North Carolina Man Sentenced To Prison For Cyberstalking Gay Men
Per court docs, the cyberstalking (and in-person stalking) started after Winters, who identifies as a gay man, worked briefly as a volunteer at the LGBT Center of Raleigh. Staff at the LGBT Center removed Winters after reports of “inappropriate behavior,” and he then began stalking gay men in 2016. Via DOJ:
WILMINGTON, N.C. – A federal judge sentenced David Ryan Winters, age 40, to 3 years in federal prison for cyberstalking. For almost a decade, Winters stalked, harassed, and threatened gay men online in the Raleigh-Durham area. Winters pleaded guilty to the charges.
According to court documents and other information presented in court, Winters became enraged at the gay community in Raleigh-Durham for perceived slights. Starting around 2016, Winters began stalking gay men online and in person, including by showing up at victims’ homes and sending them pictures of their residences. Winters would discover victims’ personal information and send angry messages. He repeatedly threatened to kill specific victims and gay men generally, saying that he wanted to make national headlines and invoking the Pulse homicides from Florida. Winters visited one victim’s workplace, shattered a window, and threw a metal trashcan on the victim’s car. Winters’s obsessive harassment campaign terrified many people, forcing them to move or take other self-protective measures.
“We believe in protecting all citizens who deserve to live their lives in peace. This antisocial behavior cannot fester without serious attention and prevention. Thanks to our dedicated law enforcement partners for taking this very seriously and putting this criminal behind bars.” said U.S. Attorney Ellis Boyle.
So, when he’s released in less than three years, he’ll be all better and won’t be mad at gays anymore?
