Image via Complex Original
Over the past few months, we’ve witnessed a horrifying series of murders centered around Apple's highly coveted smartphone. Just last week a 17-year-old was run over for allegedly smashing his girlfriend's iPhone. Overseas, there have been suicide reports linked to Apple's Taiwanese electronics manufacturing plant, Foxconn, during the iPhone 3GS’ pre-production phase. While the trend hasn't yet become a full-blown epidemic, the danger for those carrying an iPhone is high. Read through this brief, tragic history and be careful.
Foxconn Employee Kills Himself Over Lost Prototype
Date: July 21, 2009
Sun Danyong held the distinct honor of securing 16 iPhone prototypes, but when one went missing, the Foxconn employee was subjected to "unbearable interrogation techniques." Reports claimed he suffered beatings and was detained in solitary confinement. Factory working conditions and guilt lead him to jump off a 12-story building.
Church Deacon Takes Deadly Tumble
Date: March 30, 2011
Sally Kantona-King was getting off the train on her way home when 17-year-old Prince Watson shoved her down the stairs after robbing an iPhone from an unknown pedestrian on the subway platform. The 68-year-old died from her sustained injuries: including a blow to the head. Watson was charged with felony robbery and murder.
24-Year-Old Dad Fights & Dies For Stolen iPhone
Date: May 3, 2011
Geuris Tejada was shot in the neck when he got into a fight with three men who stole his iPhone. A rushed trip to New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center couldn't save him. The authorities captured the trio, found a pistol on one of them during the arrest, and charged each with murder
iPhone Argument Turns Fatal
Date: Sept. 25, 2011
Police found Viktor Kolodiy on the floor of the lobby of his apartment complex, bleeding to death from a gunshot wound. Two friends said the victim got into a heated debate with the suspect over his iPhone and took a bullet to the torso. Kolodiy would later die at Kings County Hospital in Brooklyn, NY.
Queens, NY Teen Stabbed to Death
Date: Oct. 29, 2011
Five jackers confronted 17-year-old Patrick Dixon after he exited a bus around Foch Boulevard and 142nd Street. After a scuffle which involved Dixon being stabbed in the neck, he was taken to Jamaica Hospital, where he was confirmed dead. Dixon's uncle shared his sentiments with the media: "He was never in anything gang-related or any of that shit. Man, I just lost my nephew."
New Father Fatally Stabbed
Date: Dec. 5, 2011
Keith Soon had just become a dad eight months prior to his death. According to police, Richard Smith, 27, and Michael Sexton, 28, robbed the father-of-one for his iPhone and stabbed Soon in the head with a screwdriver. Smith claimed he punched the victim in the face and blamed Sexton for murdering Soon during the two-week trial which resulted in a 25-year prison sentence for both men.
Vendor Shanked Over Fake iPhone
Date: March 5, 2012
Out in China, one crazed consumer went nuts on a group of mobile vendors after being sold a fake iPhone. The aggressor, dubbed “Mr. Feng”, came to the conclusion he was scammed and returned with a kitchen knife which he used to put one vendor in the hospital and another in the morgue. And you thought Americans took their Apple products seriously.
McDonald's Employee Shot Over iDevices
Date: March 27, 2012
Montanez Whitehead was robbed and killed for his iPhone and iPad. The 22-year-old walked home from his job at McDonald’s before receiving a few hot slugs to his body. Dejuan Burks, 19 years old, was charged for the murder and faces a life sentence if convicted.
MoMA Chef Shot Over iPhone 4
Date: April 19, 2012
A gunman shot 26-year-old chef Hwang Yang in the chest and snatched his smartphone just two blocks away from his apartment. Cops later discovered Yang was trying to sell one of his two iPhone 4's online and traced an inquiring call back to suspect Alejandro Campos. Police booked Campos and partner Dominick Davis on murder charges.
Psycho Girlfriend Runs Over Underaged Lover
Date: June 6, 2012
After a heated argument in which her iPhone shattered on the pavement, 25-year-old Jasmine Hernandez hopped into her SUV and ran down her 17-year old boo, Frankie Hernandez. The victim's brother claimed he saw the incident transpire: "I heard her say, ‘You f--ked up my phone!' I heard the rubber burning, and saw her just drive off...This wasn’t an accident." She was charged with manslaughter and leaving the scene of a crime.
