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Killer laid in wait before slaying man over Facebook ‘rumor’

homesafetytechpros — Wed, 12 Feb 2025 08:52:23 +0000

Background: Mark Bent at his sentencing hearing on Monday, Feb. 10, 2023 (East Idaho News). Inset: Nikolas Bird (Flamm Funeral Home).

An Idaho man was sentenced this week to a minimum of 45 years and a maximum of life in prison for murdering a man he says bullied him on Facebook — shooting him 17 times in the street outside the victim’s home — over “rumors” that the killer was an undercover cop.

Mark Bent, 43, was found guilty in December of first-degree murder and felony enhancement for the use of a deadly weapon in the commission of a felony for the September 2023 killing of Nikolas Bird, 23, outside his home in Bonneville County, according to East Idaho News. Bent, who was sentenced Monday, took to Facebook after the fatal shooting to explain why he took Bird’s life, saying it stemmed from online bullying related to his occupation. Bird’s family has denied the bullying accusation and says there’s no evidence to support it.

“I am saddened to say that I have committed some serious crimes today that will put me in jail for the rest of my life or lead to death,” Bent wrote after the shooting, according to prosecutors and East Idaho News. “As some of you know, shortly after I moved to Idaho Falls, I was slandered on Facebook with rumors of me being an Undercover Police Officer. Those rumors were followed by threats, harassment and more slander. Even after the facts were out that I am not a Police Officer of any kind, people still chose to believe it and continue to harass, threaten me and eventually look up where I live and work and post it on the internet.”

Bent was found guilty in December following a week-long jury trial, with prosecutors saying he planned the killing months in advance after being allegedly targeted on Facebook. He claimed during the trial that he blacked out during the shooting.

“This all started from me being involved with a local Facebook group called East Idaho Speedhunters and a car club called The Castaways,” Bent claimed on Facebook. “After being involved with The Castaways for a short time and seeing that they were involved with a lot of illegal activities, I departed from them. Because of that, the rumor of me being an Undercover Police Officer began and even though it seemed to pass, the rumor eventually came back to light.”

According to Bent, people kept posting about him on the Speedhunters page “in a negative way” to the point where he started to think about “attacking on one of the car meets/shows they attend,” East Idaho News reports.

“But my main goal was to kill Nik Bird, the founder of the Castaways that started all of this by spreading rumors,” Bent said. “He also posted where I work. So I told myself that if anything were to happen to my job, I will go after him. Unfortunately for him and his friends, I lost my job recently, so I followed said plans.”

At his sentencing hearing Monday, Bonneville County Prosecutor Randy Neal repeated the word “bang” 17 times to symbolize the amount of times Bird was shot. Bird’s parents gave impact statements during the proceeding, which were reported by East Idaho News. Bent could be seen crying at times.

“Nikolas loved with every fiber of his being,” said Bird’s mother, Tara Withers. “You knew you were loved when you were loved by Nik Bird.”

Describing Bent, Withers said: “Mark took any future Nik would’ve ever had. He will never know what it’s like to be married or to buy his first home. Mark took this away in the most brutal way possible. Mark laid in wait for over an hour to kill Nikolas.”

Bird’s father, Todd Bird, said each day is a “relentless reminder of what we’ve lost” since losing Bent last year.

“Nik’s laughter, his infectious smile, and the warmth of his presence,” Bird said. “And now, I find myself navigating life in a work that feels dark. Daily life is overshadowed by his absence. The joy that was once in our lives has been replaced by all-consuming sadness and longing for my son.”

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Kids asked if they ‘wanted to be kidnapped’ in TikTok: Cops

homesafetytechpros — Fri, 31 Jan 2025 02:31:58 +0000

Insets: Kaine Villareal and Lane Burch (Kyle Police Department). Background: Negley Elementary School in Kyle, Texas (Google Maps).

A twisted TikTok prank, in which a 19-year-old and a 17-year-old from Texas followed elementary school students home from school and asked if they “wanted to be kidnapped,” has landed the two teens behind bars on charges of making terroristic threats, police say.

Kaine Villareal and Lane Burch, both of Kyle, were caught Wednesday following a 7-year-old and a 9-year-old as they walked home from Negley Elementary School that afternoon at around 3:20 p.m., according to the Kyle Police Department.

The pair approached the two kids and asked if they “wanted to be kidnapped” as part of a “prank” for social media, according to police.

“The children immediately contacted their parents, who notified the Kyle Police Department,” KPD said in a press release. “Upon arrival, the suspects told officers that they were repeating a TikTok prank.”

While their TikTok profiles appear to be private and locked, Villareal can be seen on X and sports websites as he was a baseball player, wrestler and runner in high school.

The duo’s arrest marks the third time in roughly a month that a TikTok prank has landed someone in hot water and charged.

Charles Smith, a famous TikToker known as Wolfie Kahletti — who calls himself a “troll” and “supreme villain,” with over 14 million likes and 300,000 people following him — is facing criminal charges in Arizona for allegedly using a can of Hot Shot Ultra Bed Bug spray to film a social media “prank” video on Dec. 19, during which he sprayed the pesticide on vegetables, fruit and rotisserie chickens that were available for purchase.

“Smith filmed his face, the pesticide can, and the act of spraying,” the Mesa Police Department said in a press release. “He later posted the video online.”

Smith is facing a felony count of introducing poison and misdemeanor criminal damage, endangerment and theft charges for the incident.

Police in Port Author, Texas, say they believe a 25-year-old man put a 3-month-old in danger when he used the baby to wipe snow off a car as part of a stunt to go viral on TikTok.

After observing the video online, the Port Arthur Police Department and Child Protective Services started investigating the incident, according to local ABC and NBC affiliate KBMT. Police told the station they were looking to obtain an arrest warrant for child endangerment through the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office.

“They are looking for clicks,” Port Arthur Police Chief Tim Duriso told KMBT.

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YouTuber who fled after abducting 2 women behind bars: DA

homesafetytechpros — Wed, 22 Jan 2025 21:07:36 +0000

Insets: Corey Pritchett Jr., who is known as CoreySSG on YouTube (Instagram/Law&Crime Network). Background: Interstate 10 in Houston (KHOU/YouTube).

A YouTube star from Texas who fled to Qatar while facing aggravated kidnapping charges for abducting two women and taking them on a wild, high-speed car ride is back in the states and behind bars, according to prosecutors.

Corey Pritchett Jr., 26, of Houston, is accused of threatening the two victims with a gun — allegedly praying with them at one point — before dumping the pair off on the shoulder of the highway and telling them, “This is your only opportunity.”

The popular YouTuber fled to Qatar after the Nov. 24 kidnapping incident, according to his criminal complaint, which was obtained by Law&Crime earlier this month. The victims were found by deputies with the Waller County Sheriff’s Office near a weigh station off Interstate 10 in the Brookshire area after a local resident saw the women walking on the side of the road and called 911.

Pritchett was taken into custody on Jan. 17 and charged with aggravated kidnapping, according to Harris County court records. He was still being held Wednesday on a $100,000 bond, with his next court date set for Thursday.

Pritchett’s financial affidavit shows that he requested the services of a public defender and has reported a monthly income of $0 to go with no listed assets. He describes himself as being a “self-employed” content creator for the past nine years and seven months, according to the affidavit.

On YouTube, Pritchett has over 5 million subscribers across his two channels. One is for his personal videos, @CoreySSG31, and the other is for family posts with his wife and two children, @Pritchettfamily.

He allegedly met his two alleged victims online and then in-person at a Houston-area gym earlier in the day to work out. They went on an ATV outing together with some friends of his and spent time at a local bowling alley, according to Harris County prosecutors, before leaving to go home and ahead of the high-speed car ride.

“Both complainants stated by this point they noticed there was a complete change in behavior in the defendant where he was not the same person as he was earlier that day,” the complaint says. “The defendant then explains to both complainants that he believes someone is after him and that he is accused of setting someone’s car on fire.”

Instead of taking the women home, Pritchett allegedly drove “in the opposite direction” and got onto I-10 going westbound toward San Antonio at a high rate of speed. “Both complainants felt [Pritchett] was easily going over 100 mph,” the complaint says. Pritchett allegedly pulled out a “gold colored handgun” while driving and began waving it out of the sunroof of the vehicle and firing it while also threatening the women, prosecutors say.

“Both complainants state that they try to calm the defendant by telling him to pray together in which he agrees to do so and leads the prayer but continues to drive westbound on I-10 at a big rate of speed,” the complaint alleges.

At one point, Pritchett allegedly told the women, “I’m going to f— y’all and then kill y’all,” before changing his mind and letting them go, per the complaint.

As a famous YouTuber, Pritchett is known for posting comedic videos, music and lifestyle VLOGs. He has been very vocal about his current situation and charges since being arrested, with him making posts about it on his Instagram earlier this month before deleting his page.

“LETTER TO THE INTERNET it’s finna be a BALL,” Pritchett wrote in a Jan. 4 Instagram post. “You see it say ACCUSED right.”

In a Jan. 5 Instagram post, Pritchett said: “United States … I’m on the way. I have a meeting with Houston.”

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YouTuber faces kidnapping charges for abducting 2 women

homesafetytechpros — Tue, 07 Jan 2025 04:29:15 +0000

Inset: Corey Pritchett Jr., who is known as CoreySSG on YouTube (Instagram). Background: Interstate 10 in Houston (KHOU/YouTube).

A YouTube star from Texas is facing aggravated kidnapping charges for abducting two women and taking them on a wild, high-speed car ride on Interstate 10 — during which he threatened the victims with a gun and began praying with them — before dumping the pair off on the shoulder and telling them, “This is your only opportunity.”

Corey Pritchett Jr., 26, of Houston, is accused of fleeing to Qatar after the alleged kidnapping incident, which unfolded on Nov. 24, according to his criminal complaint, which was filed in Harris County and viewed by Law&Crime Monday. The victims were found by deputies with the Waller County Sheriff’s Office near a weigh station off I-10 in the Brookshire area after a local resident saw the women on the side of the road and called 911.

Pritchett, who has over 5 million subscribers across his two YouTube channels — one for his personal videos, @CoreySSG31, and another for family posts with his wife and two children, @Pritchettfamily — allegedly dumped the pair there after meeting them at a Houston-area gym earlier in the day to work out. They also went on an ATV outing together with some friends of his and spent time at a local bowling alley, according to the complaint, before things eventually took a dark turn.

“The complainants noticed that the defendant and his friends begin to act suspicious by constantly looking around and learned that they had an issue with another group that was at the bowling alley,” the complaint says.

Pritchett left the bowling alley for “a lengthy amount of time” and the women allegedly rode with a friend of his to go meet him to retrieve some belongings that they left in Pritchett’s car, according to the complaint. After meeting up with them at a local supermarket, Pritchett offered to give the women a ride home — but something was allegedly off with him.

Instead of taking the women home, Pritchett allegedly drove “in the opposite direction” and got onto I-10 going westbound toward San Antonio. He was said to be driving at a high rate of speed. “Both complainants felt [Pritchett] was easily going over 100 mph,” the complaint says. Pritchett allegedly pulled out a “gold colored handgun” while driving from the center console and began waving it out of the sunroof of the vehicle and firing it. The women repeatedly asked to be taken home, but Pritchett allegedly refused.

Pritchett allegedly called a female friend while driving with the contact name “Future Wife” using “video chat,” according to police, during which he claimed he was interested in killing the pair and dumping their bodies.

“Both complainants stated the defendant then asked the female caller if he had the perfect opportunity and was driving in the middle of nowhere and no one could hear them scream (speaking of both complainants) and no one could ever find them, should he just go ahead and do it,” the complaint says. “Both complainants stated the unknown female responded with a yes. Both complainants stated they knew at this point the defendant was going to take them in the middle of nowhere and kill them, seeing that he also had a handgun in his possession. Both stated that they feared for their lives.”

At one point, Pritchett allegedly told the women, “I’m going to f— y’all and then kill y’all,” before changing his mind and letting them go, per the complaint. He was allegedly on I-10 traveling east toward Houston when he dropped the women off on the shoulder.

“The defendant drove off leaving them on the highway alone at night at approximately 1:18 a.m.,” the complaint says, citing a screenshot from one of the victim’s phones. “The complainants stated they continued walking on the side of the highway for approximately an hour and tried to flag down drivers.”

On YouTube, Pritchett is known for posting comedic videos, music and lifestyle VLOGs with his family. He has been very vocal about his current situation and charges since being arrested last week, posting across social media about it.

“LETTER TO THE INTERNET it’s finna be a BALL,” Pritchett wrote in a Jan. 4 Instagram post. “You see it say ACCUSED right … Don’t worry lol I’m finna give the Details on here & in the Court of Law. They gone REGRET f—ing with me like I’m just some goofy … Oh And I got the BEST LAWYER IN HOUSTON we on they [A——].”

In a Jan. 5 Instagram post, Pritchett said: “United States … I’m on the way. I have a meeting with Houston.” On Monday, he wrote: “See y’all when I get out … crazy everybody want to see me behind bars for accusations I didn’t do … I know God got me. Love all my supporters. They can’t keep me down!”

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Prosecutor bashes Trump voters on Facebook, gets fired by DA

homesafetytechpros — Fri, 15 Nov 2024 13:46:21 +0000

Inset: One of the social media posts that Jordan Stroh made about Donald Trump supporters (Facebook/WXIN/Hancock County Deputy Prosecutor). Background: Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks at an election night watch party, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon).

A deputy prosecutor in Indiana has been fired for voicing her disdain with Donald Trump voters on social media — writing on Facebook after the election that they “disgust” her and “clearly don’t respect” human beings — in addition to sharing posts about them being Nazis, according to her boss.

“If you voted for Trump, please unfriend me,” wrote Jordan Stroh, former deputy prosecuting attorney for the Hancock County District Attorney’s Office, in a Facebook post cited by District Attorney Brent Eaton this week in her termination letter, which was obtained by local CBS affiliate WTTV and local Fox affiliate WXIN.

“You disgust me and clearly don’t respect me or other human beings,” she added.

A post that Stroh shared from the Relegalize Indiana PAC’s Facebook page was said to have contained a quote attributed to novelist and essayist A.R. Moxon, author of the book “Very Fine People.”

Deputy Hancock County Prosecutor Jordan Oulette Stroh was fired from her job due to her social media activity post-election. One Facebook post said, in part, “If you voted for Trump, please unfriend me.” Another quoted something from @JuliusGoat. Letter below: pic.twitter.com/D9evG7Jy9H

— CJHoytNews (@CJHoytNews) November 13, 2024

“[The post] in context, seemed to clearly be referring to the election and voters who supported the now President-Elect,” Eaton noted in Stroh’s Nov. 12 termination letter, adding that the post was shared “with the clear intent to communicate a belief that those who voted for the now President-Elect were NAZIS in the same manner as those who were members of one of the twentieth centuries most homicidal, anti-semitic, genocidal death cults.”

Speaking to the Indianapolis Star while on her honeymoon, Stroh claimed her posts were in reference to people in her personal life, not individuals she meets and works with as a deputy prosecutor. She believes she shouldn’t have been fired by Eaton.

“Prior to this current election, my opinions remained the same,” Stroh said by text. “At no point did my personal opinions prevent me from being fair and impartial in the execution of my duties. This especially rings true whenever my opinions were posted to my private Facebook page with no public ties to the Prosecutor’s Office.”

Eaton told Stroh in his letter that as a prosecutor, she should have known better, regardless of how she felt.

A portion of the termination letter sent to Jordan Stroh Oulette by Hancock County Prosecutor Benn Easton’s (WXIN/YouTube).

“You are charged with being a minister of justice,” he said. “Unfortunately, the decisions you made to post content to your social media page call into question your ability to be a fair and impartial minister of justice equitably, to all that you serve in this community. They have irreparably tarnished the credibility and trust people have in HCPO. Therefore, your employment with HCPO is terminated.”

Eaton told Stroh that he probed her Facebook page and found her posts to be “problematic” after receiving “multiple complaints” from people, including county staffers.

A Facebook post that Jordan Stroh Ouellette shared after Donald Trump’s election win (Facebook/WXIN/Hancock County Deputy Prosecutor).

“HCPO can only be successful if we have public trust,” Eaton said. “Public trust is very difficult to acquire and very easy to lose. It is my expectation that all people who enter our office or interact with our team firmly believe that the decisions we make daily are based upon an unbiased and common-sense reading of the law and interpretation of the facts. It is critical that all people firmly know that, no matter their political preferences, HCPO will always interact and serve them with respect.”

Eaton told the Indy Star on Wednesday that members of Hancock County’s law enforcement community were mainly upset about Stroh’s Nazi post, explaining that he sees their point.

“How many times can you refer to large swaths of people as Nazis?” Eaton said. “I think the answer zero. The answer should be zero.”

Attempts to reach Stroh for comment on Thursday were unsuccessful.

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