The Murder of Lauren Kidd
Hi guys! I’m back from break. Thank you again for understanding, and the continued support for this blog.
For this episode, I watched an episode of American Monster. It’s season 8 episode 6, titled ‘Broken Heart in Broken Arrow.’
Background
Lauren Kidd was born on December 5, 1996, to parents Christa and Joe. Lauren had 3 brothers, Joshua, Dustin and Tyler, and was very close to them. The Kidd family moved around a bit before settling down in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma.
Lauren was described as happy, outgoing, and always smiling.
Lauren Kidd
Lauren’s Struggles
By 2009, Lauren was struggling with her mental health. Lauren was diagnosed with ADHD (attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder). She was prescribed medications, which according to her family, changed her demeanor and personality. Lauren also had to deal with the passing of her grandpa, or papa, as they called him. She began to self harm, until her mom found her a counselor.
By 2014, Lauren seemed to be doing better. She met a new boy named Zach, who she fell hard for. The Kidd family really liked him, and he became a part of their family.
In the middle of her senior year, Lauren and Zach moved into an apartment together. Christa had a strong suspicion that Lauren was pregnant. Lauren was, and her daughter, Addison, was born in March 2015. Lauren and Zach got married a year later, in 2016.
After their wedding, Lauren and Zach moved in with some friends, Konner Brunner, and his girlfriend, Alex. This living arrangement was fine for awhile until both relationships started to deteriorate.
An Unhealthy Relationship
By 2017, Lauren was working and meeting new friends. But, her home life was a different story. Lauren and Zach loved each other, but needed to divorce. They continued to co-parent their daughter.
Lauren also revealed to Zach and her family, that she and Konner were in love. Konner and Alex had broken up, and Lauren continued to live with Konner. Lauren and Konner were abusing drugs, which led them to have an on and off tumultuous relationship.
Where is Lauren?
On October 26, 2018, Christa was expecting Lauren to call her to get a ride home from work. Christa was stunned when Konner dropped Lauren off. Christa thought after the last fight Lauren and Konner had, that the relationship was done. Christa said she and Lauren started to argue, and that it was the last time she saw her daughter.
On October 27, Lauren was hanging out with her friend, Blake. Blake said he dropped Lauren off at the Shell gas station near his home. Lauren then went with her friend Mike, who was going to give her a tattoo at his house.
Blake was expecting to pick Lauren up at 6pm, but she wasn’t answering his calls and texts. Blake tried contacting another friend of theirs, before calling Christa. Christa wasn’t getting any answer from Lauren either. Christa reached out to Zach and Konner. Zach said he was supposed to meet with Lauren for a trick or treat event for Addison, but she never showed up.
On October 28, around 12:09am, Blake contacted the Broken Arrow police.
The Prime Suspect
Blake told the police that he last saw Lauren getting a ride with her friend, Mike. Mike told the police that Lauren was at his house, until Konner showed up. Lauren told Mike she would be back later, but she never returned.
Konner spoke with the police on the phone. He said he did pick Lauren up. He said she wanted to go to Walmart, but decided to get out of his car, and walk to a friend’s house. The police obtained the surveillance footage, but there was no sign of Lauren.
Christa and Joe received an anonymous message. The person told them that they had been with Konner, and saw blood in his car. They said the blood was all over the seats, cover, and floorboards.
With this information, the police obtained warrants for the car, Konner’s DNA, and cell phone.
Changing Stories
The police also asked Konner to come into the police station, which he agreed to.
First, Konner said he did pick Lauren up. He said they drove around for about 3o minutes to an hour. Konner said Lauren tried to buy needles from Target, before they decided to go to Walmart. The police confronted Konner, and said they knew Lauren hadn’t been to Walmart.
Konner’s other stories included him driving Lauren around to buy drugs, and that he kicked her out of the car because he didn’t support her habit.
Konner’s craziest story was that he drove Lauren to a secondary location to buy drugs. He said there were two drug dealers in the car with them, and one of them had a gun. Konner said one of the drug dealers killed Lauren over a dispute.
The Evidence
The police examined Konner’s cell phone, and geo data from October 27. They learned that Konner had driven to the 51st and Aspen area around 6pm, for approximately 10 minutes.
His geo location also led the police to Walmart, where Konner and his ex-girlfriend, Alex, bought clothing and cleaning supplies around 10:30pm.
The police spoke to Alex. Alex said that Konner told her that one of his friends had been shot, and he didn’t know their condition. The police believed Alex wasn’t involved and believed Konner’s story. Alex did get rid of Konner’s clothes, and said she saw him cleaning his car.
The police examined Konner’s car. There was obviously a large amount of blood that had been attempted to be cleaned up. The blood was tested against Christa and Joe’s DNA. The blood was determined to be from Lauren.
Once again, the police confronted Konner. Konner told them that the drug dealers made him drive to the Kum and Go gas station on 51st and Aspen. Konner said Lauren was then put into the dumpster. Lauren’s blood and bracelet was located in the dumpster.
Konner eventually admitted to being the one who killed Lauren. Konner said that they had an argument. He told her to get out of his car, but she refused. He said he aimed the gun and hit her in the face.
The Search and Rescue
The police didn’t find Lauren’s body in the dumpster of the gas station. It was clear that she had been taken to a paper mill in McCurtain County.
On November 3, a search and rescue team was contacted by the police. They were asked if some cadaver dogs could be brought out, which they agreed.
The cadaver dogs did eventually sit on an area inside the facility. Sadly, some bones and skin were found, which was a match to Lauren.
Konner was arrested and charged with first degree murder. Konner, being the piece of shit he is, pled not guilty.
Konner’s Motives
Konner’s trial began in January 2020.
The police had learned that Konner had been in a relationship with another woman, while he was dating Lauren. Konner referred to Lauren as a parasite. He said she was ruining his life because she wouldn’t go away.
On October 27, Konner picked Lauren up from Mike’s house. Konner drove around for a bit. They probably had an argument, and Konner took Lauren’s life for no reason. He then discarded her in the dumpster, and her personal items at an apartment complex. He then worked for a bit, and contacted his ex-girlfriend, Alex. The police seem to think she had no idea about what Konner did, and that could very well be true.
Konner Brunner was found guilty of first degree murder. He was sentenced to life with the possibility of parole after 38 years.
Konner Brunner
FINAL THOUGHTS
My heart breaks for Lauren’s family. Lauren was killed over absolutely nothing, and discarded. A young girl has lost her mother, and a family has lost their daughter and sister. Lauren had her whole life ahead of her, and it was taken away because her boyfriend didn’t want to be with her anymore. Hopefully, Konner will never get out of prison.
Sources
https://thecinemaholic.com/lauren-kidd-murder-where-is-konner-brunner-now/
https://www.sportskeeda.com/pop-culture/american-monster-who-killed-lauren-kidd-now
https://www.kjrh.com/news/local-news/konner-brunners-murder-trial-continues-today
