Kumari Shreya
NBC’s ‘Dateline NBC‘ is a crime series that has been sharing real-life crime stories with the world for over three decades. One of the most riveting cases covered by the show is that of Fred Keller and the crimes that he was accused of against his late wife, Rose Kiel. Featured in season 16, episode 50 of the show, titled ‘The Model and the Millionaire,’ this particular story was told by the show in 2008. With about two decades since the day of the actual crime, today people are curious about what happened to Fred Keller.
Who is Fred Keller?
Though he was born in 1932 USA, Fred moved to Germany with his family during the initial phase of World War II. His father fought for his country at the start, but he changed sides to join the Allied Forces. Not long afterward, the family moved to Long Island, USA, and this is where Fre grew up, though the less-than-stellar financial conditions of his family seem to have had a significant impact on him. After completing his high school education, Fred went on to fight in Korea in the 1950s.
In 1957, Fred was back in the USA and was determined to have a wealthy lifestyle with a stunning house. Having started working in construction, he quickly became a respected figure in the world of real estate and was soon a millionaire. However, after having been married four times and being separated from his wives, Fred desired a life partner. Hence, he ran an ad in a German magazine in 1992 asking for a “slim, attractive playmate to share a lifestyle of the rich and famous.” In response to his request, he was contacted by Rose Keil, who was 23 at the time and worked as a model.
Soon after they met, Fred and Rose got married and lived together. Around the same time, Fred was diagnosed with leukemia and was put on treatment for the same. He decided to reverse his vasectomy and wanted children with Rose. The two ended up having a son named Fred “Fredchen” Keller, who was born in 1995. Rose asked her husband for a share in his thriving business which did not sit well with Fred. She ended up filing for divorce in 1999 after almost eight years of marriage.
Though Fred and Rose seemingly had a prenuptial agreement, it was declared illegal on October 30, 2003. This meant that Rose was given half of Fred’s estate as a part of the divorce settlement. Only a few days later, on November 10, 2003, the couple had apparently planned to meet in Fred’s office to iron out some details. Another person present in the meeting was Wolfgang Keil, Rose’s brother.
However, not long after the meeting had started, Wolfgang called 911, stating that he had been shot by Fred. As it turns out, the three people present in the meeting were all suffering from gunshot wounds, with Wolfgang claiming that his brother-in-law had shot him and his sister before he took the gun away from him. Following the incident, Fred contended that he had brought the weapon out only in self-defense and that he thought Wolfgang had taken out a gun, which prompted him to reveal his own firearm.
Fred Keller Died From Leukemia
Despite the initial accusations against him, the trial against Fred Keller was declared to be a mistrial. However, the testament provided by Brian Bohlander, Fred’s adopted son from his first wife Blanche, shared how, following his first divorce Fred, who allegedly went by Fred Bohlander at the time, had kidnapped Brian from his mother and illegally took him to Germany via Canada.
After spending a considerable amount of time in Europe, with Fred seemingly changing his last name to Keller, he came back to Virginia, and his children were soon reunited with their mother after a decade of separation. Brian stated that Fred had told them that their mother had passed away in an automobile accident. Though Fred’s first trial did not yield any results, he was denied bail, primarily due to Brian’s testimony.
Fred was tried once more in January 2007 and was sentenced to two life terms in prison for first-degree murder. However, the real estate tycoon passed away in August of the same year due to complications from leukemia. This left his son, Fredchen, the sole heir of his father’s estate, and he also inherited 70% of Rose’s property. Following the death of his mother, Fredchen grew up under the care of his aunt, Angie Bovi, Rose’s sister. By December 2016, all of Fred’s real estate portfolio had been sold off.
Read More: Rose Keil Murder: How Did She Die? Who Killed Her?
