Man sentenced to life for La. Facebook Marketplace murder
Back in the day, I used to post about all the murders that took place through craigslist, and I called them craigslist killings. When craigslist fell out of fashion with the mainstream in favor of Facebook Marketplace, I didn’t follow with them. Thanks to the abundance of school shootings in the country, my plate was already full. But now, that’s a mistake I’m going to correct because Marketplace is just as dangerous, if not more so, as craigslist. Now we have Marketplace murders.
On April 10, 2022, Daniel Tenner shot and killed 24-year-old Morgan Tyrone in Terrytown, Louisiana, after a Facebook Marketplace robbery turned deadly. Ms. Tyrone, her 22-year-old partner, and their 13-month-old son drove from their home in Pascagoula, Mississippi, to Terrytown thinking they were going to buy an iPhone 13 through Marketplace. Tenner had lured them there by placing the Marketplace ad under the fake profile of a woman.
When Tenner showed up for the transaction instead of a woman, Ms. Tyrone started to have hesitations about the deal. That’s when Tenner shot her in the back of the head. Tenner then demanded the $300 her and her partner brought with them.
In August of this year, 21-year-old Tenner was convicted of first-degree murder, armed robbery and obstruction of justice. Last month, he was sentenced to life in prison.
I haven’t said this in a while, but the old rules don’t apply anymore. Meeting someone in a busy and well populated area in the daytime isn’t enough anymore. Over the years, thieves like Tenner have gotten even bolder, going as far as shooting people in broad daylight in front of multiple witnesses.
Look, I get it. I’m guilty of bad Marketplace safety practices. I’ve bought a few laptops off of Marketplace. Once I even drove to someone’s home at night in the Kansas boonies, where there were only dirt roads, to buy a used ThinkPad. If I had gone to the wrong home, I could have ended up with a gut full of buckshot. Trust me, that almost happened to me once in rural, New Jersey, but I digress.
However, the best place to make a Facebook Marketplace transaction is at your local police station. While it doesn’t guarantee you won’t be ripped off or assaulted, it goes a long way in discouraging creeps from coming out to meet you. A lot of police stations even have designated areas for transactions like this.
Just because we all use Facebook, doesn’t mean Marketplace is safe. It’s because we all use Facebook that Marketplace is so dangerous. And if I had to hazard a guess, I’d say Facebook does even less moderation of Marketplace than craigslist did with their platform.
(Sources)
