Bronx Woman Killed by Internet Stalker

Woman whispered her killer's name as she was dying

A Bronx woman who was stabbed by a man who stalked her online was able to lead police to her killer by whispering his name before she died, law enforcement officials said.

Nimzay Aponte, 23, was attacked around lunchtime Tuesday as she sat in a Bronx park while taking a break from a job fair. A male friend sitting next to her on a park bench was also slashed, police said.

Police said the suspect, Raymond Dennis, had somehow figured out Aponte was attending the job seminar and found her in the park. There, stabbed her in the chest and her 25-year-old friend in the arm. The friend was listed in stable condition Friday. Police say Dennis and Aponte met once and then she rebuffed him and then he tracked her down.

As she was dying, Aponte whispered “Mike did it,” referring to a person she met online. It's not clear how the two connected online. The Associated Press reports they chatted on AOL. The New York Daily News reported they met on AOL and Local-Hookupz.com and the New York Post said they connected on MySpace.

“Mike” is the screen name of Dennis, 35, who was arrested on charges of second-degree murder in connection with the crime, police said. He has been arrested more than a dozen times for assault and drug possession, police said.

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Cyberstalking

Cyberstalking is the use of the Internet or other electronic means to stalk someone.

It has been defined as the use of information and communications technology, particularly the Internet, by an individual or group of individuals, to harass another individual, group of individuals, or organization. The behavior includes false accusations, monitoring, the transmission of threats, identity theft, damage to data or equipment, the solicitation of minors for sexual purposes, and gathering information for harassment purposes. The harassment must be such that a reasonable person, in possession of the same information, would regard it as sufficient to cause another reasonable person distress.

CyberAngels has written about how to identify cyberstalking:

When identifying cyberstalking "in the field," and particularly when considering whether to report it to any kind of legal authority, the following features or combination of features can be considered to characterize a true stalking situation: malice, premeditation, repetition, distress, obsession, vendetta, no legitimate purpose, personally directed, disregarded warnings to stop, harassment, and threats.

A number of key factors have been identified:

False accusations. Many cyberstalkers try to damage the reputation of their victim and turn other people against them. They post false information about them on websites. They may set up their own websites, blogs or user pages for this purpose. They post allegations about the victim to newsgroups, chat rooms or other sites that allow public contributions, such as Wikipedia or Amazon.com.

Attempts to gather information about the victim. Cyberstalkers may approach their victim's friends, family and work colleagues to obtain personal information. They may advertise for information on the Internet, or hire a private detective. They often will monitor the victim's online activities and attempt to trace their IP address in an effort to gather more information about their victims.

Encouraging others to harass the victim. Many cyberstalkers try to involve third parties in the harassment. They may claim the victim has harmed the stalker or his/her family in some way, or may post the victim's name and telephone number in order to encourage others to join the pursuit.

False victimization. The cyberstalker will claim that the victim is harassing him/her. Bocij writes that this phenomenon has been noted in a number of well-known cases.

Attacks on data and equipment. They may try to damage the victim's computer by sending viruses.

Ordering goods and services. They order items or subscribe to magazines in the victim's name. These often involve subscriptions to pornography or ordering sex toys then having them delivered to the victim's workplace.

Arranging to meet. Young people face a particularly high risk of having cyberstalkers try to set up meetings between them.

MORE TO COME ON THIS SUBJECT INCLUDING ACTUAL CASE STUDIES OF THE IDIOTS WHO DO THIS SORT OF THING.

Great Website to Protect Teens and Kids from Weirdos on the Web

It's one thing to have a bit of fun with the goofiness that's on the web as this blog does but, there are some serious weirdos out there in cyberspace and for many of them, teens and kids are their favorite targets.

Websafe Crackerz is one of the best and most fun websites for engaging the interest and intelligence of young people, drawing them in with fun and games and lots of valuable information on how to stay safe on the internet. It's NOT a lecture-from-authority type website. This is all about the young people. Definitely not boring.

Are you and/or your young person ready for the challenge?

Web Stalkers - Protect yourself from Internet Criminals & Psychopaths

FROM THE WEBSITE: More than ever before, crazy psychopaths, criminals and unsavory stalkers are destroying innocent people's lives. With remarkable ease, Web stalkers can invade your privacy, steal your identity and threaten your safety and well-being.

With advice from practicing psychologists, this book is the accumulated of more than a decade of research and observations and shows you how to protect your anonymity, hide your personal information and protect you safety and reputation.

This indispensable book focuses on the actual techniques used by web stalkers and show how evil and malicious stalkers attack. Best of all, you see the effective prevention and intervention secrets and the methods used to bring these people to justice.

Don't be their next victim.

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