't take long for their daughter and her husband to show up on the scene. So, we know that Tom is okay, right?
[11:13]We know that he was stabbed.
[11:18]We have kind of an idea of who did it. We're concerned about Barb. She's not answering her phone. This is not normal. If you guys, yeah. Based on what I'm seeing here, I have no idea. Barb, Barb is dead. She passed away earlier.
[11:41]Their daughter is devastated, but she's also furious, which gets the officer's attention. I'm so fucking furious right now! It's not going to help. You know how many times I've called the police, and they just don't believe us? They just don't believe us!
[12:21]Her reaction implies that this attack was somehow foreseeable and could have been prevented. This system failed us. Yeah, no, yeah. The system failed us. I mean, there was threats. I told them like we've done everything we can to
[12:40]It's, it's what happened is already happened, you know what I mean? Now it's just how to do with the situation moving forward. What is Barb? What's that? Where is she at physically? She's in the house. Waiting for the coroner. There's going to be a long investigation. Coroner's been involved. You know, to today, she was going all the way to Indiana to to a seminar about mental health issues. 'Cause they have been seeing bad signs. It sounds like the family knew Kenneth might be dangerous, but they had no idea it could get this far. And no one yet understands why it happened. They need to talk to Kenneth himself for that. A neighbor comes up to the sergeant, saying she knows Kenneth, or used to know him. me 'cause my friend OD'd in the front yard, I guess, and I stopped hanging out with all of them 'cause I don't want to freaking be hanging out with that sh*t. And then I guess he lost his marbles kinda when this all, kinda 10 years ago or something. Does, does he have any friends? Like, did, did he isolate himself from everybody? Like, his parents isolated him. Like, after Andy passed away, I tried to take him like the, um, thing for his layout and stuff, and his mom and his dad wouldn't let me see him. Like, they, like, were like, "He, he's not, he's not allowed to be around anyone anymore," or something. The family dynamic is sounding stranger and stranger. With Tom in the hospital and Kenneth on the loose with a knife, it's vital they find him and fast. Luckily, the neighbor might know where he's gone. Me, Ken, and the guy that used to live here back in the day always hung out. We have, no one's talked to Ken in, like, 10 years, but they just said that they found an abandoned car in, uh, White Oak, or in Mount Airy Forest, the door's open. Who said that? The news. At Oak Ridge Lodge. This is what my friends just said. They live, my friends live down by Putzo's on, like, down Stone Steps, like, down that back street. If he's going anywhere, it's to one of those houses. A corporal drives over to the spot, and he finds an abandoned four-door Honda, gray in color, just like the witnesses said. It's Kenneth's getaway car. He sends for backup immediately, but it's not necessary. He finds Kenneth nearby, and he's compliant, and already talking. car at all. Uh, we read him his rights. He was, 'cause he was already spewing stuff immediately. So. Okay. Some of the cops on the scene are familiar with Kenneth. They've arrested him before. I remember you. You remember me from that one night? I sure do. I didn't stab my mom. I had a good time when they drove me up to Michigan, too. I arrested him about a year ago for his Michigan warrant, he had a felony. So this is And he also got arrested for public indecency at Veterans Park. Um, yeah, that's that was about a year ago. Does he need to be transported, or is he good to go? No, he's good to go. He's, he's safe. He's probably going to need stitches. Okay. Yeah. I mean, if we can Does he need to go to the hospital, or is he refusing? I mean, he probably needs a psyche eval. He doesn't want us to take him. His injuries are fine. Kenneth has some minor injuries on his hands, most likely from the struggle with the knife. There's also blood on the front seat of the car and on his jeans. All right, my man. What's in the pocket down here? Nothing. I don't think I already checked it. I thought unless he put something in there. My mom's wedding ring, maybe. I don't know. His talk is erratic, and he's angry about something. If you f***ing mother f***ers didn't drive me down to that f***ing hospital the f***ing last week of January, this sh*t would've never happened. They manage to get him in the patrol car, where he continues talking. f***ing stab that motherf***er in the neck, man. I f***ing hate that guy. Half the time he's denying the attack on his parents, and half the time he's almost celebrating it. There's something strange going on here, and it will take the corroboration of a friend to nail down the truth. A man named Michael calls the police that same afternoon. Received a call from Kent Mortimer, uh, associated with the number of [redacted] stated he murdered his family and asked complainant to help him. Complainant is a friend of his and has not spoken to him in 10 years. But he did say to the complainant that he had been lu- uh, hallucinating, asked complainant to help or pick him up. Complainant said no. Complainant advised him to call the cops and turn himself in. Kenneth has confessed, but if he's hallucinating, it won't be that simple. And we still don't know why he did what he did. The officer brings him into the station to be interviewed. Kenneth, we're going to take you inside, okay? You're dead. Now step on out for us. As long as you're not messing with me, you know. You're going to follow this gentleman here. While he's waiting for the detectives to arrive, he starts insulting the officers. Can I please get a glass of water? Not yet.
[18:09]Why not?
[18:15]You're being gay. So if I have an alcohol problem, do you guys have to take me to the hospital, or do you not really have to take me to the hospital? 'Cause I'm going to have a, I'm going to have a seizure around, like, 9:30, 10 o'clock. Okay. I mean, if, if we get to that point, we'll call for an ambulance for you, okay? Well, I mean, I thought if you had an alcohol use disorder, you would take, be taken to the hospital to get fluids or whatever. Not necessarily. Okay. So, but it is a possibility?
[18:55]No. I mean, okay. So how many people have you heard of, uh, dying in custody because of alcohol withdrawal?
[19:06]Not many. So you've heard a few stories about it?
[19:11]We haven't had any. Okay. Well, I guess this will be the first, because I'm going to be banging my head against something around. They told me they were going to make me take a shot of Invaga every month for the rest of my life, and then I went to the, they drove me from the hospital to a Summit Behavioral Health Center, and the judge and the red-haired girl were laughing during my hearing time. The detectives step out of the room for a moment, and when they return, Kenneth keeps talking. That's why all this is happening. You guys made me deal with a psychiatrist in the first week of February. This would've never happened.
[30:05]I just told you. I have spent too many times in a hospital, and that was it. I could not go back to the hospital that night. I had to drink vodka at all costs, and if that meant stabbing her to death, that's what happened. So what? Is That's it. That's what you're asking me. I'm telling you, that's it. Did you know it was wrong to stab your mother to death? I don't wanna talk about that. I don't care. I don't wanna talk about that.
[32:20]We already talked about it. Okay.
[32:25]All right, Ken. We're just trying to put it all together so we can understand. All right? It's, it's hard. It's hard looking from the outside in. I understand, you know, you've been dealing with, with this for a long time, so it's, it's built up for you. Um, we're, we've been dealing with, you know, this for a few hours, meaning, you know, we don't know you from anybody else. You're the only one here that we can get these answers from right now. That's why we're trying to do this, okay? But Kenneth seems to be done talking. They take samples of his DNA and the blood on his clothes and hands. And then he's taken away to be booked.
[33:03]All right, my man. We're going to buckle you back in again.
[33:09]Ken, at this point, you're under arrest for murder, attempted murder, and felonious assault, okay? That's what you're going to the Justice Center for, all right? In the cruiser, he continues to insult the detectives. Why are you guys getting so stupid? Why? Why am I here? Why am I here? And why do I have to listen to you? Just stand against the gray wall. We're going to take your picture. His vitriol is directed at everybody, including his parents, whom he's blaming for the attack. I mean, who, who's getting stabbed to death and doesn't get out of the couch?
[33:59]Run for your life. You're just sitting there on the couch, not doing anything.
[34:09]But after being stabbed by his son, who he'd spent so long trying to support and protect, maybe the shock was too great for Tom Mortimer. He could only watch as Kenneth murdered his wife as well. Want to get to some breaking news happening this evening about a Green Township man accused of stabbing his mother to death and then seriously hurting his own father. Kenneth Mortimer was indicted today in Hamilton County. His bond is set at $2 million, as he's seen as a danger to the public. And there's the question of his competency to stand trial, given his psychiatric history. But late in 2024, he's found mentally competent and so responsible for his own actions. On August 8th, 2025, nearly a year to the day after the attack, he pleads guilty to involuntary manslaughter, attempted murder, kidnapping, and felonious assault. As part of this plea agreement, the prosecutors reduced the most serious charge of aggravated murder. Nonetheless, he is sentenced to a minimum of 45 years in prison, by which time he will be 86 years old. But for the Mortimers, this is too little, too late. Their son refused to let them help him, and killed his mother with her own kitchen knife for daring to try. What do you think of this tragic story? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below. Until next time, stay safe, keep up with our channel, and we will see you very soon on the Decoder.
