Federal prosecutors charged a 19-year-old Louisiana man with a hate crime on Thursday after he reportedly used Grindr to draw gay men to a property to murder and dismember them.
Authorities apprehended Chance Seneca of Lafayette in June 2020 after officials said he strangled and stabbed one victim, Holden White, before changing his mind and calling the cops.
A criminal complaint said White laid down on a bathtub with his wrists slit to the bone and strangulation wounds across his throat. Police said they discovered a knife, ice pick, saw, and hammer in the shower.
According to the FBI, Seneca found White on Grindr before chatting with him on Snapchat. According to authorities, Seneca described the gay men's social media app as a "hunting ground."
He welcomed White to his father's house on June 20, intending to murder and dismember him. Seneca said he handcuffed White, strangled him until he passed out, stripped him of his clothes, and started cutting him.
"Seneca explained that he had hoped to remove and preserve White's hands but that he could not finish his plan after seeing the bones of White's wrists exposed under his flesh," the complaint states.
In an indictment, Prosecutors said Seneca wished to preserve the body parts as "mementos, trophies, and food."
White was in a coma for three days before waking up in a state hospital.
He told Acadiana Advocate in January that he could remember momentarily regaining consciousness while in the bathtub after the assault.
Authorities also charged Seneca of kidnapping a second man and abducting the third the day before, the federal indictment shows. The indictment did not name the victims.
Seneca is currently charged with six federal charges, including hate crime, abduction, firearms, and obstruction of justice — the latter for reportedly deleting his Grindr messages with White while speaking to cops.
Seneca was not represented by an attorney according to a federal court record. If sentenced, he could spend the rest of his time in jail.
In January, White told the Acadiana Advocate that he hoped Seneca would be charged with a hate crime.
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