Is the Internet Unleashing Evil Upon the World?

[KQ]

Would these things happen anyway or are more people dying because of the Internet?

(all those involved in this need to be in the "POS Human Being" thread)

An Alaska teen is accused of killing her friend after a man she met online said he'd pay $9 million for videos of the murder


(CNN)Denali Brehmer began planning how to kill her "best friend" after a man she met online said he would pay her several million dollars for evidence of the killing, Alaska authorities say.

The 18-year-old from Anchorage, Alaska, had developed an online relationship with Darin Schilmiller, 21, of Indiana, who posed as a millionaire named "Tyler," and offered her at least $9 million to kill Cynthia Hoffman and send him "videos and photographs of the murder," according to the Alaska Department of Law.

The two began discussing "a plan to rape and murder someone in Alaska," several weeks before Hoffman's murder, according to court documents.

Hoffman, 19, and Brehmer are described in the documents as "best friends."

Hoffman was bound with duct tape, shot in the back of the head, and pushed into a river near a hiking trail outside Anchorage on June 2, the department said in a statement.

Anchorage Police officers discovered her body along the Eklutna River bank on June 4.

Brehmer recruited Kayden McIntosh, 16, Caleb Leyland, 19, and two juveniles to help her carry out the killing, and in exchange, "all of them would receive a significant sum of money for their part in the planning and/or execution of the murder," according to the department's statement.

CNN has reached out to Brehmer's attorney, Emily Cooper, but a request for comment has not been answered.

Hoffman was brought to Thunderbird Falls by Brehmer and McIntosh in a truck borrowed from Leyland under the ruse they were going on a hike near the Eklutna River, the statement said.

They stopped at a clearing and Hoffman's hands and feet were bound with duct tape and duct tape was wrapped around her head and mouth, according to court documents.

McIntosh shot Hoffman one time in the back of the head with Brehmer's gun, court documents said, and she was then put in the Eklutna River.

Phone records show Brehmer was sending videos and photographs to Schilmiller "at his directive" throughout.

Hoffman's father, Timothy Hoffman, told CNN affiliate KTVA that his daughter had a learning disability.
Hoffman said in court his daughter was an "angel" and a "daddy's girl."

A grand jury indicted all six defendants Friday for first-degree murder, first-degree conspiracy to commit murder, and two counts of second-degree murder and other charges. McIntosh is being charged as an adult.

Brehmer, McIntosh, and Leyland are in the custody of the Department of Corrections and will be arraigned Tuesday, according to the Alaska Department of Law.

The juvenile defendants are also currently in custody, the Department of Law said.
Schilmiller will be arraigned once extradited to Alaska, the Department of Law said. He is currently in federal custody for child pornography charges.

Federal court documents allege Schilmiller had also directed Brehmer to sexually assault an "8 or 9 year old" and a 15-year-old and send videos to him. Brehmer told investigators she did, and video of the 15-year-old was recovered by investigators.

It is unclear who is Schilmiller's attorney or if federal charges have been brought against Brehmer.

CNN has reached out to Leyland's attorney, Claire DeWitte, but request for comment has not been answered. McIntosh's attorney, Ben Muse, was unavailable for comment Monday.

[Viva]

When folks start catching computer viruses and die from the resultant virtual crabs, then yeah. Maybe.

Sent from my SM-G960U using TGR Forums mobile app

[scrambledbacon]

Meh. Hyper connectivity is just amplifying our underlying behavioral quirks. We're no different mentally than 20(00) years ago.

[KQ]

Meh. Hyper connectivity is just amplifying our underlying behavioral quirks. We're no different mentally than 20(00) years ago.

Yes of course mankind is no innocent when it comes to evil but is a Pandora's Box of sorts? Has it enabled and enhanced these tendencies?

[redacted user]

Yes of course mankind is no innocent when it comes to evil but is a Pandora's Box of sorts? Has it enabled and enhanced these tendencies?

In some cases, yes. But the internet has also exposed propaganda for what it is in a way that older communication channels never could, making a redux of world war less likely (my suspicion anyhow).

[DBdude]

get off of my lawn, in other other words, this thread high lights humans propensity to think things were better in the past

humans have an inherent capability for evil

for example:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milgram_experiment

[Timberridge]

In some cases, yes. But the internet has also exposed propaganda for what it is in a way that older communication channels never could, making a redux of world war less likely (my suspicion anyhow).

Lets not forget how easily one can share recipes now. 3"x5" index cards were so cumbersome.

[KQ]

get off of my lawn, in other other words, this thread high lights humans propensity to think things were better in the past

humans have an inherent capability for evil

for example:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milgram_experiment

No... I don't think things were better, as I said "mankind is no innocent when it comes to evil" what I'm pondering is:


Would this girl have been killed (and countless others like her) absent the internet? conversely, does the internet facilitate these sorts of things?

[MakersTeleMark]

No... I don't think things were better, as I said "mankind is no innocent when it comes to evil" what I'm pondering is:


Would this girl have been killed (and countless others like her) absent the internet? conversely, does the internet facilitate these sorts of things?

Countless? Really? Do you not see this incident as an anomaly which, swap a few details, could have occurred in any era?

[redacted user]

Lets not forget how easily one can share recipes now. 3"x5" index cards were so cumbersome.

It gives me pause contemplating how high the murder rate will be once the masses develop a taste for Chianti over liver.

[DBdude]

it's a zero sum gain - the bad things are balanced out by the good things the internet has achieved

the person that committed that heinous crime had a propensity for evil. if there was no internet there is a possibility they would have done something equally evil at a different time in a different way

[DBdude]

It gives me pause contemplating how high the murder rate will be once the masses develop a taste for Chianti over liver.

and fava beans?

[KQ]

Countless? Really? Do you not see this incident as an anomaly which, swap a few details, could have occurred in any era?

There have been quite a few killings tied to people reaching out over the internet. The "Slender Man" incident comes to mind as one.

it's a zero sum gain - the bad things are balanced out by the good things the internet has achieved

the person that committed that heinous crime had a propensity for evil. if there was no internet there is a possibility they would have done something equally evil at a different time in a different way

Ah yes... I was waiting for this and pondered it myself so another question:

Does the positive outweigh the negative?

[Mofro261]

Show me everybody
naked and disfigured
nothing's shocking

[Timberridge]

It gives me pause contemplating how high the murder rate will be once the masses develop a taste for Chianti over liver.

...while on Tinder dates.

I would know next to nothing about mounting my own skis if it were not for the internet.

Btw, do you mean a Chianti demi glace over liver, or just choosing Chianti over liver?

[iceman]

One thing it has done is make things seem more fucked up because you hear about everything.

[DBdude]

Would this girl have been killed (and countless others like her) absent the internet? conversely, does the internet facilitate these sorts of things?

yes, you can say the same thing of books. it's not the medium, it's humans

[DBdude]

One thing it has done is make things seem more fucked up because you hear about everything.

exactly

[DBdude]

Btw, do you mean a Chianti demi glace over liver, or just choosing Chianti over liver?

chianti reduction with porcinni mushrooms and shallots finished with a dash of butter

[Parvo]

We had a civil war, hundreds of thousands dead, with no Reddit.
The arab spring flourished thanks to twitter.
I wonder how tiananmen square would have worked out for those evil bastards in power if those students had twitter... or even tinder for those ronery Beijing evenings camped out in the square.

[Timberridge]

chianti reduction with porcinni mushrooms and shallots finished with a dash of butter

Hello....

Porcini Mushroom Red Wine Reduction

Ingredients

1 oz dried porcini mushrooms
½ cup hot water
4 tbsps unsalted butter, divided
¼ cup shallots, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, peeled and sliced
2 tbsps tomato paste
2 cups dry red wine
2 sprigs of fresh thyme, or ¼ tsp of dried thyme
1 tbsp sugar
Sea salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

Soak porcini mushrooms in hot water for at least 30 minutes. Set aside, reserving the liquid.
In a medium saucepan, sauté shallots, garlic, and carrots in two tablespoons of butter over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until the shallots are lightly browned.
Stir in the tomato paste and cook for about 2 minutes.
Deglaze the pan with the wine, scraping the bits and pieces that have stuck to the pan. Stir in thyme, sugar, and porcini mushroom (with the liquid).
Bring to a boil over high heat, then lower the heat to a simmer, and cook until the liquid is reduced by half, about 15 minutes.
Remove from heat, add the reserved two tablespoons of butter and whisk until smooth.
Strain through a fine sieve into a saucer and keep warm until ready to serve.

Notes
*I've tried this recipe with Merlot, Malbec, and Syrah, and I liked them all. You don’t need to use the expensive, complex wines (as most of the subtle nuances are lost in the cooking process), but do stay away from the “cooking wines.” They contain additives like salt and reducing the wine down doesn't help the cause much.

*You can make the sauce ahead of time. Reheat in a saucepan under low heat, stirring constantly. Adding too much heat too quickly can cause the emulsion to break and the butter fat to separate.

[muted]

There was been many writers saying how the internet is becoming a failed experiment in many ways. Yes, buying things online, having a biz presence, paying bills online, wikipedia, connecting families, and much more that work well and are awesome.

But then there are sites that connect pedophiles, psychopaths, murders, and make them not feel so alone, in chat rooms, and sometimes they motivate others to ruin others lives by killing, molesting, or mass-murder. Or it connects thieves, hackers, bullys easily to victims. It's a new effective tool for criminals, I don't see how you can avoid that fact. Humans haven't changed much, the internet is a fucking mess though.

[SB]

have a good one

[Timberridge]

have a good one

What does this even mean? A good what...day? evening? internet chat session on www. murderers.com?

[MakersTeleMark]

Does the positive outweigh the negative?

What is the value of your voice outside of your small clique in WW?