Man used Grindr dating app in plot to kidnap, dismember gay men in Louisiana, feds say
A Louisiana man accused in an “overarching scheme” to kidnap and kill gay men he met online faces federal hate crime and kidnapping charges, prosecutors say.
A grand jury indicted 19-year-old Chance Seneca on Thursday after federal authorities said he attempted to murder and dismember at least one of the men he lured on Grindr, a dating app for gay and bisexual men, according to a Justice Department news release.
Seneca, who’s from Lafayette, is accused of kidnapping two men and trying to abduct another between June 19-20, 2020, prosecutors said. According to the indictment, he “attempted to murder one of these men because of his gender and sexual orientation” and planned to “dismember and keep parts of the victim’s body as trophies, mementos and food.”
A previously sealed affidavit obtained by the Associated Press says Lafayette police found one of the victims, 18, in a bathtub with strangulation marks to his neck and his “wrists slit to the bone.”
Seneca dialed 911 after the assault in “a self-described effort to be put into a mental institution,” according to the affidavit.
Seneca also faces gun and obstruction charges after authorities said he tried deleting messages between him and his victims on the app.
He could face life in prison if convicted on the federal hate crime, kidnapping and firearm charges, prosecutors said. The attempted murder and obstruction charges carry a maximum of 20 years, and the firearms charge carries five.
Seneca also faces a state hate crime charge, for which he’s pleaded not guilty, according to AP.
This story was originally published March 19, 2021 at 11:31 AM with the headline "Man used Grindr dating app in plot to kidnap, dismember gay men in Louisiana, feds say."