Naman Shrestha
Karen Kummerer believed she had found the love of her life when she met Joseph Scott Freeman, who showered her with love and affection. So, when she displayed signs of domestic violence, she didn’t think much of it until he began threatening her life. Netflix’s ‘Worst Ex Ever: Ride or Die’ covers Scott’s abduction of Karen in November 2006 and how he held her hostage in his car for several days. With the FBI involved, the authorities eventually caught up to him and apprehended him.
Joseph Scott Freeman Stalked and Threatened His Ex-Girlfriend
In June 1991, Joseph Scott Freeman crossed paths with Kim Copsidas-Martin at a bowling alley in Daytona Beach, Florida. Claiming to be a firefighter, Scott allegedly disappeared for days at a time without giving Kim any explanation after they began dating. She later found out that he was addicted to crack cocaine. Moreover, Scott became abusive and violent towards Kim, who ignored the red flags because she was in love with him. On January 19, 2000, she found out that he had been shooting up steroids, which was the reason behind his erratic behavior lately.
When she confronted him about it, he took offense and became violent. Eventually, the police arrived and took him into custody. The couple eventually parted ways soon after that. As per records, he was also convicted of a home-invasion robbery in 2001. A few years later, in January 2006, Scott approached Karen Kummerer, a finance director at Bert Fish Medical Center, at an Ocean Deck party in Daytona Beach, Florida. As sparks flew between them, the two began going out. Not long into their relationship, Scott moved in with Karen, who lived with her niece, Brenna, at the time. Over time, he became possessive of Karen and suggested that Brenna move out of the house. Once the couple began living alone in her home, it was alleged that Scott physically abused her for several months. After six months of dating, Karen broke up with him.
In July 2006, Scott started stalking Karen, who was scared for her life and eventually had her niece move back in with her. A few months down the line, on the morning of November 13, 2006, he ambushed her inside her car and held her at knifepoint, instructing her to drive. After she promised to see him again that night, he calmed down and got out of her car, where his Jeep was parked. Without wasting any time, Karen filed for an emergency restraining order against Scott, claiming that he made threatening phone calls, choked her, and banged her head against a car window. She also changed her phone number and had her car rekeyed, but didn’t bother rekeying the trunk.
Joseph Scott Freeman Died Behind Bars While Serving His Sentence
Nearly two weeks later, on November 27, 2006, Scott hid in the trunk of Karen’s car before she began driving to Bert Fish Memorial Hospital for her shift. During the drive, she noticed that her trunk was ajar, and when she went to check it, Scott forced her into the passenger seat at knifepoint. After driving down to the spot where his Jeep was parked, the two got inside, and he began driving through Georgia, North Carolina, and Alabama, while keeping her hostage. He forced her to call in sick to work so as not to raise any suspicions. When Brenna called Karen, the latter somehow hinted her niece to call the police and inform them about the abduction. The police then put out a BOLO, providing the descriptions of Scott, Karen, and his Jeep to the public.
As they drove across different states over the next few days, Karen left a trail of notes in a Bar-B-Que Wagon in Bryson City, North Carolina, and in gas station bathrooms, hoping it would help the authorities track her. Soon, the FBI was brought in to help track her down and rescue her. On December 4, 2006, while in Mississippi, Scott made a phone call to her mother and demanded money from her, unaware that the authorities had been tracing the call. After locating him in Greenville, Mississippi, the police drove towards the location. Thanks to Karen’s notes and Scott’s attempts to withdraw money, they spotted him on a highway in Leland, Mississippi, and surrounded his Jeep. On December 4, he was arrested on charges of kidnapping, violation of a protection injunction, and stalking, and Karen was rescued.
Upon searching his jeep, the police found a switchblade knife, a rope, blankets, and a can used to smoke crack cocaine. He was held in a Washington County jail cell before being extradited to Florida for his trial. In 2007, he stood trial for the kidnapping and stalking of Karen Kummerer. After hearing several testimonies, the jury deliberated and found him guilty of violating a restraining order against him and aggravated stalking. On November 20, 2007, Joseph Scott Freeman was sentenced to life in prison. In 2025, the convict passed away while incarcerated.
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