😲 The No. 1 show on Netflix right now is “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story.” It dives into the true story of two brothers convicted of murdering their parents in 1996. They said a lifetime of abuse drove them to it; prosecutors argued it was all about inheriting the family fortune.
Dark Web deep dive: Hitmen, hacking and credit cards
Yesterday I told you all about the Dark Web. Missed it? Part 1 is here. As expected, so many of you asked me, “Why the heck would you even go on the Dark Web?”
It’s my job
No, really! The fine folks at the Daily Mail asked if I’d do a Dark Web deep dive and report back. The reason is probably the same one you had for opening this email: It’s intriguing.
I’ve been doing this long enough that I can bring you all the Dark Web craziness without putting myself at risk. I’m not recommending you go digging around. I’m sharing for the curious among us who know better.
Follow the links
There’s a whole network of aggregators that list marketplaces, Dark Web versions of media outlets and everything else, with names like The Hidden Wiki, Onion.Live and Dark.fail. I started on Reddit with a search for “.onion search aggregators.”
Finding live sites takes trial and lots of error since they refresh their URLs all the time to evade law enforcement.
Now, let’s jump into what else I found.
👉 Are there hitmen for hire?
In theory, absolutely. In reality, you’d have to dig deep to find a real person willing to commit murder or another heinous crime on your behalf. I have to assume most of what pops up in Dark Web search engines are scams or honeypots meant to lure in someone up to no good.
One site I found had a list of rates posted for arson ($10,000 to $20,000), assassination ($10,000 to $50,000), assault ($1,000 to $5,000) and kidnapping ($15,000 to $25,000). Wild that the starting rate for assassination is less than kidnapping.
👉 They’ll hack anything
The cartel’s latest target? Your retirement
What do Mexican gangs, murder and retirees have in common? They’re all part of one massive vishing operation. That’s right, Mexican drug cartels are targeting older people with timeshares — and walking away with millions.
September 28th, 2024
Israel has a new tool in the war against Hezbollah and Iran: QR codes. Incredible, and incredibly scary, how well it’s working. Plus, a Dark Web murder for hire plot, superintelligent AI is coming and shocking warning signs that led to the OceanGate submersible tragedy.
📺 Did Netflix cross a line? If you’ve seen “American Murder: Gabby Petito,” you heard Gabby reading her journals and texts. The filmmakers actually used AI to clone the murder victim’s voice. They say her family approved, but some are calling it “monstrous” to tell her story this way. What do you think?
$60,000 reward
For helping to catch the UnitedHealthcare CEO’s killer. A tip from a McDonald’s employee ultimately led to 26-year-old Luigi Mangione’s arrest. If he’s convicted of Brian Thompson’s murder, the Secretary of State decides if the tip is worth a payout. I’d say from what I’ve read, the answer’s a big yes.
Tragic and chilling: This is so sad. A 63-year-old North Carolina man shot his wife, then confessed to the murder in a Facebook group he was an admin for before taking his life. “My wife admitted to cheating on me so I killed her, I’m about to kill myself. Figure this group out for your selves,” he wrote. The couple was married for over 34 years.
The state of our country: Scumbags are selling merch glorifying the UnitedHealthcare CEO killer. Amazon had the decency to pull “Deny Defend Depose” shirts, but they’re still on eBay, apparently because they don’t break any rules. Really? Trolls review-bombed the McDonald’s where the guy was caught, too, calling workers rats and snitches. What is wrong with people?
🕵️♂️ Internet sleuths aren’t helping police: They’re silent about tracking down the UnitedHealthcare CEO killer. Why? They’re angry about the U.S. health care system’s policies. It gets darker; some people have even taken to social media to celebrate his death. And anyone who tries to help? They’re being bullied into silence.
404: Page not found: Health insurance companies are busy scrubbing their website leadership pages following Thompson’s death in case copycat killers get any ideas. UnitedHealthcare’s “About Us” section, for instance, now redirects to the company’s homepage. But anyone can still see these pages on Google, Crunchbase, Yahoo Finance, the Wayback Machine … You get my point.
🕵️ The internet is on the case: The shocking murder of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO, Brian Thompson, has every corner of the true-crime web playing detective. Amateur sleuths are investigating CCTV footage of the gunman to determine his possible motives. Warning: There are so many conspiracy theories out there, ranging from the shooter being denied gender-affirming medical care to Thompson’s wife wanting him dead before their upcoming divorce. Only believe and share credible reports.
Need a break from football? Netflix’s new docuseries “Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenét Ramsey” revisits the infamous 1996 murder mystery. It includes interviews with JonBenét’s father and unpacks the embarrassingly bad investigation, media circus and, of course, the ransom note. Watch the trailer here.
😲 The No. 1 show on Netflix right now: “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story” dives into the true story of two brothers convicted of murdering their parents in 1996. The newly elected Los Angeles District Attorney says, “I will have to review the confidential prison files for each brother, the transcripts from both trials, and speak to the prosecutors, law enforcement, defense counsel and the victims’ family members. Only then can I make a decision.” I don’t think much will happen at their resentencing hearing on Dec. 11.
A long road ahead: An Arkansas father faces first-degree murder charges after shooting a man he found with his missing 14-year-old daughter — a 60-something former Indiana police chief with a history of internet stalking and sexual assault against minors. Dad is now out on bail and raising money for his legal defense.
Hitman-for-hire: A Tennessee woman will spend over eight years in prison for hiring a hitman to kill the wife of a guy she met on a dating app. She paid him $9,750 in bitcoin, insisting the murder look like an accident. Super scary: She tracked the couple through fitness app Strava so she could tell the hitman when the woman was out for a walk. Yup, make those location settings private.
Two families ruined forever: A Michigan teenager is facing second-degree murder charges after losing control of a BMW and killing his 18-year-old friend. His mom knew about his reckless driving habits, watching him on the Life360 app, and she even texted him, “I have screenshots of you doing 123 mph. Slow the f… down!” The victim’s family wants the mother charged with involuntary manslaughter.
🎮 Next-level rage: A 20-year-old gamer flew from New Jersey to Florida to try to kill another player. He showed up with a hammer after they fought in a game called ArcheAge. He’s been charged with attempted second-degree murder and armed burglary. Remember, someone who really wants to find you generally can because your private info is for sale online.
In Telfair County, Georgia, a fisherman stumbled upon critical evidence from the 2015 Craigslist murder of an elderly couple. He first pulled up a .22-caliber rifle, then discovered driver’s licenses and credit cards belonging to the victims. This find has revitalized the investigation, with more clues headed to the crime lab.
Don’t believe everything you see on Netflix: The latest doc, “What Jennifer Did,” uses AI-generated images to depict killer Jennifer Pan as a fun, bubbly girl. In reality, she paid hitmen $10,000 to murder her parents in 2010. With no AI disclosure during the film, it’s clear the documentary isn’t about historical accuracy — just bringing in more viewers.
Live streaming the murder of Israeli and American hostages
Will big tech do anything about it? Here’s my take in this one-minute podcast.