Those Left Behind: Son shares lasting impact of domestic violence
Ibtissem Trabelsi was stabbed more than 120 times by her husband, according to the Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office. Her youngest son shares her story.
In 2021, three women were murdered in Arapahoe County by their current or former husbands. The Arapahoe County Sherriff’s Office (ACSO) said the women were victims of domestic violence and so are their families.
Ibtissem "Ibty" Trabelsi, a 50-year-old mother of three and a sister, is one of the victims. She was murdered on June 1, 2021 by her husband, 57-year-old Todd Anthony Searles, after telling him she wanted a divorce, according to ACSO.
“Life is different in a lot of ways. Everything reminds you of what could’ve been or what happened," said Ibty's youngest son, Mazin Klapperich.
Mazin is one of three children left behind after the death of his mother. He described his mom as his first love and someone he misses sorely.
“She was the greatest person that I’ve ever known. She was so kind and so caring to everyone she ever met. She just lit up a room that she walked into," he said.
Ibty's light was dimmed before she could witness her children grow up.
“I’m just starting college. My sister hasn’t even graduated high school yet. Like, there were so many things I wish I could’ve shared with her. And it just feels like I’ve been robbed; I won't be able to experience those things with her," Mazin said.
A new relationship Ibty met Todd Searles
The family moved to Colorado from Florida, and when they did, Ibty made the move first in 2015 for a new job. In 2016, Mazin, his younger sister Sara, older brother Faris, and their dad Todd Klapperich followed. At the time, Ibty and Todd Klapperich were going through a divorce.
“They made sure that the kids were taken care of the best way that they could as divorced parents," Mazin said.
He's unsure why they divorced, but said he never saw anything out of the ordinary between the two.
“When he (Mazin's dad) and my mom were together, they were a team. It wasn’t my dad controlling and my mom sort of giving input. They made decisions together as a group," Mazin said.
He quickly learned that wasn't the case with his mom's new partner, Todd Searles. By the time they moved to Colorado in the summer of 2016, Ibty and Searles were already in a relationship, Mazin said. They first met Searles at a family dinner, and Mazin said that meeting felt like an interrogation.
“I think he almost wanted to present this controlling nature to the kids almost," Mazin said. "Just to show that he was in charge."
Mazin said his mom and dad (Todd Klapperich) had joint custody of their three children. They spent one week in Arvada with their dad and the following week in Centennial with their mom and Searles. He said the Sunday tradeoffs were tough.
“Because on one hand it meant going to my mom's where I was in an uncomfortable household where I didn’t like – not feel safe, but I didn’t feel welcomed or comfortable there," Mazin said.
The rift deepened after Mazin's dad filed a restraining order against Searles in March 2019. The restraining order describes Searles assaulting Todd Klapperich as he picked up his three kids.
Read the incident report below:
“As my dad pulls into the driveway, my stepdad is pulling in at the same time. And [Searles] gets out of his car and starts screaming at my dad who was just sitting in his car trying to pick up his kids. And he punches my dad in the face," Mazin said.
Searles was arrested on a third-degree physical assault charge. Mazin witnessed it all and provided a first-hand account to the police. He said that spoiled his relationship with Searles.
Searles pleaded guilty in September 2019 to a disorderly conduct charge and was sentenced to restorative justice but did not serve any jail time. He was also ordered to pay fines and court costs.
The physical abuse 'I didn't have a last conversation'
In 2021, things continued to get physical, but this time the violence was between Searles and his wife Ibty, family members said.
"I was downstairs in my room. And their room was upstairs, and they usually kept the door open," Mazin said. "So I could hear a lot of things. And the fight had been going on for a little bit so I was trying to ignore it."
He tried to ignore it with headphones. But what happened next caught his attention.
"I heard my mom say something along the lines of 'get your hands off me.' And that’s when I said 'Woah, what’s going on?' I poke my head out of my door and I yell up the stairwell to say 'Hey, are you OK? What’s going on?'"
"The instant that I said that, my stepdad actually came running out of the room with his hands up and is like, 'Look at the scratch marks on my arm; look at the scratch marks on my arm.'"
Mazin didn't believe Searles' claim that his mother had attacked him.
WATCH: Below is an extended interview with Mazin Klapperich.
Eventually, Mazin said his stepfather kicked him out of the house over a disagreement about his summer job. Ibty fought to get her son back home.
“She works something out, and they allow me back. But at that point in time, I have somewhere else to live and frankly, I don’t like it. I don’t like living there; I hated it actually. It was horrible," he said.
His decision created more tension and silence between Mazin and Ibty days before her murder, leaving him without a final goodbye.
“I didn’t have a last conversation the last time I saw my mom, 'cause we had an argument, unfortunately, just before she passed," Mazin said. "The fact that I didn’t get to say a single 'goodbye' or 'I love you' or anything – it was difficult."
Ibty's last day A fight about divorce
“I remember thinking to myself like, 'God I hope he doesn’t do something bad. I hope he doesn’t,'" Mazin said.
Then came June 1.
“It started out as a really, really good day," he said.
By 8:13 p.m., everything changed after Searles placed a 911 call.
In the call, Searles told the dispatcher that Ibty broke in and started stabbing him. He also said she stabbed him multiple times. However, no wounds are visible in body camera video from responding deputies.
Searles also said in the call that the violence started as a fight about divorce and that the fight lasted for hours.
WATCH: The video below shows Searles' interactions with deputies after he called 911.
Outside the home, Searles was read his rights and chose to stop talking with deputies about what happened. Meanwhile, inside the residence, CPR was being performed on Ibty in an effort to save her life.
According to the autopsy report, Searles stabbed her more than 120 times and she later died at the hospital.
Read the full report from deputies below:
Deputies said Searles didn't know that Ibty's youngest child Sara was downstairs as the violent attack unfolded.
"She heard her mother screaming for help saying, 'please stop!' The mother (Ibty) called for the daughter (Sara) a few times," a deputy who took Sara's statement wrote in a report.
Sara reported that she "could hear the male (Searles) half saying ‘How does that feel?’ the report says.
She said that Searles did not sound like he was in distress and she said she never heard him scream during the fight.
Deputies said Sara exited the home through the walkout basement door and ran to a neighbor's house. Based on her report, it took Searles 53 minutes to call 911. Searles was arrested at the scene and later charged with domestic violence and first-degree murder.
“I didn’t think he would go out and go off the hook and go crazy," Mazin said. "Like, I didn’t think he would. I didn’t think he had it in him."
Searles spent the next four months at the Arapahoe County Jail. Deputies said on Oct. 2, 2021, he took his own life by hanging himself in jail. It was days before he was due in court.
Moving forward 'It's incredibly difficult'
Mazin is now left wondering why his stepfather murdered a woman he claimed to love for years.
“It’s incredibly difficult. I don’t think there’s been a single day that has gone by that I haven’t thought about it," he said.
He also continues to rack his mind about the signs he and others might have missed.
“I was never aware of the kind of manipulative controlling behavior that he enacted not just on my mom but on me, my brother, and my sister. You don’t recognize it and, in my case, until it’s too late," Mazin said.
He believes his stepfather wanted control and his mother was trying to regain control by filing for divorce.
“She filed for divorce that same week. And he couldn’t control my mom; she decided to leave. And instead of giving up the control, he takes it back and does something unspeakable," he said.
Mazin said his family feels robbed and said his mother's murder has created a hole in their lives. That's why he wanted to share his mother's story in hopes someone might see it and get out before it's too late.
“I would say 'leave now.' Because it's not just for your own safety but there are so many people that care about you and your safety is of concern to them as well," he said.
Mazin wanted to leave one final message to his mom to provide her some comfort as she rests.
“I would tell her all of the great things that I’ve done since she’s been gone," he said. "I didn’t get to tell her about getting into college. I would tell her about the amazing relationship that I’m in. I would tell her I’m OK and that I am moving on and I am getting through it. I’m pushing through."
If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic violence, a list of resources can be found here.
SUGGESTED VIDEOS: Those Left Behind