![]() Suddenly two police officers wearing bulletproof vests appeared from a back room, ordered him to lie on the floor and handcuffed him. When he got inside, she disappeared down a hallway. ![]() “You made it,” she called out and waved for him to follow, court documents would later show. Hambrick texted that he would be driving a red Prius - his mother’s - and Gamer Gurl replied she would be wearing a gray sweatshirt and ripped jeans. Her driving directions seemed too specific for 13. Was she an immature teenager? Or a sly adult? The vulgarities and snide tone seemed too adult. She used slang a 13-year-old probably wouldn’t know, like “FTP” - “ the police” - that originated in ’80s hip-hop. The photo seemed to tell a different story, and the gaming chair she was seated in looked too expensive for a kid. Was this an elaborate game? Again she claimed to be 13. I have no problem hanging out with you.:)” ![]() “I feel like if we got to talking it might go somewhere. But he was already hoping for more than just sex. “I can be real bad if your into bondage” he typed. Gamer Gurl was beautiful, he thought, if he wasn’t being pranked: Big eyes, cute white cap, soft smile, gazing up at the camera serenely with a really nice set of headphones. She asked for his cellphone number and they switched to texting, exchanging photos. “why did you post an ad in craigslist if your 13? You mean 23?” Fifteen minutes later, Gamer Gurl replied that she was 13. “Let me come watch I haven’t gottn that one yet,” adding that he was 20. “i am HOOKED on ALIEN ISOLATION,” Gamer Gurl replied. “Jus gamer gurl sittin’ home on sunny day,” it read. One Friday after work in February 2017, Hambrick came across a Casual Encounters “w4m” (woman searching for man) post that seemed meant for him. Every once in a while, it worked out: In the past few years, he had sex with five or six women he met this way. He once replied to a post describing an attractive 21-year-old, but when he arrived at the address she gave him, an old man answered the door. People described their appearance in personal ads, then sent photos that didn’t match. Users had to certify that they were 18 or older, but at the time Craigslist didn’t verify users’ age. If people did respond, they often went dark after a few emails. There were so many listings, but when he tried messaging, it was rare to get a response. Starting when he was 18, a few times a month, he clicked through the Casual Encounters section of Craigslist, looking for sex. She would prod him to get out more, but he wasn’t someone who could meet women at a bar. His mother, Kathleen, describes him affectionately as her “introverted, sensitive, immature, coddled, nerdy son.” They are very close. As a boy, he took medication for A.D.H.D. The problem, he knew, was that he was a nerd. He would spend a morning handing out sandwiches to the hungry. When he and his mother lived in places that had board-game clubs, he was a regular. He was a voracious reader who could knock off a 1,000-page fantasy novel in two days. Though the two had never met in person, over the last few years they paired up as teammates playing Rainbow Six Siege and Rocket League and grew close.Īt 20, Hambrick was still living at home with his mother to save money for college, where he hoped to study game design. As a video warrior, he was known online by his nom de guerre and was constantly messaging fellow gamers, particularly his best friend, Simon. As a dungeon master in Dungeons & Dragons, he controlled other players’ destinies. People told him it wasn’t smart to be so cut off from reality, but his internet life felt rich. ![]() He was hard-core, amassing a collection of more than 200 games. Jace Hambrick worked as an apprentice laborer during the week, renovating homes around Vancouver, Wash., and at a neighborhood gas station on weekends. To hear more audio stories from publishers like The New York Times, download Audm for iPhone or Android. ![]()
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