Karen Derrico, who appeared on TLC’s Doubling Down With the Derricos, was arrested in North Las Vegas on June 17 after prosecutors accused her of threatening to kill her ex-husband, Deon Derrico and their children.
According to the complaint filed, Karen is accused of two felonies: preventing evidence with immediate threat or use of physical force and aggravated stalking, constituting domestic violence. She is also accused of harassment and violating the temporary order for protection against domestic violence, both of which fall under misdemeanor offenses.
Prosecutors alleged that Karen sent Deon a series of threatening messages earlier this month, including one that read, “I want you dead. I could kill you and it won’t even bother me to go to jail and I’ll kill any of my kids if they take your side.”
Court documents further stated that Karen attempted to prevent Deon from appearing in court on or around May 2 by threatening to either bring a gun to the courthouse or hire someone to kill Deon before he could reach the court.
The allegations mark a dramatic turn for the former reality TV couple whose relationship was documented on Doubling Down With the Derricos. It premiered in 2020 and wrapped up in 2024. The reality series ran for five seasons and featured the Derricos as they navigated big family problems, changing dynamics and more.
Despite their long-standing relationship, Karen and Deon divorced in June 2024. Following the divorce, they focused on co-parenting their 14 children, 13 of whom were minors and were on friendly terms with each other. Karen also posted a Father’s Day tribute praising Deon.
Despite their post-divorce amicable terms, their relationship has since deteriorated into an ongoing legal dispute.
According to the Clark County District Attorney’s office, Karen escalated those threats on June 17 when she threatened to “kill him (Deon) and/or his new girlfriend and/or his children.”
Prosecutors also alleged that she wanted Deon to die “a slow death,” so that he and his family would feel “terrorized, frightened, intimidated, harassed, or fearful.”
The state further accused Karen of repeatedly emailing Deon about matters “unrelated to parenting,” which violated a court order that prohibited such communication.
However, in a statement to People, Karen’s lawyer denied the charges, saying, “The charges are total nonsense and fabricated by Mr. Derrico, the supposed victim. This has everything to do with him being spiteful and malicious and nothing to do with him being frightened or harassed.”
Deon later described the events that led to the criminal case in an interview with Parade. He revealed that Karen had left the family home in April and moved to her own place. Under their custody arrangement, some children stayed with him while others moved out with their mother.
After a disagreement, Karen filed a Temporary Protective Order, but that was dismissed. Deon alleged that after he filed a temporary protection order against Karen, she began sending him repeated threats, prompting him to contact the police.
“It really alarmed and alerted me when my children told me that she had threatened to k**l them. We were divorced two years ago, but we had been trying to work it out,” he shared.
He continued, “And I would say here recently, over the last year, I definitely knew it just couldn’t work. She wanted us to remarry… I didn’t like the games that were played, you know, when we were married the first time.”
Per TMZ, Karen was released from custody on Sunday, June 21.
On Tuesday, June 23, Karen pleaded not guilty and reportedly walked out on a $2000 bond, wearing an ankle monitor. Her next hearing is scheduled for August 6.
