A still from the film, “The Purge.” Photo courtesy of Screen Rant.
Summary: A teenager allegedly went on a four-day murder spree as an homage to the movie, “The Purge.”
In the hit movie “The Purge,” the government allows all crimes including murder to be legal for twelve hours. That shocking scenario fits in the horror genre for a reason, but recently a teenager decided to make the film a chilling reality.
According to court documents, 19-year-old Jonathan Cruz went on a four-day crime spree, modeled after his favorite movie. He now faces three murder charges related to the deaths of Billy Boyd, Jay Higginbotham, and Jose Ruiz. He also faces robbery, criminal gang enhancement, and intimidation charges, IndyStar reports.
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Marion County Prosecutor Terry Curry said in a press conference that it appeared Cruz’s victims were randomly chosen. On May 12, Indianapolis Police found Boyd lying dead on the sidewalk, having been shot twice in the head. Hours later, police found Higginbotham also dead on the sidewalk. Authorities say Cruz had shot him multiple times because Higginbotham had tried to run.
Authorities said Cruz’s mother texted him on May 12, asking what he was doing. He replied with a screenshot of a news article about the murders of Boyd and Higginbotham. Witnesses said he said he was on a “purge.”
On May 14, Cruz and his friend, Steven Clark, 18, allegedly stole a man’s money and cellphones before pistol-whipping him and hurrying away. Later, Cruz met with a girl at a Wendy’s parking lot. He had been selling her drugs, and they got into an argument and she tried to leave. He then pulled a gun on her and said he’d kill her, but a manager came out and confronted him, which gave the girl enough time to escape to her car. The girl later told police that Cruz followed her to her next location, their friend’s house. At the house, Cruz proudly showed her a video of him shooting Higginbotham.
On May 15, police found Cruz’s final victim, Ruiz, who had been shot in her car. The next day, police arrested Cruz, based upon the incident at Wendy’s. Homicide detectives said they found videos and photos of Cruz firing pistols and flashing cash. Court documents said that when in jail, Cruz asked a friend to control his Facebook page so that anyone could post on it. He had uploaded a video of him from May 14, acting like a gangsta.
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Cruz is scheduled for a hearing on June 2 in Indiana, and prosecutors say he could face the death penalty or life in prison without parole.
What do you think about Cruz’s alleged actions? Let us know in the comments below.
Source: IndyStar.com