Another Internet Hookup Ends in Murder

Investigators believe a 38-year-old man was stabbed to death in his Queens, New York apartment by a man he met on the Internet, police sources said Thursday.

Michael Pecora's nude body was found in his Forest Hills, NY apartment late Wednesday, hours after his sister called his cell phone only to have a stranger answer, the sources said.

The man with Pecora's cell phone was a cab driver, who told the sister he was given the phone earlier in the week by a passenger who said he didn't have any money to pay the fare, sources said.

The passenger gave the cab driver the phone and a watch as payment when he was dropped off in the Bronx.

The panicked sister called police, and detectives interviewed the cabbie, who told them he picked up the mysterious passenger near Pecora's 65th Ave. apartment, sources said.

The building super climbed onto the fire escape and let cops into Pecora's sixth-floor apartment through the window where they found his body sprawled in a hallway near his bedroom. He had been stabbed three times.

"He was a good kid," said Sam Pecora, the victim's father, from his home in Pennsylvania.

Pecora's laptop was missing and the cabbie remembered that the suspicious fare was carrying what resembled a computer. That fueled investigators' belief that the killer met Pecora on the Internet and was trying to cover his tracks, sources said.

The cab is being dusted for prints.

Pecora's friends told investigators he used the Internet to find dates, sources said.

A graduate of the University of Tampa who worked for MasterCard, he was well-liked by neighbors who recalled his friendly demeanor.

"It's an absolute shock," said Roberto Sonabria, who lives on the same floor as Pecora. "It's a family neighborhood [and] he was a nice man."

ORIGINAL ARTICLE HERE

Another Internet Hookup Ends in Murder

Investigators believe a 38-year-old man was stabbed to death in his Queens, New York apartment by a man he met on the Internet, police sources said Thursday.

Michael Pecora's nude body was found in his Forest Hills, NY apartment late Wednesday, hours after his sister called his cell phone only to have a stranger answer, the sources said.

The man with Pecora's cell phone was a cab driver, who told the sister he was given the phone earlier in the week by a passenger who said he didn't have any money to pay the fare, sources said.

The passenger gave the cab driver the phone and a watch as payment when he was dropped off in the Bronx.

The panicked sister called police, and detectives interviewed the cabbie, who told them he picked up the mysterious passenger near Pecora's 65th Ave. apartment, sources said.

The building super climbed onto the fire escape and let cops into Pecora's sixth-floor apartment through the window where they found his body sprawled in a hallway near his bedroom. He had been stabbed three times.

"He was a good kid," said Sam Pecora, the victim's father, from his home in Pennsylvania.

Pecora's laptop was missing and the cabbie remembered that the suspicious fare was carrying what resembled a computer. That fueled investigators' belief that the killer met Pecora on the Internet and was trying to cover his tracks, sources said.

The cab is being dusted for prints.

Pecora's friends told investigators he used the Internet to find dates, sources said.

A graduate of the University of Tampa who worked for MasterCard, he was well-liked by neighbors who recalled his friendly demeanor.

"It's an absolute shock," said Roberto Sonabria, who lives on the same floor as Pecora. "It's a family neighborhood [and] he was a nice man."

ORIGINAL ARTICLE HERE

Stabbed to Death by Fellow Online Gamer?

By Andrew Levy

Online murder: Matthew Pyke could have been killed by a fellow gamer
A computer gaming fan found stabbed to death in his home may have been killed by a fellow gamer he fell out with in an online forum, it has emerged.

The blood-stained body of Matthew Pyke, 20, is understood to have been found by his girlfriend, Joanna Witton.

The couple ran a website called Wars Central where fans of Advance Wars, a computer game for the Nintendo Gameboy Advance or Nintendo DS in which armies of cartoon characters battle against each other, discuss strategies.

One of the theories being pursued by officers is that a member might have taken revenge on Mr Pyke following a dispute in cyberspace.

An anonymous comment posted on the site suggested other members suspected one of their own of the brutal murder.

'I think I speak on behalf of those of us which do know a fair bit about what happened not to press us with questions,' the author wrote.

'We may know a lot of what was going on prior to the killing but I, for one, am not going to say any more.'

Another member, using the pseudonym The Evil One, paid tribute to Mr Pyke as 'witty, intelligent, furiously protective of the site, the forum and its members'.

Advance Wars is a popular series of games where the object is to defeat the enemy army by either capturing their headquarters or destroying all of their units.

Mr Pyke's website offered strategy guides for the series of games as well as an internet forum where members could chat to each other and share tips on playing the game.
Wars Central

Wars Central, the website devoted to the Advance Wars computer game, run by Matthew Pyke and his girlfriend Joanna Witton.

An entry on the site from August 16 by JoJo, believed to be Joanna Witton, mentions they were having internet connection problems which had prevented information being uploaded onto the site.

Mr Pyke's body was found on Friday evening in the flat above The Orange Tree, a popular student pub in the centre of Nottingham.

There were no signs of a break-in at the Nottingham flat the students shared and police believe he may have known his killer.

He is understood to have been about to start a new degree course at Nottingham Trent University after failing to complete a physics course he joined in 2006.

Detectives examined his computer and discovered he was a keen video gamer who went under the name 'Shade' on the Central Wars site and had published science fiction stories on the internet.

Forensics officers are still examining the flat.
Mr Pyke moved to Nottingham from his home town of Stowmarket, Suffolk, two years ago.

His parents William, 52, and Kim, 49, were too upset to comment yesterday. Police said they were 'devastated' by his death.

The couple left a tribute on his Facebook website saying: 'Darling Matthew. We love you so much and miss you.

'You were a truly good, sensitive person. Your smile will live on in our hearts.'

Chiraag Suchak, who was in the student's class at Combs Middle School in Stowmarket, said they used to play on a PlayStation games console every weekend.

'He is someone that would never, ever provoke anyone, so I have no idea who would do this,' he said.

Ian Crissell, the school's head teacher, described him as a conscientious pupil who had been liked by all the members of staff.

'It is no surprise he went on to further education. He had worked hard in order to get himself into that situation,' he said.

A police spokesman yesterday said a number of lines of inquiry were being pursued including 'computer-based inquiries'.

Detective Chief Inspector Tony Heydon, of Nottinghamshire Police, asked any member of public who had seen a 'bladed weapon, possibly blood-stained', to come forward.

He also said he wanted to hear from anyone who saw someone in the area wearing bloodstained clothes - although it is possible the killer would have had to change after the frenzied attack and may have dumped what they were wearing.

Mr Heydon added: 'Matthew was a young man with his whole life ahead of him and we are doing everything we can to catch the person responsible for his murder.'

SOURCE

Stabbed to Death by Fellow Online Gamer?

By Andrew Levy

Online murder: Matthew Pyke could have been killed by a fellow gamer
A computer gaming fan found stabbed to death in his home may have been killed by a fellow gamer he fell out with in an online forum, it has emerged.

The blood-stained body of Matthew Pyke, 20, is understood to have been found by his girlfriend, Joanna Witton.

The couple ran a website called Wars Central where fans of Advance Wars, a computer game for the Nintendo Gameboy Advance or Nintendo DS in which armies of cartoon characters battle against each other, discuss strategies.

One of the theories being pursued by officers is that a member might have taken revenge on Mr Pyke following a dispute in cyberspace.

An anonymous comment posted on the site suggested other members suspected one of their own of the brutal murder.

'I think I speak on behalf of those of us which do know a fair bit about what happened not to press us with questions,' the author wrote.

'We may know a lot of what was going on prior to the killing but I, for one, am not going to say any more.'

Another member, using the pseudonym The Evil One, paid tribute to Mr Pyke as 'witty, intelligent, furiously protective of the site, the forum and its members'.

Advance Wars is a popular series of games where the object is to defeat the enemy army by either capturing their headquarters or destroying all of their units.

Mr Pyke's website offered strategy guides for the series of games as well as an internet forum where members could chat to each other and share tips on playing the game.
Wars Central

Wars Central, the website devoted to the Advance Wars computer game, run by Matthew Pyke and his girlfriend Joanna Witton.

An entry on the site from August 16 by JoJo, believed to be Joanna Witton, mentions they were having internet connection problems which had prevented information being uploaded onto the site.

Mr Pyke's body was found on Friday evening in the flat above The Orange Tree, a popular student pub in the centre of Nottingham.

There were no signs of a break-in at the Nottingham flat the students shared and police believe he may have known his killer.

He is understood to have been about to start a new degree course at Nottingham Trent University after failing to complete a physics course he joined in 2006.

Detectives examined his computer and discovered he was a keen video gamer who went under the name 'Shade' on the Central Wars site and had published science fiction stories on the internet.

Forensics officers are still examining the flat.
Mr Pyke moved to Nottingham from his home town of Stowmarket, Suffolk, two years ago.

His parents William, 52, and Kim, 49, were too upset to comment yesterday. Police said they were 'devastated' by his death.

The couple left a tribute on his Facebook website saying: 'Darling Matthew. We love you so much and miss you.

'You were a truly good, sensitive person. Your smile will live on in our hearts.'

Chiraag Suchak, who was in the student's class at Combs Middle School in Stowmarket, said they used to play on a PlayStation games console every weekend.

'He is someone that would never, ever provoke anyone, so I have no idea who would do this,' he said.

Ian Crissell, the school's head teacher, described him as a conscientious pupil who had been liked by all the members of staff.

'It is no surprise he went on to further education. He had worked hard in order to get himself into that situation,' he said.

A police spokesman yesterday said a number of lines of inquiry were being pursued including 'computer-based inquiries'.

Detective Chief Inspector Tony Heydon, of Nottinghamshire Police, asked any member of public who had seen a 'bladed weapon, possibly blood-stained', to come forward.

He also said he wanted to hear from anyone who saw someone in the area wearing bloodstained clothes - although it is possible the killer would have had to change after the frenzied attack and may have dumped what they were wearing.

Mr Heydon added: 'Matthew was a young man with his whole life ahead of him and we are doing everything we can to catch the person responsible for his murder.'

SOURCE

WIFE MURDERED OVER ONLINE AFFAIR

Jealous kebab shop owner jailed for life for murdering wife

A jealous a kebab shop manager, who stabbed his young wife 10 times after he caught her having a "cyber relationship" with another man, was jailed for life.

Kemal Dogan, 36, was ordered to serve a minimum of 12 years after being found guilty of murder by an Old Bailey jury.

The relationship with wife Aygul was already frayed because the 23-year-old had been taunting him over his infertility in front of friends and family.

Dogan caught her baring her flesh on a webcam to her internet lover in Turkey. She was chatting to the man she referred to as "my love" at an internet cafe in Stoke Newington, north London, in December 2005.

She begged her husband for forgiveness and he took her home where the couple entertained visitors. 20 minutes after the friends left, Aygul was dead.

Judge Peter Beaumont told Dogan he accepted there had been a "degree of provocation" although not amounting to a defence in law.

He also accepted a submission by William Clegg QC, that Dogan, an ethnic Kurd, had been suffering from a "mental disorder" after his experiences in his home country of Turkey. The court heard he had suffered torture.

Mr Clegg also told the court that Dogan had shown remorse and twice tried to take his own life while in custody.

The judge told Dogan: "This was not a pre-meditated killing. It does have all the hallmarks of a sudden loss of control. That said, you took the life of your wife in circumstances of very considerable violence."

Mr Clegg told jurors Dogan had been provoked after being "belittled" over his infertility and "deeply wounded" by the internet affair.

But prosecutor Brian O'Neill said: "This is a clear case of murder by a jealous and angry husband as a result of his wife's perceived infidelity."

The court heard that the couple married in their native Turkey in 1997 but had no children, apparently as a result of Dogan's infertility.

Mr O'Neill said that in the weeks leading up to the killing this had become a "strain" on their relationship.

He added: "In addition to that - and perhaps more significantly - there is evidence that the deceased woman was involved in a cyber relationship over the internet with another man in Turkey.

"The defendant became aware of this on the night that he killed his wife and that factor seems to have been the direct cause of the fatal stabbing."

SOURCE

WIFE MURDERED OVER ONLINE AFFAIR

Jealous kebab shop owner jailed for life for murdering wife

A jealous a kebab shop manager, who stabbed his young wife 10 times after he caught her having a "cyber relationship" with another man, was jailed for life.

Kemal Dogan, 36, was ordered to serve a minimum of 12 years after being found guilty of murder by an Old Bailey jury.

The relationship with wife Aygul was already frayed because the 23-year-old had been taunting him over his infertility in front of friends and family.

Dogan caught her baring her flesh on a webcam to her internet lover in Turkey. She was chatting to the man she referred to as "my love" at an internet cafe in Stoke Newington, north London, in December 2005.

She begged her husband for forgiveness and he took her home where the couple entertained visitors. 20 minutes after the friends left, Aygul was dead.

Judge Peter Beaumont told Dogan he accepted there had been a "degree of provocation" although not amounting to a defence in law.

He also accepted a submission by William Clegg QC, that Dogan, an ethnic Kurd, had been suffering from a "mental disorder" after his experiences in his home country of Turkey. The court heard he had suffered torture.

Mr Clegg also told the court that Dogan had shown remorse and twice tried to take his own life while in custody.

The judge told Dogan: "This was not a pre-meditated killing. It does have all the hallmarks of a sudden loss of control. That said, you took the life of your wife in circumstances of very considerable violence."

Mr Clegg told jurors Dogan had been provoked after being "belittled" over his infertility and "deeply wounded" by the internet affair.

But prosecutor Brian O'Neill said: "This is a clear case of murder by a jealous and angry husband as a result of his wife's perceived infidelity."

The court heard that the couple married in their native Turkey in 1997 but had no children, apparently as a result of Dogan's infertility.

Mr O'Neill said that in the weeks leading up to the killing this had become a "strain" on their relationship.

He added: "In addition to that - and perhaps more significantly - there is evidence that the deceased woman was involved in a cyber relationship over the internet with another man in Turkey.

"The defendant became aware of this on the night that he killed his wife and that factor seems to have been the direct cause of the fatal stabbing."

SOURCE