As selfie culture has exploded in the last several years, it seems inevitable that crime scene selfies would work their way into news and social feeds. But could anyone have predicted murder selfies? It seems like the last thing someone guilty of murder should do, but there are plenty of killers who took selfies before, during, and after committing their crimes. The reasons given for snapping these photos are both clear and complete mysteries, as you will see in these 15 stories of murderers who took selfies.
Killers Who Took Selfies Before, During, and After Killing,
Ashish Kumar
In the small valley of Doon in Dehradun, India, Ashish Kumar snapped a selfie with his friend Gurpreet Kaur. He then attempted to strangle the woman with a cloth, but, failing at this, slit her throat in two places, killing her. Kumar then uploaded the selfie to WhatsApp and made his profile photo. His motives for the photo and the murder were not immediately clear.
Frederick Roy Miller
Following a custody dispute with family members, Temple Hill, Maryland resident Frederick Roy Miller kidnapped his three-year-old daughter Leila in August 2014. He took a selfie of himself with his daughter next to him and sent it to the family members. Following snapping the photo, Miller cut Leila's throat and shot her. He later died in a police shootout.
Amanda Taylor
In 2015, Virginina resident Amanda Taylor stabbed her ex father-in-law 31 times, with some of the knife blows so forceful, the blade sliced all the way through Taylor's body and came out the other side. She then took a selfie of herself posing with the bloodied knife. Taylor killed Charles because she blamed him for her husband's suicide a year prior.
Bashid McLean
Suffering from severe mental illness, 23-year-old Bashid McLean of New York City stabbed his mother Tanya Bird to death inside their Bronx apartment in 2013. Bashid then dismembered Byrd's body and posed for a selfie holding his mother's head in his hands. Police discovered pieces of Byrd's body across the burrough.
Merrick McKoy
22-year-old Colorado resident Merric McKoy took a selfie of himself holding his 19-month-old daughter Mia in November 2013. The photo looks innocent enough, but in fact McKoy had a restraining order against him, placed by his ex-girlfriend Kim Phanthavongsa. After making cryptic comments on his Facebook page - one, for instance, reading "don't judge me had no choice" - and posting the selfie, McKoy shot Mia, attempted to murder Phanthavongsa, and after failing to kill her, shot himself. Both McKoy and Mia died from their wounds.
George Thomson, Brahnn Finley, and Daniel Johnston
Just before killing 14-year-old Jordan Watson, Carlisle, Cumbria, England teens George Thomson, Brahnn Finley, and Daniel Johnston took a group selfie to apparently commemorate the moment before their crime. The trio lured Watson into a cemetery, where they beat him to death. Apparently, they murdered Watson due to Thomson's obsession with the boy's sister.
Two Teenagers Kill 39 Year-Old Woman
Two unnamed teenage girls, one 14 years-old, the other 15, beat Angela Wrightson to death inside her home in 2015. The woman was an alcoholic who opened her home to teens as a place to drink and smoke. For reasons that were unclear, the teens used a number of items around Wrightson's house, including her television set, and spent hours pummeling her. The girls then took a series of selfies together standing next to Wrightson's body.
Kirsty Edmonson
Kirsty Edmonson, a sex worker in Manchester, UK, along with accomplice Christopher Sawyers, killed school teacher Kenneth Chapman in his home by giving him a lethal dose of heroin. The couple then lived in Chapman's home, stealing his possessions and using his credit cards. They had sex in Chapman's bed, with the corpse right beside them. Edmonson and Sawyers both took selfies of themselves with Chapman's body. Though off camera, in the above photo, Edmonson is apparently sitting on the corpse.
Emma Wilson
25-year-old Emma Wilson of England battered her infant son Callum so severely her neighbors felt their wall rattle. She then took a selfie of herself with her crying, clearly injured baby. Callum later died at the hospital, and Wilson was given a life sentence for first-degree murder.
Man Kills Girlfriend, Takes Selfie with Her Body
In September 2015, a Nanning, China man, identified only by his surname Qin, killed his girlfriend and then posted a selfie of himself with the woman's dead body. The caption he wrote read, "forgive me for my selfish love."