[Warning: Potentially Triggering Content]
It really doesn’t get worse than this.
A man charged with strangling and beating a woman after meeting up with her for a Tinder date allegedly also had sex with her dead body before robbing her. Oof.
According to reports, Danueal Drayton (above) is accused of murdering Samantha Stewart, a nurse from Queens, at her home after connecting through the dating app. Prosecutors allege that the 31-year-old killed the 29-year-old after the two went back to her home on July 16.
Now here’s where the disturbing gets dialed up to 11: after the murder, the Connecticut native allegedly had sex with the victim’s body before dumping her in a blanket in her bedroom and fleeing with her credit cards, per the indictment, which he used to buy a plane ticket to California.
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Drayton allegedly left Stewart’s home in a white van that was found abandoned at JFK Airport the next day. He was taken into custody a week later after being found in a North Hollywood hotel room — allegedly holding another woman against her will, no less.
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said of the tragic killing:
“This was a brutal crime that makes every person using a dating app fearful. The victim was duped into going out on a date with the defendant, who played a charmer online, but was in fact an alleged sexual predator.”
Police said that Stewart was found by her brothers on July 17, with all her teeth knocked out.
Katz continued:
“This family deserves justice. Now back in our custody, this defendant will be held to account for his alleged actions.”
On Friday, the suspect was arraigned in Queens Supreme Court on an 18-count indictment after he was extradited from Los Angeles. He’s facing multiple charges, including murder in the second degree, grand larceny, petit larceny, sexual misconduct, identity theft, unlawful possession of personal identification information, and criminal possession of stolen property.
According to the New York Daily News, Drayton admitted to killing at least six other people — two in Connecticut and four in New York — while being interviewed by police in Los Angeles. However, police haven’t been able to find proof of these claims.
If convicted, he faces up to 25 years to life in prison. His next court date is set for May 25.
What a nightmare. Our hearts go out to the victim’s loved ones, and we hope this serves as a reminder for everyone to be extra careful with online dating.
[Image via NYPD]
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