Los Angeles man convicted of targeting gay men on dating apps to kill, dismember them

LAFAYETTE, Louisiana (TCD) — A 21-year-old man who targeted gay and bisexual men on a dating app with the intention of kidnapping, killing and dismembering them recently pleaded guilty and was sentenced to more than four decades in prison.

In June 2020, Chance Seneca used the LGBTQ+ dating app Grindr to meet one of his victims, the The Department of Justice announced. Seneca allegedly drove the victim to a “secluded house, pulled out a handgun, ordered him to put on handcuffs, and then used multiple methods to attempt to murder him.”

According to the Justice Department, Seneca believed the victim to be dead and attempted to dismember him.

Seneca was arrested and reportedly said his intent was to kill gay people “until he is caught or killed.”

Seneca allegedly confessed to having kidnapped and attempted to kill the victim to “satisfy a compulsive murder fantasy”, and he had become “obsessed with the idea of ​​killing homosexuals”.

The Justice Department said Seneca acknowledged that this fascination “led him to spend months devising a murder kidnapping scheme that mirrored the murders of gay men committed by notorious serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer.”

Like Dahmer, Seneca would have planned to eat and preserve the remains of his victims.

Seneca allegedly kidnapped two other men. One of Seneca’s victims, an 18-year-old man identified as Holden White, was found in a bathtub with strangulation marks on his neck and “wrists split to the bone”.

Due to the attack, White was in a coma for three days and remained hospitalized for almost a month.

An affidavit reportedly said Seneca called police after the incident as a “self-proclaimed effort to be placed in a mental institution.”

Seneca was initially charged with hate crimes, kidnapping, firearms and obstruction.

On January 25, the Justice Department announced that Seneca had been sentenced to 45 years in federal prison.

The decision was made by the court based on “many factors,” including the fact that Seneca specifically targeted his victims based on their gender and sexual orientation.

Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division said: “The facts of this case are truly shocking, and the defendant’s decision to specifically target gay men is a disturbing reminder of the unique biases and dangers facing the LGBTQ+ community today. »

Clarke continued, “The Internet should be accessible and safe for all Americans, regardless of gender or sexual orientation. We will continue to identify and intercept predators who weaponize online platforms to target LGBTQ+ victims and commit acts of violence and hate. »

US Attorney Brandon B. Brown of the Western District of Louisiana added, “No one should ever be subjected to the type of horrific acts that this defendant inflicted on the victim in this case.” »

FOLLOWING: