Somebody just sent me a death threat over Facebook tonight, telling me that i should stay away from his girlfriend whom i've never really even hung out with. Then he continued to further warn me that If i talk to her again , he's going to find out and kill me. I'm really getting sick of tyrants like this running loose, trying to use their little textbook tactics to try and psyche people out. I was never good at preemptive rebuttals, but if anybody would be willing to help me write something back to scare him off. I'm getting sick of him sending me these emails. It's the second one he's sent me, and when it comes to debates over the internet, i'm never really good with conveying myself. If anybody has ever dealt with a certain situation like this, please shoot me a private message. I know how intelligent most users are here, as well as experienced and know how to handle situations like this. I'd just like to put him in his place. He's threatening to kill me now, and he's trying to make me cower. I know this isn't the place for this but i'd like some sort of assistance if you've ever dealt with this before. Thank you.
Yeah I suppose. I can get him into trouble.. My friend is insisting we take the emails he sent me and pass them around on the internet and humiliate him. I really dont know what i'm going to do. He doesn't know where I live so.. thats good. But he's losing his mind. He's resorting to death threats over something so trivial as contact with his girlfriend. Absolute disgrace to todays society.
this sort of thing happens all of the time...i am sure if some authority were to speak to him, he'd be pretty chastened...
Just say "All right man I'll back off" done. retaliation is exactly what these types of people are looking for to stir **** up.
saying "okay I'll back off" is insinuating that you made a move to begin with. There are laws against threatening to kill people, you know... and having it in writing is damning evidence... You do not have to respond to him. Responding would just stir him up. Like Dandroid said - don't play into it. That means don't reply to him, don't spread anything over the internet, nothing. If you are worried enough to bring it here, it may be time to ask for help from people who definitely can.
If he didn't know where I lived I'd probably f**k with him, make him think she was going to run away with me or something. But I'm kind of a dick like that & this sounds serious, so... maybe say you forwarded his message to the cops & tell him to get a life, or play it safe & say nothing. Seems like talking to a cop/lawyer & asking yahoo answers or something would be more productive than a writing forum. Good luck.
Plus Juan. Having the cops show up at your doorstep can kinda drag your mind into the real world. "Oh, you mean this wasn't some elaborate video game I was playing?" People get mixed up sometimes.
follow terry's advice!... it's exactly what i was going to say... if you respond in any way at all, you'll just make things worse and be part of the problem, instead of the solution... report the clod to the police and to your school's principal, if you're both students and then ignore all further messages from him... but be sure to save them all for the authorities, in case the site deletes them... what he's doing is a crime and will be taken seriously by the police... if the local cops don't, go higher, all the way up to the police commisioner, or state's attorney general and the fbi, since using the internet to threaten someone is a federal crime and you have good reason to fear for your life...
If you know his phone number or can find it on facebook, pick up the phone and give him a call. Tell him you don't appreciate his bullcrap so you forwarded his death threats to the cops. Whether you do or not is up to you. If you seriously believe he'll hurt you then you should do it, but if he's just being a dick, ignore it -- either way, simply telling him you did will make him sweat and squirm all night long, even if it's a bluff.
I worked as a police officer in North Carolina for a number of years. While every state is different, most have some sort of statute regarding communicating threats. In nearly every case it is a misdemeanor offense. In some states, like NC, private citizens can file a complaint directly to a judicial official such as a magistrate, and a criminal warrant will be issued. In other jurisdictions, action has to be initiated by an LEO (cop) or other 'gatekeeper' such as an ADA. Honestly, when I was a police officer we were so inundated with this sort of thing that it was rare that we would pursue charges based solely on a contingent threat. Your electronic evidence is in your favor, but since our state allowed for citizens to introduce criminal misdemeanor complaints without police assistance, we would generally refer this type of thing to the magistrate's office. Now, some states have specific general statutes prohibiting cyber stalking or harrassment using a computer. If you are so inclined, I would contact police for advice on what the law is where you are and how you should proceed. Also note that other factors can change how one would proceed. For instance if the victim or offender was a juvenile, it would change the procedure that we or the victim would have to follow. For me, I am more concerned with the poor girl who has this guy for a boyfriend. Good luck.
