LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A man who a jury convicted of kidnapping his girlfriend in Pennsylvania and killing her in the Nevada desert was sentenced to life in prison Friday.
John Matthew Chapman was convicted in May for the brutal murder he admitted to police he committed in 2019.
In September 2019, Chapman lied to his girlfriend saying they were taking a trip to Las Vegas, and that they potentially might buy a house. But, Chapman said his plan all along was to kill her.
Once they got to Las Vegas, they drove to Lincoln County. Chapman told his girlfriend it was so they could do a bondage photo shoot.
Chapman then bound the woman's hands and feet with plastic zip ties and tied her to a signpost.
He then put duct tape over her nose and mouth and watched her suffocate to death.
“The defendant violated the victim’s trust by luring her away from her family and friends in Pennsylvania and out into the Nevada desert where he viciously killed her,” said US attorney Jason M. Frierson for the District of Nevada. “This sentence should send a clear message to others that kidnapping and killing another person will result in a substantial prison sentence. Thank you to our federal and local law enforcement partners for their hard work in bringing justice for the victim’s family.”
After he killed her, Chapman returned to Bethel Park, Penn. and pretended to be the victim.
He went as far as to use the victim's Facebook Messenger account and used the victim's home and money after she died.
“Today’s sentencing holds the defendant accountable for the callous and brutal murder of an innocent young woman,” said Special Agent in Charge Spencer L. Evans for the FBI Las Vegas Field Office. “We hope it will bring a sense of closure to the victim’s family, while affirming the FBI and our law enforcement partners' commitment to pursuing justice for those affected by violence.”
