Lethally Blonde on ID: What happened to John Paul Kelso?

The 2006 murder of the gay Denver businessman, John Paul Kelso, during a robbery by his intimate companion, Timothy Boham, turned into a high-profile case in Colorado.

Disclaimer: The article has mentions of p*rnography. Reader discretion is advised.

Kelso often organized paid s*xual encounters with the gay ex-p*rnstar, Boham.

During one such encounter, Kelso was allegedly shot to death accidentally as Boham tried to rob him of $400,000. Boham staged the murder scene to look like s*icide.

The Lethally Blonde episode, titled The P*rn Identity, which re-airs on May 10, 2024, at 9 pm EST on Investigation Discovery, showcases the murder.

The official synopsis reads:

"All-American Midwestern hunk Timothy Boham's innocent modelling career catapults him into p*rn industry stardom; when Tim tries to escape the vicious cycle of selling his body for money, running from his past proves to be deadly."

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Who was John Paul Kelso? Details explored

John Paul Kelso was born on December 28, 1962, to parents Suzanne Berbert and Louis O. Kelso in Denver. He grew up with his sister, Kimberly MacLaren, and graduated from Jefferson High School. Per The Cinemaholic, Kelso was a member of the Mensa International - the world's oldest high-IQ society.

The Denver businessman and philanthropist, John Kelso, was the President of Professional Recovery Systems and was proudly gay. Kelso co-founded the debt collection agency based out of Denver in 1996 and worked with over 50 employees, including Timothy Boham.

John Kelso was found murdered in his Monroe Street home by his housekeeper on November 13, 2006, per The Denver Post. Kelso was fondly remembered by his loved ones and was known to make donations to charities all over the world.

However, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation records stated John Paul Kelso had been arrested thrice for illegal use of credit cards, shoplifting, and fraud in 1988, 1989, and 1990 respectively.

Kelso had been facing financial troubles and had reportedly bought his home for $462,000 despite filing his fourth bankruptcy in the same year.

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What happened to John Paul Kelso? Details explored

John Paul Kelso (43) was found dead in the bathtub of his upscale home in the 3600 block of Seventh Avenue Parkway, near Congress Park, according to the Denver Post. The housekeeper found his body around 9 pm local time and immediately dialed 911.

The authorities reportedly assumed the death to be due to natural causes till they found bullet wounds on the body and started investigating the case as a homicide. The investigation led the detectives to Timothy Boham - who also used the alias of Marcus Allen in the professional world.

Boham had befriended Kelso and had also briefly worked at the Professional Recovery Systems. Boham, who was previously a gay p*rnographic actor, had been paid to have s*xual encounters with Kelso since 2005, per the Denver Post.

According to Boham's testimony, he had been invited to Kelso's master bedroom to spend time cuddling.

However, Boham had plans for burglary for his girlfriend and tried to rob the $400,000 he thought Kelso stored in his safe, per CBS News. According to Denver Detective Aaron Lopez's testimony:

“Boham went into the bathroom, came out, put a gun to his (Kelso’s) head, and demanded he open his safe.”

According to Timothy Boham's testimony, he had fired the gun accidentally during a struggle.

Timothy Boham (Image via Colorado Inmate Locator)

Nevertheless, he came back to the home numerous times to get rid of the evidence. Boham staged the murder to look like a s*icide by removing Kelso's clothing and fingerprints.

He placed John Paul Kelso's body in the bathtub and threw his clothes, bedding, and other items, including a shell casing, into Cherry Creek.

Timothy also stole the saw which he cut open with a power saw to find it empty.

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Catch episode 2 of Lethally Blonde as it reairs on May 10, 2024, on ID.