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Friending Facebook

Emil Protalinski
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Teenager tries to hire a hitman via Facebook, fails

By | February 15, 2011, 9:02am PST

Summary: 19-year-old Corey C. Adams has not only pleaded guilty to rape, but has admitted solicitation to commit murder charges, after he tried using Facebook to get his victim “knocked off.”

Hiring a hitman can cost a pretty penny these days. Why buy an ad in the classifieds section when you can simply use Facebook? Of course, you may end up having to face 11 to 22 years in prison, but that’s worth the risk, right?

That’s what happened to 19-year-old Corey C. Adams of Pennsylvania. Last June, Adams’ 20-year-old victim said after she left a party, he jumped into her car and raped her. She went to police. He went to Facebook. Specifically, his status update read: “I got 500 on a girls head who wants that bread? Hit me up anyway possible.” The Philadelphia Inquirer reports:

The victim told police that she left a party June 29 on South High Street in West Chester after consuming three drinks and feeling nauseous. She said Adams jumped into her car and later raped her. The woman called West Chester police July 1 and said she had accused Adams of raping her. She also told police she saw a posting on his Facebook page offering $500 for “a girls head,” and feared for her safety. At the preliminary hearing, West Chester Police Det. Stan Billie testified that he went to Adams’ home and that Adams agreed to meet with him at the police station. Less than 10 minutes later, Adams posted a second Facebook message that said he “needed this girl knocked off right now” Billie testified.

Billie later confronted Adams about the Facebook entry, and Adams gave differing explanations before admitting that he was upset about the rape accusation. Adams’ attorney said that his client significantly limited the defenses that were available to him by his public Facebook postings. The only smart thing Adams did was sign a plea agreement last week for both the rape and solicitation to commit murder charges. If he hadn’t pleaded guilty, he could have faced 35 to 70 years in jail.

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Prison, Emil Protalinski

Emil Protalinski has covered the tech industry for five years for multiple publications.

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Emil Protalinski

Emil has nothing to disclose.

Biography

Emil Protalinski

Emil Protalinski has covered the tech industry for five years for multiple publications, including Neowin for two years and Ars Technica for three years. He has written 1,000s of articles for both, with a particular focus on scrutinizing Microsoft products and services. Recently, Emil has expanded his coverage to non-Microsoft technologies, including the social networking giant Facebook.

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RE: Teenager tries to hire a hitman via Facebook, fails
jackson1984-24316069205748857739440257893812 10th Oct
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RE: Teenager tries to hire a hitman via Facebook, fails
GameOvR 15th Feb 2011
What a bright individual.....................
What is wrong with society today!
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RE: Teenager tries to hire a hitman via Facebook, fails
Ron Burgundy 15th Feb 2011
I tried to do the same thing, I found it was easier to just throw my ex into the river.
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wow what a class act
Quebec-french 15th Feb 2011
@Ron Burgundy
Throw my ex into the river ... really your a pure example of what a human shouldn't be ....
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You know what?
trickytom3 15th Feb 2011
@Ron Burgundy

You're a *********.
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RE: Teenager tries to hire a hitman via Facebook, fails
Ron Burgundy 15th Feb 2011
@trickytom3

And you're a ****************************.
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RE: Teenager tries to hire a hitman via Facebook, fails
Ron Burgundy 15th Feb 2011
@Ron Burgundy And the two biggest idiots who fail to understand the definition of sarcasm come out of the woodwork.
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Joking around or not...
UrNotPayingAttention 15th Feb 2011
@Ron Burgundy

if something ever does happen to your ex (assuming you have one), guess who will be the first suspect. And, just like that yahoo in Arizona, internet history will more likely become a 'case builder' in the future
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RE: Teenager tries to hire a hitman via Facebook, fails
Ron Burgundy 15th Feb 2011
@chmod 777 If something did happen to my ex it would be more likely lung cancer, and I would do cartwheels down the street, not to mention she's got way more people who can't stand her than me, so I'd be at the end of a long line.
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IDOT Squared
Bradish@... 16th Feb 2011
@Ron Burgundy what an idiot you are. We also know who you are Ron...double idiot or idiot squared you are the one!
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I have the perfect defense...
jasonp@... 15th Feb 2011
"Your honor, my client is an idiot."
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it's somewhat of a dilemna....
UrNotPayingAttention 15th Feb 2011
do we restrict the use of computers to idiots like this that exhibit this type of behavior?

or do we allow them to continue to use computers, thus providing the proof needed to convict them?

one could argue either way.
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RE: Teenager tries to hire a hitman via Facebook, fails
shreyasgune 15th Feb 2011
happy I am so amused as to how people use facebook as their tool to get work done. Perfect example of idiots guide to social networking.

@Ron Burg - Nice Joke wink Sarcasm was subtle.

Now that I think of it , why did'nt he try Craigslist?
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This is bs
antisyzygy Updated - 16th Feb 2011
For all we know, the girl had drunk sex with Corey, lied about how much she drank so she wouldnt get in trouble for drunk driving, and then either couldn't remember what happened or felt bad about it and to cope with it she blamed Corey. Corey could be just another idiot that said the wrong thing twice in anger. After all, read further and you will see he never met with the "assassin" the police set up for him to meet in a sting. It sounds to me like this is a case of the prosecution and the police trying to get a bust so they can pat themselves on the back, not because they want to find out the truth for the sake of justice. Rape charges almost always get taken as guilty until proven innocent, and its actually worse to be labeled a rapist than labeled a murderer in this society.
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Everything you wrote is wrong
CletisCletis Updated - 16th Feb 2011
@antisyzygy:
You're obviously a close friend of Corey's. I'm sorry that your friend is such a worthless excuse for a human who deserves death, but got 22 years instead. Anyway, to your ridiculous post: Posting not one but TWO messages on your FB page explicitly soliciting murder is not "[saying] the wrong thing...in anger"; the fact that he said it twice precludes the premise of a heat-of-the-moment comment and instead proves a consistent, considered plan.

Not meeting the detective posing as the assassin doesn't prove a police sting; it proves that they had enough evidence to arrest him without that meeting, based on the FB posts and the recorded conversation he had with the victim.

But far and away the most ridiculous thing you wrote was "Rape charges almost always get taken as guilty until proven innocent." Of course everybody knows that the reality is the exact opposite: The victim is presumed guilty until proven innocent, and the accused often has only to show that the victim was not a virgin to get off. The fact that Corey couldn't even get off a rape charge against a drunk girl he left a party with shows that the evidence against him for soliciting murder was so compelling.
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RE: Teenager tries to hire a hitman via Facebook, fails
antisyzygy Updated - 16th Feb 2011
@CletisCletis I am no friend of this person so your weird personal attack is a bunch of drivel. You don't have access to the proof so how can you possibly know the content of anything? The court skewered this kid because he said some ill-advised things on facebook. He faced almost life in prison or 22 years and since every American is as stupid as you are, he would have had no chance against a jury and thus plea bargained for less time in prison. I don't know about you, but I prefer a society where people want to find out the real truth before throwing people in prison. Im not saying this kid is innocent, Im just saying his side had no chance to be heard. I know if I was unjustly accused of rape I would be very angry, and once again before reading into things, I am not saying he was unjustly accused, Im saying think of both sides of the story. Already the media is attacking him because hes a "rapist", which is apparently worse than being a murderer in our backwards society. Since there was a police sting he didn't show up to, how can you say for sure he was serious about the hit? You can't unless you are a feeble minded idiot or think you have miraculous psychic powers. Im glad you exist in some miracle land where the accused have all these rights. Funny thing about that, you presume this kid is guilty and there wasn't a real court case. He plea bargained, so the case was never heard. Too-da-loo idiot.
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Try to think for yourself, Cletis
fayrix 16th Feb 2011
@CletisCletis
You are obviously a woman. And probably a woman who got drunk at a sorority party, ended up pregnant, and then charged the frat boy who knocked you up with rape.

Society at large, and the police and prosecutors offices in particular, always believe everything that a woman says in regards to rape allegations. Most juries believe them, as well. Most men accused of rape are indeed guilty until proven innocent.

The Duke Lacrosse case is a perfect example of the lengths that police and prosecutors will go in the face of exculpatory evidence to obtain a conviction. And if you think that the truth would have prevailed and that the boys would have been found innocent at trial, your blindness is such that its puts your intelligence level at par with Mr. antisyzygy.
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since every American is as stupid as you are
Bradish@... 16th Feb 2011
@CletisCletis I love that quote...and is it really true that "every American is ... stupid"?
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RE: Teenager tries to hire a hitman via Facebook, fails
strict-nine 16th Feb 2011
@antisyzygy
For all we know, you have an IQ of 70 and due to a birth defect you are missing one of your testicles. Who are we to believe?
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RE: Teenager tries to hire a hitman via Facebook, fails
antisyzygy Updated - 16th Feb 2011
@strict-nine You are possibly the most ridiculously stupid person I have ever had the misfortune of running across. Much like my IQ and number of testicles, you have no information regarding the circumstances of my birth, and neither do you have any information about the alleged crime since it never was fully heard in court and went straight to plea bargain.
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RE: Teenager tries to hire a hitman via Facebook, fails
ventimiglia 16th Feb 2011
Lets just not call names, please. You are putting yourself in the same level.

This kid wasn't educated enough to know what he did was attempt murder. could it be an excuse to get away with anything if he didnt know? NO. but it doesn't matter, he now know it was stupid act in every possible ways(hope he realized that) and will face the consequences.

BTW Rape is rape. If the girl says she didn't want to have sex with him and he did anyway(doesnt matter how), it is rape. but, the girl could have set him up, its possible. that happen all the time. I think thats what antisyzygy was trying to say about there are 2 sides of stories and this kid was already have labled as a rapist. But the issue here was what he did on FB. nothing else. even he didn't rape her and was her boyfriend, just had a fight and posted angry comment and tried to hire a hitman....it is a crime. he could say "it was a joke" or "I was angry" later on. but if someone took it seriouly and actually killed her... it is going to be too late. that is why he is facing what he is facing. not because he had a history of whatever.

Advise to all : If you were rejected, walk away. don't push it. don't be bitter. just walk away. therefore, you can keep your dignity, and avoid this kind of tragedy. Whether you are girl or boy. Just turn around and walk away. There are someone for you. always.
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RE: Teenager tries to hire a hitman via Facebook, fails
michael10sley 16th Feb 2011
What an idiot. Put this punk in jail so he can find out what rape _really is.
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Computers don't kill people;
Gaius_Maximus 16th Feb 2011
facebook users do.
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RE: Teenager tries to hire a hitman via Facebook, fails
chrispyn 16th Feb 2011
The rape charge and his innocence or guilt are irrelevent as the point here is he attempted to hire hitman to murder this girl - it clearly was not an act of stupidty driven by passion, as he posted a second request to expedite her murder - so obviously premediated. He is old enough to vote and should be held accountable for his decisions as an adult. The shocking aspects of this outside of his total lack of a moral compass are his complete ignorance of modern technology - frankly he deserves his sentence and the gene pool is improved by him no longer being part of it.
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Fools
Anonybutts 17th Feb 2011
Oh lawd.

No one knows the whole story, yet the e-darwinists and others pseudo-intellectual clowns are already raring to put their lattes down and judge this man's life with 100% certainty. Let's put down the pitchforks for a second and get real. First of all, it's becoming pretty clear that most of you are either too old to relate to this situation, were socially defunct as teenagers, or both. The kid went to a party, where--regardless of drinking age--everyone probably drank and did all sorts of drugs anyway. Stop trying to relate your past experiences in the 50s to today's society! In 2011, 99% of 19 year olds at parties get high, end of story. I am not saying that he's innocent or guilty; my point is that there is more than enough reasonable doubt here to keep the e-masses from condemning what could be an innocent man. Do you know how many false rape allegations I've seen as a result of drunk sex gone bad? I'm not saying that it doesn't happen, but to e-condemn this kid over the vague nonsense reported here? Wow.

Do any of you honestly believe that "I got 500 on a girls head who wants that bread? Hit me up anyway possible." really constitutes a legitimate attempt to hire a hitman? Come on, don't any of you have teenagers on your facebook? I've seen far, far worse things written out of anger in connection with fights, break ups, etc. Take these statements out of context, and one can make up all sorts of exaggerated BS, like calling a fight between a few teenage boys with no injuries a "gang assault" and whatnot. Enough of this bleeding heart, human nature ignoring liberal crap already. The only place it feels at home is in big city public schools, i.e. here in NYC.

For all we know, the allegations could be entirely true and he really did want her murdered. Problem is, the facts in this story don't support that conclusion. It's just difficult to believe that someone is going to literally post a status update looking for a hit man. According to "chrispyn", the cops tried to get the suspect to meet an undercover informant only to have him refuse. Sorry, but at this point it's really starting to look like overfunded cops from a small town in PA with nothing better to do. He really should have been charged with misdemeanor menacing in connection with the threat alone, at least according to the evidence within this article. Sure, the kid is an idiot, no doubt about that, but does he really deserve to lose half his life in prison for this? I'm sure even the plea bargain calls for some jail time. Put yourselves in his place FFS before you whip out the silly little elitist gene pool arguments. I know you guys all think you are elite citizens of the world with some direct responsibility for fixing society, so why don't you ask yourselves this: Would you rather give a dumb kid who made a stupid mistake a slap on the wrist, or throw him in jail for two decades only to have him come out a monster?

Judging by the inability of some of you to pick up on "Ron Burgundy's" blatant sarcasm above, I'd say it's best that you all stick to coding and deploying redundant network appliances. Again, I am not defending this individual per se (don't know him or his family, BTW), just raising some concerns about your all-too-certain reactions to a case with this much doubt. I know if I was accused of something I didn't do, I sure as hell wouldn't want you folks on my jury. Yeah, yeah, I'm sure that you'd be more open-minded if this were a real case... or would you?
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RE: Teenager tries to hire a hitman via Facebook, fails
antisyzygy Updated - 17th Feb 2011
@Anonybutts "Would you rather give a dumb kid who made a stupid mistake a slap on the wrist, or throw him in jail for two decades only to have him come out a monster?" I think this quote, as well as the rest of your statement sums up my position. I never said he was innocent, I merely said the way they handled the case was BS and now no-one will know the real truth because he's "definitely a rapist".
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RE: Teenager tries to hire a hitman via Facebook, fails
chrispyn 25th Feb 2011
@Anonybutts - Please check your sources before you comment the note you ascribe to me regarding the cops is not correct. The comments I made pertained to the article and the facts presented therein (include the insert from the Philidelphia Inquirer) - as such I made no comment on the rape (only alleged in the above). There is no doubt he made these statements on face book and the time between them has been proved, and he has faced due process - from what is presented there really appears to be a minimal chance of a miss-carriage of justice. So it seems you think a slap on the wrist is appropriate for attempted murder (which I doubt? if you do then no doubt you will be facing a jury at some point), or you have a limited ability to consider facts/evidence making you a poor choice for any jury - Sounds like you should have latte and reconsider who is a pseudo ....
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RE: Teenager tries to hire a hitman via Facebook, fails
jackson1984-24316069205748857739440257893812 10th Oct
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