Facebook lets me keep in touch with colleagues, friends and my grandma. But one pair of divorcees used everyone's (least?) favorite social media site to destroy one another from afar in what turned out to be a pretty sneaky double-cross.
The charges were dropped and Voelkert no longer lists a "Jessica Studebaker" as a friend on Facebook.
http://technolog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/06/09/6821584-facebook-murder-plot-double-cross-by-exes | Image: iconfactory
Angela Voelkert, 29, set up her ex by creating a false Facebook identity, 17-year-old "Jessica Studebaker." (By the way, that's a big no-no with Facebook's terms of service.) She used the profile to exchange messages with the ex, David Voelkert, 38 of South Bend, Ind. On June 1, Angela Voelkert used the information to apply for a restraining order against her ex-husband, who spent four days in custody until a judge dismissed charges yesterday.
The charges against David Voelkert focused on him allegedly placing a GPS device on his ex-wife's car to track her, for purposes of finding someone to "take care of" and "put a cap in her ass" for $10,000 — as revealed by these Facebook messages.
But, it seems Voelkert was onto his ex-wife, and knew she embroiled him in a sting operation. And just as she was trying to use the information against him in the fight for custody of their kids, he did the same by feeding the faker with an elaborate plan.
Federal prosecutors were prompted to drop the charges after an affidavit emerged filed by David Voelkert days earlier, on May 25, that revealed he knew "Jessica" wasn't a real person."I am lying to this person," he stated, "to gain positive proof that it is indeed my ex-wife trying to again tamper in my life. Anything said in the chat to her from me cannot be held as the truth and I am chatting to this person in attempts to prove to my court that my ex-wife will not leave my personal life alone ... In no way do I have plans to leave with my children or do any harm to Angela Dawn Voelkert or anyone else."
He, in turn, wanted to use this as evidence in their ongoing custody case. His ex-wife used exchanges between him and "Jessica" dated May 31 as her evidence in obtaining the restraining order.
The charges were dropped and Voelkert no longer lists a "Jessica Studebaker" as a friend on Facebook.
http://technolog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/06/09/6821584-facebook-murder-plot-double-cross-by-exes | Image: iconfactory
I'm sure it goes deeper too, but that's for their laywer's paychecks to decide on how far they want to take it.