Pennsylvania Man Kills Girlfriend After Luring Her into Nevada Desert for Bondage Photoshoot
A man from Pennsylvania was sentenced to life for the murder of his girlfriend, the District Attorney announced.
John Matthew Chapman was convicted on one count of kidnapping resulting in the death of the victim in Nevada, People reported.
The guilty verdict for the 2019 murder was given by a jury after an eight-day trial, the U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Nevada shared. Judge James C. Mahan presided over the trial and gave Chapman the maximum penalty.
"The defendant violated the victim’s trust by luring her away from her family and friends in Pennsylvania and out into the Nevada desert where he viciously killed her," said Jason M. Frierson, United States Attorney, District of Nevada.
"This sentence should send a clear message to others that kidnapping and killing another person will result in a substantial prison sentence. Thank you to our federal and local law enforcement partners for their hard work in bringing justice to the victim’s family," Frierson said.
The victim was identified as 33-year-old Jaime Feden, according to Triblive.
On November 14, 2019, the Bethel Park Police Department conducted a welfare check on the victim at the request of her friend, the D.A.'s office stated. The neighbors told officers that they had not seen the victim in two months, but had observed a man, whom they presumed to be her boyfriend, going in and out of her residence.
In the residence, police found identification cards with Chapman’s name and photograph, the victim’s cellular phone, multiple zip ties, and a roll of duct tape.
The following day authorities took Chapman into custody, the D.A.'s office claimed. During questioning, he admitted to having killed the victim in September 2019. He took her to Nevada on the pretext he was looking into buying a residence there.
He convinced her to participate in a bondage photoshoot. Under the pretext, he managed to bind her hands and feet with plastic zip ties and affix her to a signpost, the accused told authorities during questioning.
Chapman put duct tape on his victim's mouth and watched her die of asphyxiation, U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Nevada stated. The man then returned to Pennsylvania and took control of his girlfriend's house and money.
"Today’s sentencing holds the defendant accountable for the callous and brutal murder of an innocent young woman," said Special Agent in Charge Spencer L. Evans for the FBI Las Vegas Field Office, U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Nevada. "We hope it will bring a sense of closure to the victim’s family while affirming the FBI and our law enforcement partners' commitment to pursuing justice for those affected by violence."