A Pennsylvania man has been sentenced to life in prison for a horrific crime. He drove his girlfriend across the country and brought her to the Nevada desert for a bondage photo shoot.
Once there, he subjected her to a terrifying ordeal, restraining her to a signpost with zip ties and using duct tape to cover her mouth and nose. Tragically, she lost her life while he watched.
John Matthew Chapman, 44, has received his sentence for the tragic death of Jaime Rae Feden, 33, as announced by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in a recent news release. In May, he was found guilty of kidnapping which led to a tragic outcome.
“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 U.S. Attorney Jason M. Frierson for the 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 for the victim’s family,” he added.
In September 2019, the defendant informed Feden that they were embarking on a house-hunting vacation in Las Vegas with the possibility of getting married, as stated in a court document. This marked the beginning of a chain of events that ultimately led to the tragic killing and subsequent arrest of Chapman. The couple embarked on a cross-country journey spanning nearly 2,200 miles from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, to the vibrant city of Las Vegas.
“Although the victim believed she was going to be starting a new life with Chapman, she was unaware of his true plan, which was to kill her,” court documents said.
Authorities discovered that Chapman had conducted online searches related to certain topics the night before the couple’s arrival in Las Vegas on Sept. 23, 2019.
According to court documents, he managed to persuade her to venture into the desert in Lincoln County, Nevada, which is over 150 miles north of Las Vegas. He did so by presenting the idea of taking part in a photo shoot with a sadomasochistic and bondage theme.
According to court documents, he restrained his girlfriend with zip ties and attached her to a signpost.
“After applying duct tape to her mouth and then to her nose, Chapman watched the victim die from asphyxiation,” court documents said.
Later, he left her body near the post and returned to Pennsylvania, leaving her clothing at various locations.
Officials reported that the individual in question utilized the deceased woman’s cellphone to assume her identity, sending text messages to her acquaintance, feigning her continued existence, all the while taking advantage of her residence and finances.
In October 2019, a tragic discovery was made by an 8-year-old child and their grandparent. The body was found approximately a mile away from a dirt road on federal land, according to Lincoln County Sheriff Kerry Lee, as reported by Pittsburgh’s NBC/Cox Media Group affiliate WPXI.
“They saw what they thought was a dead animal a ways away from the road,” Lee said. “And so they went to investigate and found that it was actually the body of a nude female.”
The agency stated in a news release that the body was in the early stages of decomposition and did not have any identification.
Her identity remained unknown until November 15, 2019, when the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office received information that the Bethel Park Police Department had apprehended Chapman as a potential suspect in Feden’s disappearance. According to police, Feden’s neighbors noticed someone they believed to be Chapman entering and leaving her residence.
Inside her home, authorities discovered ID cards with his name and picture, her cellphone, zip ties, and a roll of duct tape, as stated by prosecutors. Officials in Nevada have officially identified the remains as belonging to Feden. The identification was made based on various factors, including her petite stature of 4 feet and 1 inch, previous medical procedures, a distinctive tattoo, and dental records.
According to a report by Law&Crime, a friend named Nikki Lawrence informed Buzzfeed that Feden’s loved ones were not supportive of her relationship with Chapman. However, Feden remained steadfast in her decision. Lawrence detailed a tumultuous relationship, expressing that he treated her poorly and took advantage of her financially.
According to Lawrence, the owner of a bar once pursued Chapman down a street after Feden arrived with two black eyes.
Chapman had a spouse other than his current partner. According to Maureen Chapman, her husband confessed to the murder while speaking to her from the police station, revealing a hidden side of his life.
Source: US Department of Justice
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