• March 29, 2024

Evil Killer Hid In Woman’s House, Texted Cousin

The horrific crimes that John Matthew Chapman eventually admitted were pure evil. The sociopath was so cold-blooded that after he killed Jaime Feden, he moved into her home and even impersonated her on Facebook. The victim’s cousin got suspicious because “the speaking style was different from hers.”

The evil crimes were planned in advance

Chapman new exactly what he was going to do. He had zip ties and duct tape all packed when he lured 33-year-old Jaime Feden on a cross country trip from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania to the lonely stretch of Nevada desert where she would meet a horrifying end. Feden thought that 40-year-old Chapman was in love with her. Together they planned a Las Vegas vacation and discussed moving there. They arrived in Las Vegas on September 23, and spent two days playing tourist. Somehow, Chapman convinced Feden to go out to the desert with him to take some naughty “bondage” photos.

He eventually admitted his evil crime to police, After they found a suitable spot, “he bound her hands and feet with zip ties,” and “affixed her to a signpost.” Detectives found a photo in his cell phone with her in that position.

After that, he “duct taped her mouth and nose until she died from suffocation.” He watched the whole thing. “He then removed the tape, zip ties and her clothing, and left her body there.” He tossed her clothes out the window of his car piece by piece on the way back to Pittsburgh. A family who stopped by the side of the road for some relief found the remains on October 5. By then the body was so decomposed Feden was unidentifiable.

The killer moves in

A friend of Ms. Feden contacted Bethel Park Police on November 14 to ask them to make a welfare check. Nobody had seen Jaime since September 15 but her boyfriend was seen regularly coming and going. Another thing that was odd, Feden wouldn’t answer the phone but did “respond to messages on Facebook Messenger.” Her cousin said she noticed it was strange, “because the speaking style was different from hers.”

The cousin told police, “one message had indicated that Ms. Feden had received a new cellphone number.” That’s when the cousin got together with Ms. Feden’s friend to “set a trap.” The pair sent a text saying “Uncle Ralph” had died. The response came back “I’m sorry. When did he die?” They said “yesterday. Gram has been calling.” Chapman tapped out, “I’m sorry to be distant but the way everyone has treated me I don’t feel like part of the family anymore.” In a way, that evil lie was true. It didn’t take long for police to figure out that “the new phone number purportedly belonging to Ms. Feden was masking another number that belonged to Chapman.”

Even cornered, the monster acted casual

If what Chapman had done wasn’t bad enough, he had the nerve to call the friend, threatening “to file harassment charges against her because the police kept calling him.” He told the cops, “he had been in contact with Ms. Feden and had urged her to contact her family.” When they asked him to have her give them a jingle, he said he would. “The next day he called again and gave ‘false and conflicting information’ about Ms. Feden’s status.”

When they investigated, “Officers searched the home and found Ms. Feden’s cellphone next to a fake CIA identification in Chapman’s name, as well as a backpack containing duct tape and zip ties.” The FBI is now handling the case.

Federal prosecutors have charged Chapman with kidnapping and murder. He’s been booked into Allegheny County Jail until his first appearance in federal court. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Nevada is handling the case.

Patriots Beacon