TLC Star Karen Derrico Arrested Over Alleged Threats

“I want you dead.” That is the line Las Vegas prosecutors say Karen Derrico, star of TLC’s “Doubling Down With the Derricos,” sent to her ex-husband in an email - and it is now at the center of a felony case that could reshape custody of the 14 children the former couple share.

Derrico, charged under her legal name Karen Evonne Carter, was arrested June 17 and charged with making threats or conveying false information concerning an act of terrorism, aggravated stalking, harassment, violating a domestic violence protective order, and attempting to prevent a witness from testifying. She was arraigned June 23 and has pleaded not guilty.

“I’ll Kill Any of My Kids”

According to a criminal complaint reviewed by Oxygen.com, prosecutors allege Derrico sent her ex-husband, Deon Derrico, a series of emails beginning in early May threatening to kill him and to “kill any of my kids” who sided with him during their split. Authorities said the messages left Deon “in reasonable fear of death or substantial bodily harm.” A separate allegation in the complaint claims Derrico threatened Deon if he showed up to a court hearing tied to the protective order he had obtained against her on June 17.

A Defense of Fabrication

Derrico’s attorney, Jess Marchese, has flatly disputed the allegations. “Deon sent the threats to himself and made it look like they were from Karen in order to screw her over,” Marchese said in a statement, adding that the defense is working with technology experts to challenge the authenticity of the emails. Derrico has separately maintained she “would never threaten to harm her children.”

From Reality TV Family to Criminal Court

Karen and Deon Derrico built a TLC following documenting life with 14 children - including multiple sets of twins, triplets and quintuplets - across five seasons of “Doubling Down With the Derricos” between 2020 and 2024. The series ended the same year the couple divorced, and they currently share joint legal and physical custody.

Under Nevada law, a credible threat that places someone in reasonable fear of death or serious bodily harm can be charged as aggravated stalking, a category B felony carrying two to 15 years in prison. A separate violation of a protective order tied to that same conduct adds its own, escalating exposure. Because the alleged threats target the couple’s children directly, family law attorneys note the criminal case is likely to surface in the Derricos’ ongoing custody proceedings regardless of how it is ultimately resolved.

What’s Next

Derrico is scheduled to return to court Aug. 6. North Las Vegas Police have not issued additional public comment on the investigation since the arrest. Until the authenticity dispute over the emails is resolved in court, the case sits in an unusual position: a reality-TV family once built around showing its life on camera is now arguing, off camera, over who actually wrote the words at the center of a felony charge.

References: TLC star Karen Derrico arrested for emails of alleged threats to kill ex-husband, children | TLC’s Karen Derrico Arrested After Allegedly Threatening to Kill Ex Deon Derrico