Victim Targets - Friends

Liam McAtasney was convicted of murdering 19-year-old Sarah Stern in Neptune City, New Jersey, in December 2016. McAtasney lured Stern to the Route 35 bridge, strangled her with a belt and stole approximately $20,000 she had inherited from her mother. He then dumped her body from the bridge into the Shark River and attempted to conceal the crime with the help of his friend Preston Taylor. McAtasney was convicted of murder and related charges in 2019 and sentenced to life in prison without parole.

Brandon Christopher Risner was convicted of murdering his longtime friend, 21-year-old Aaron William Davis, in Rome, Georgia, on November 11, 2022. Davis had travelled to Risner's home while on his way to visit his girlfriend in Alabama. Risner stabbed Davis repeatedly before dismembering his body and attempting to conceal the killing. He pleaded guilty to 12 charges, including malice murder, and was sentenced to life imprisonment without parole in July 2024.

Brian Easterling became known in true crime coverage after being convicted of murdering his longtime friend Michael Evers in Kentucky in a case prosecutors described as calculated, deceptive, and financially motivated. Easterling, a respected local fire chief and mechanic, shocked the community after investigators alleged he killed Evers before attempting to hide evidence and maintain the appearance that nothing had happened. The case generated significant media attention because Easterling had publicly presented himself as a trusted community figure while secretly becoming the focus of a homicide investigation. Prosecutors argued the killing stemmed from financial disputes and personal conflict connected to vehicle projects and money owed between the two men. The contrast between Easterling’s public reputation and the brutality of the crime turned the case into one of the region’s most disturbing modern homicide prosecutions.

David Carl Kinney became known in true crime and financial crime reporting after being convicted of murdering his longtime friend Brad McGarry in a case prosecutors described as motivated by greed, deception, and financial manipulation. Investigators alleged Kinney killed McGarry to gain control over money, property, and personal assets while attempting to conceal the crime through elaborate fraud and identity-related schemes. The case attracted widespread attention because of the calculated nature of the killing and the extensive efforts allegedly used to cover up McGarry’s disappearance after the murder. Prosecutors argued Kinney continued exploiting the victim’s identity, finances, and personal accounts after the killing, turning the case into both a homicide investigation and a major fraud prosecution. The combination of betrayal, financial exploitation, and post-murder deception made the case particularly disturbing to investigators and the public.

Jamie Reynolds murdered 17-year-old Georgia Williams in Wellington, Shropshire, on 26 May 2013 after luring his friend to his parents' home under the pretence of taking photographs. Reynolds had meticulously planned the killing around his fascination with hanging and violent pornography, using a ligature to strangle Georgia before sexually abusing her body and abandoning her in woodland near Wrexham. He fled the area but was arrested in Glasgow three days later. Reynolds pleaded guilty to murder in December 2013 and was sentenced to a whole-life prison term, meaning he will never be released.

Ashley Britt McArthur murdered her friend, 33-year-old private investigator Taylor Wright, near Pensacola, Florida, in September 2017 after Wright sought the return of $34,000 she had entrusted to her for safekeeping. Prosecutors established that McArthur had already spent much of the money before taking Wright to her family's rural property in Cantonment, where she shot her and concealed her remains beneath concrete and potting soil. Cell-phone records, financial evidence and surveillance footage helped investigators reconstruct McArthur's movements. She was convicted of first-degree premeditated murder in August 2019 and sentenced to life imprisonment with a mandatory minimum of 25 years.