The
Internet has revolutionized how we interact with people. Anyone with a computer and high-speed connection can log onto a social network site and create a profile, exposing their private
life for the entire World Wide Web to view. But as these online communities become a primary channel of communication among family and friends, it’s also
becoming the go to outlet for serial killers, sexual predators, and other people of shady character. So before you accept a stranger's friend request or talk smack on someone's Facebook wall—think twice. What you type may be difference between life and death. Log on and take a look at 25 Real Life Social Networking Murders.
The
Internet has revolutionized how we interact with people. Anyone with a computer and high-speed connection can log onto a social network site and create a profile, exposing their private
life for the entire World Wide Web to view. But as these online communities become a primary channel of communication among family and friends, it’s also
becoming the go to outlet for serial killers, sexual predators, and other people of shady character. So before you accept a stranger's friend request or talk smack on someone's Facebook wall—think twice. What you type may be difference between life and death. Log on and take a look at 25 Real Life Social Networking Murders.
Matthew Dubois
Boyfriend Takes Girlfriend's Life Over MySpace Post
Site: MySpace
Date: Dec. 31, 2010
Backstory: Jealously consumed 16-year-old Matthew Dubois as he allegedly shot and killed his girlfriend, Mikarah Sanders, on New Year's Eve over a message posted on her MySpace page by another boy. Prior to the murder, Dubois had a serious rap sheet that included residental burglary, theft, and unlawful possession of a firearm.
Punishment: Dubois is being held at Harbor View Hospital and awaits trial where he could possibly be tried as an adult for second-degree murder.
Brandon Kent
Craigslist Buyer Caught After Murdering Bike Seller
Site: Craigslist
Date: Aug. 26,
2010
Backstory: After posting a sales ad for his Kawasaki Ninja bike, Thai Lam was found dead in his garage by a fatal gunshot wound allegedly inflicted by Brandon Kent. The so-called buyer drove away on the stolen motorcycle only to be captured by metro police at his apartment complex. Real smart.
Punishment: Kent will stand trial in 2011.
Torrie Lynn Emery
Facebook Argument Results In A High-Speed Fatality
Site: Facebook
Date: July
21, 2010
Backstory: Torrie Lynn Emery's ongoing Facebook beef with Danielle Booth took a turn for the worst as a heated encounter at McDonald's turned into a high-speed car chase with Emery ramming her car repeatedly into a vehicle that Booth was a passenger in. After running a red light, the car carrying Booth was struck by a dump truck, leaving her in critical condition and killing driver Alesha Abernathy. Reports claim their personal issues stemmed from being romantically linked to the same imprisoned man. Sounds like a case of extreme road rage.
Sentence: A no contest plea to second-degree murder would result in a sentence of 18-60 years for Emery.
David Kelsey Sparre
Nightcap Turns Deadly For Mother-of-Two
Site: Craigslist
Date: July 12, 2010
Backstory: Having met through Craigslist personals, stay-at-home mom Tiarra Pool invited her date David Kelsey Sparre back to her home where he proceeded to stab her to death. Pool's computer and cellphone aided police in the capture of Sparre and verified that the two communicated with each other for several days before meeting.
Punishment: He is scheduled to go to trial on May 16, 2011 with a guilty plea.
Christopher Dannevig
Animal Rights Activist Falls Victim To Facebook Predator
Site: Facebook
Date: May 14, 2010
Backstory: Christopher Deannevig peppered his Facebook page with interests that fell in line with ones found on victim Nona Belomesoff's profile page to con her into meeting for a job with an animal welfare group. After extending an invite to go on a camping trip to rescue injured animals, Belomesoff was found murdered with her body discovered in a creek.
Punishment: Dannevig pleaded not guilty to murder and will stand trail this year.
John Albert Gardner III
Pedophile Stalks Teen On & Offline
Site: MySpace
Date: Feb. 25, 2010
Backstory: Registered sex offender John Albert Gardner III created a fictitious MySpace account to communicate with high school student Chelsea King. He would attack King as she was jogging; raping and murdering her, then hiding her corpse in a San Diego Park. Gardner had set up the account nine months before ending his parole bid for molesting a 13-year-old girl in 2000.
Punishment: Gardner is sitting on two life sentences without parole.
Jameg Blake
War of Tweets Ends Deadly
Site: Twitter
Date: Dec. 1, 2009
Backstory: Childhood friends Jameg Blake and Kwame Dancy experienced a fallout over a woman both boys liked. After an exchange of a series of heated tweets, Blake shot Dancy in the neck with a shotgun. Hours before his death, Dancy tweeted, "niggas is lookin for u don't think I won't give up ya address for a price betta chill asap!" Blake proved he was more gully and came strapped for the occasion.
Punishment: Facing first-degree manslaughter and second-degree murder charges, Blake has entered a not guilty plea and stands trial at the moment.
Peter Chapman
Sex Offender Lures Facebook Teen Into Trap
Site: Facebook
Date: Oct. 25, 2009
Backstory: Posing as a teenage boy, Peter Chapman created a bogus Facebook account in hopes of attracting 17-year-old Ashleigh Hall. After meeting the teen beauty he would kidnap, rape, and murder her. Chapman had previously served a seven-year prison term at the age of 19 for raping two prostitutes at knifepoint. Yes, the judicial system set him free after seven years.
Punishment: He is serving a minimum of 35 years in jail.
Adam Mann
Deadbeat Father Murders Ex-Wife Over Facebook Taunts
Site: Facebook
Date: Sept. 15, 2009
Backstory: Chef Adam Dunn had enough of ex-wife Lisa Beverly's Facebook posts concerning his child-support payments and took a hammer as his weapon of choice to silence her. He would follow-up his brutal attack by slashing her neck with a knife. The former couple's five-year-old son would discover his mother's dead body the following day.
Punishment: Dunn will serve 24 years in the clink.
Korena Roberts
Unborn Child Taken From Mother's Womb
Site: Craigslist
Date: June 5, 2009
Backstory: Heather Megan Snively responded to a Craigslist ad posted by Korena Roberts in search of baby clothes for her unborn child. After a week of communication, Roberts tricked the soon-to-be mother into her home where she cut Snively's baby from her wound, killing her and the newborn in the process. Roberts lied to friends about being pregnant and had plans of passing the baby off as her own.
Punishment: A guilty plea wouldn't save this monster as four counts of aggravated murder equal a life prison sentence.
Nathaniel Edwin Briscoe
Online Prostitute Strangled to Death
Site: Craigslist
Date: May 21, 2009
Backstory: Former medical assistant turned drug-addicted prostitute, Amy Elizabeth Dickey, recruited sex client Nathaniel Edwin Briscoe who would strangle his victim after having sex with her and hide the body behind a grocery store in South Austin, Texas. Briscoe admitted to paying for sex, along with choking Dickey for five minutes claiming her last words were, "Dude, can you lighten up around the neck?"
Punishment: A life sentence, plus an extra 25 years with parole eligibility in 20 years.
Edward Richardson
Husband Kills Wife Over Status Update
Site: Facebook
Date: May 12, 2009
Backstory: Husband Edward Richardson became enraged after wife Sarah hadn't replied to his text messages concerning her new relationship status, and therefore paid a visit to her in-laws house where he viciously attacked her with a knife and attempted to take his own life. Failing in his attempt at suicide, the police arrested him on murder charges.
Punishment: He's been given a life sentence with a minimum term of 18 years.
Rachel Wade
Teenage Love Triangle Turns Deadly
Site: MySpace
Date: April 15, 2009
Backstory: Rachel Wade engaged in a war of words on Myspace with Sarah Ludemann over boyfriend Josh Camacho, leading to the blonde teen stabbing her nemesis and watching her die a slow death. Earlier, Wade left several threatening voicemail messages for Ludemann warning her to stay away from Camacho: "Seriously, I told you to watch your f***ing back and not to f***ing chill with him. I'm guaranteeing you that I'm going to f***ing murder you, I'm letting you know that now."
Punishment: Wade is locked up for 27 years on a second-degree murder charge.
Philip Haynes Markoff
Internet Masseuse Slain by Med Student
Site: Craigslist
Date: April 14, 2009
Backstory: Phillip Haynes Markoff responded to a personals ad for a masseuse and received escort and aspiring model Julissa Brisman, who he shot dead in a plush Boston hotel room. Markoff was also suspected of two other robberies, all involving women and taking place days before and after Brisman's death. For a medical student, he sure wasn't that bright in organizing his operations.
Punishment: After being indicted by a grand jury for first-degree murder, Markoff took the coward's way out and committed suicide in Boston's Nashua Street Jail. Justice well served.
Calvin Lawson
Felon Turns Murderer Over Alleged MySpace Rumors
Site: MySpace
Date: March 28, 2009
Backstory: Ex-con Calvin Lawson was furious over infidelity rumors sent to his girlfriend on MySpace by Caroline Wimmer and strangled the woman to death with a hair-dryer cord. Lawson had previously been arrested in 2006 for punching, choking, and striking a woman with a hammer, but was never convicted and set free. On the other side, neighbors told cops Wimmer had a history of man problems as an ex-boyfriend previously attempted to break into her home months ago. Seems like a devestating love triangle.
Punishment: Lawson was found guilty of second-degree murder and is serving 25 years in prison.
John Katehis
Satanic Anarchist Takes "Rough Sex" Ad to the Extreme
Site: Craigslist
Date: March 25, 2009
Backstory: Teenager John Katehis responded to a sex-partner ad posted by ABC News Radio host George Weber and met the anchor at his apartment in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, where he bounded and stabbed Weber over 50 times. Katehis claimed he murdered Weber in self-defense and blacked out during the incident, but remembered being given lines of cocaine and alcohol by the victim. Some reports claim Weber paid Katehis to beat him up and smother him during sadomasochistic sex.
Punishment: After pleading not guilty to second-degree murder, Katehis was freed due impart to a mistrial after one juror voted not guilty.
Clabon Terrel Berniard
Diamond-Ring Sale Turns Deadly
Site: Craigslist
Date: March 25, 2009
Backstory: Washington native Jim Sanders looked to make some extra cash by selling a family heirloom through the online community site, but, instead, welcomed four robbers into his home: Nathan Reese (left), Clabon Terrel Berniard (middle left), Amanda Knight (middle right), and Kiyoshi Higashi (right). The Foursome tied up his family and beat them in front of Sanders before alleged gunman Higashi shot the husband and father in cold blood.
Punishment: All four stand trial this month with not guilty pleas entered across the board.
Brian Lewis
Jilted Lover Scorned After Wife Posts Single Status
Site: Facebook
Date: March 12, 2009
Backstory: Brian Lewis reached his boiling point after wife Hayley Jones changed her relationship status from "married" to "single". Lewis stabbed and strangled her to death for spending too much time on the popular social network. Lewis expressed his anger to the jury: "I would be trying to send the kids to bed and she would be on it. You would try to talk to her and she would just ignore you. There were arguments." We're guessing he didn't try poking her or writing on her wall.
Punishment: The father-of-four was sentenced to life and ordered to serve a minimum of 14 years.
Robert Hull Marko
Fort Carson Solider Goes AWOL
Site: MySpace
Date: Oct. 12, 2008
Backstory: Army specialist Robert Hull Marko exchanged MySpace messages with victim Judilianna Lawrence before he raped and left her for dead in the Colorado Springs area with a slit throat. The solider's profile indicated that he was obsessed with the Dungeons & Dragons game, declaring himself a human-born member of the Black Raptors Race: "I'm becomeing (sic) a true Black Raptor already, I'm becomeing (sic) a cold hearted killer and can kill without mercy or reason." Oh, ok...
Punishment: He's currently on trail for first-degree murder pleading not guilty by reason of insanity.
Bernard George Lamp
Sex Seeker Has Killer Hard-On For Prostitute
Site: Craigslist
Date: March 8, 2008
Backstory: Bonnie Lou Irvine, a prostitute that worked for the online escort service Eros.com and performed under the nickname "Hayley", agreed to meet with Bernard George Lamp through a Cragislist ad, which led to her kidnapping and murder in Troutman, N.C. Police records show Lamp had a history of violence with escorts and was charged with sexual assault and kidnapping the year before, but a plea deal reduced his sentence.
Sentence: Not much has been found concerning Lamp's trial, but judging by his previous offenses, it wouldn't surprise us if he received a slap on the wrist, again.
Wayne Forrester
Husband Kills Wife For Changing Facebook Status
Site: Facebook
Date: Feb. 18, 2008
Backstory: Wayne Forrester wasn't fond of his wife Emma changing her Facebook status from "married" to "single" a few days after he moved out. Drunk and high on cocaine, the Heavy Goods Vehicle driver beat his wife, tore chunks of hair from her head, and repeatedly stabbed her in the head and neck with a kitchen knife and meat cleaver. Police found him sitting on his porch covered in blood.
Punishment: Pleading guilty to murder reduced his sentence to a minimum 14-year bid.
Hughstan Schlicker
Suicidal Teen Blows MySpace Needs Out of Proportion
Site: MySpace
Date: Feb. 8, 2008
Backstory: After having his Internet privileges revoked by his parents for posting suicidal threats on his MySpace page, Hughstan Schlicker went cuckoo and blew his father's head off with a 12-gauge shotgun. Schlicker found the weapon in his garage and admitted to nearly killing himself, but changed his mind and aimed the weapon at his father claiming he had enough of his rules: "I hate my dad, couldn't take it anymore."
Punishment: Entering a guilty plea agreement to second-degree murder, Schlicker walked away with a 20-year sentence.
Michael John Anderson
Teenage Boy Poses As a Mother And Kills College Student
Site: Craigslist
Date: Oct. 25, 2007
Backstory: Michael John Anderson acted as a married woman named "Amy" and lured college student Katherine Ann Olson into his home with a fake online baby-sitting ad just so he could experience what it felt like to kill someone. He would shoot Olson with a .357 magnum and hide her body at the Burnsville Nature Preserve. The media would label Anderson the first ever "Craigslist Killer."
Punishment: Anderson received a life sentence without parole.
Ulysses Handy
MySpace Buddies Murdered By So-Called Friend
Site: MySpace
Date: Feb. 7, 2006
Backstory: Ulysses Handy's pursuit of money and drugs led to the deaths of MySpace friends Darren Christian, Daniel Varo, and Lindy Cochran, who all died from severe gunshot wounds. Pictures on Christian’s MySpace page teased violent acts among the three men as two images revealed Handy whipping Varo, and Christian aiming a gun and sword at the murderer's head. During his trial, Handy told the victims' families to "get over it". Now that's cold-blooded.
Punishment: Handy's guilty plea helped him avoid the death penalty, but he's still serving three life sentences.
David Ludwig
Overzealous Boyfriend Murders Girlfriend's Parents
Site: MySpace
Date: Nov. 13,
2005
Backstory: Teens David Ludwig and Kara Beth Borden shared their love and interests on MySpace, but after hearing Borden's parents objected to their relationship, Ludwig shot and killed them, then kidnapped Kara at gunpoint. Ludwig was then captured by Indiana police during a high-speed chase. Many speculate the social media site played a major role in the murders with Borden influencing Ludwig to commit the crime through subliminal messaging, while others feel Ludwig's graphic hunting photos served as an omen of things to come. Who's to say both aren't true?
Punishment: Ludwig is serving two life sentences, while Borden lives with her relatives at an unknown location.