PHILADELPHIA, PA — John Matthew Chapman, a 44-year-old Pennsylvania resident, has been convicted by a federal jury of kidnapping resulting in death. The crime involved abducting a woman in Pennsylvania, misleading her about moving to Las Vegas for a supposed vacation, and ultimately killing her in the Nevada desert.
The tragic sequence unfolded when Chapman drove the victim to a remote location in Lincoln County, Nevada, under the guise of a bondage photo shoot in September 2019. He restrained her with zip ties and duct tape, leading to her death by asphyxiation. Chapman was arrested by the Bethel Park Police Department in Pennsylvania on November 15, 2019, following a welfare check initiated by the victim’s friend.
Evidence at the trial included items found in the victim’s home such as Chapman’s ID cards, her cellphone, zip ties, and duct tape. Chapman also impersonated the victim using her Facebook Messenger and finances post-mortem. United States District Judge James C. Mahan has set Chapman’s sentencing for August 2, with the maximum penalty being life imprisonment.
The case was investigated by the FBI Las Vegas Division, Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, and the Bethel Park Police Department. Assistant United States Attorneys Penelope Brady, Megan Rachow, and Steven Rose are prosecuting the case, announced by United States Attorney Jason M. Frierson and FBI Special Agent Spencer L. Evans.