Stupidity the First: Married 47-year-old man is accused of murdering a 22-year-old coworker and friend.
Stupidity the Second: Out of jealousy....
Stupidity the Third: ...over the person claiming to be a 18-year-old woman who was chatting with both of them online and sending pictures and such.
(No, the person wasn't a 18-year-old woman. It was a 40-something woman using her daughter's picture. But then the 47-year-old man initially claimed to be a single 18-year-old Marine about to go to Iraq.)
Stupidity the Fourth: Internet crime expert J.A. Hitchcock, author of "Net Crimes & Misdemeanors," says: "I'm hoping that this case will make people think twice about what they do online and what their actions can cause in the long run."
(Right. Because murder and lying and sexual jealousy only happens when people misrepresent themselves online. It's all the intarweb's fault.
And yes, it's an amusing hook that the 18-year-old woman was really not. But it also illustrates that it's really not her that mattered. The chances that she would actually agree to meet either man were miniscule. This was about the 47-year-old. His perception of her, his perception of the murder victim, and most of all, his perception of himself.
Facts? Who cares about facts?)
Oh, and lest you think they're all dumb:
Smart Move #1: The accused murderer's wife intercepted one of the packages sent by the supposed 18-year-old woman and wrote back to the return address, including a family portrait.
Smart Move #2: ...and she's filed for divorce.
Source: AP story.
Stupidity the Second: Out of jealousy....
Stupidity the Third: ...over the person claiming to be a 18-year-old woman who was chatting with both of them online and sending pictures and such.
(No, the person wasn't a 18-year-old woman. It was a 40-something woman using her daughter's picture. But then the 47-year-old man initially claimed to be a single 18-year-old Marine about to go to Iraq.)
Stupidity the Fourth: Internet crime expert J.A. Hitchcock, author of "Net Crimes & Misdemeanors," says: "I'm hoping that this case will make people think twice about what they do online and what their actions can cause in the long run."
(Right. Because murder and lying and sexual jealousy only happens when people misrepresent themselves online. It's all the intarweb's fault.
And yes, it's an amusing hook that the 18-year-old woman was really not. But it also illustrates that it's really not her that mattered. The chances that she would actually agree to meet either man were miniscule. This was about the 47-year-old. His perception of her, his perception of the murder victim, and most of all, his perception of himself.
Facts? Who cares about facts?)
Oh, and lest you think they're all dumb:
Smart Move #1: The accused murderer's wife intercepted one of the packages sent by the supposed 18-year-old woman and wrote back to the return address, including a family portrait.
Smart Move #2: ...and she's filed for divorce.
Source: AP story.