Louisiana Man Reportedly Inspired By Jeffrey Dahmer Gets 45 Years For Gay Man's Attempted Murder
Federal prosecutors say Chance Seneca used Grindr as a "hunting ground" before trying to murder and dismember his victim, Holden White.
A Louisiana man will spend decades behind bars for nearly killing a gay man in an act inspired by infamous serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, according to feds.
Chance Seneca, 21, was sentenced to 45 years in federal prison for the 2020 kidnapping and attempted murder of then-18-year-old Holden White, according to the Department of Justice. Federal prosecutors called the excessively violent act a hate crime, in which the defendant used Grindr — a dating app catering to the LGBTQ+ community — as a “hunting ground” to target gay men.
Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division called the case “shocking,” adding that Seneca’s targeting of gay men was “a disturbing reminder of the unique prejudices and dangers facing the LGBTQ+ community today.”
“The internet should be accessible and safe for all Americans, regardless of their gender or sexual orientation,” Clarke stated. “We will continue to identify and intercept the predators who weaponize online platforms to target LGBTQ+ victims and carry out acts of violence and hate.”
Seneca, of Lafayette, Louisiana, pleaded guilty in September to luring White through the app and later driving him to an abandoned home in June of 2020. Seneca then handcuffed White before strangling and stabbing the victim, and slitting his wrists to the bone, nearly severing his hands.
“Believing that [White] was dead, Seneca then attempted to dismember him,” feds stated in Wednesday’s release. “After his arrest, Seneca admitted that he planned to continue murdering gay men until he was caught or killed.”
U.S. Attorney Brandon B. Brown for the Western District of Louisiana said that the fact that White survived the vicious attack was “nothing short of miraculous.”
Following the attack, Seneca called 911, according to charging documents previously reviewed by Oxygen.com.
“I really f***ed my life up tonight,” Seneca told dispatchers. “It’s all my fault ... I didn’t want all this to happen.”
When authorities arrived at the scene, they found White “severely injured” in the bathtub of a bathroom outfitted as a torture chamber. A knife, ice pick, saw, and hammer were reportedly collected as evidence.
Federal prosecutors stated Seneca “had become fixated” on the notion of murdering gay men and wanted to “satisfy a compulsive murder fantasy,” according to the release. They said Seneca’s desires mirrored those of convicted serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer.
“Seneca intentionally targeted gay men, as Dahmer had done,” said prosecutors. “Seneca had also intended to eat and preserve the bodies of his victims, as Dahmer had done.”
Federal prosecutors previously said Seneca intended to “keep parts of the victim’s body as trophies, mementos, and food,” according to the Daily Advertiser.
U.S. Attorney Brown stated it was important that the public be vigilant, especially when on the internet, according to the recent release.
“No one should ever be subjected to the type of horrendous actions that this defendant inflicted upon the victim in this case,” said Brown. “The victim never thought he would find himself falling prey to a predator in such a way.”
Special Agent in Charge Douglas A. Williams Jr. for the FBI’s New Orleans Field Office thanked multiple agencies for their work on the case, including the Lafayette Police Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Western District of Louisiana.
White, speaking to ABC Lafayette affiliate KATC reporters in 2020, hoped for continued healing after the attack.
“Semicolon movement,” said White. “Basically, what a semicolon does is it puts a pause on a sentence. Chance tried to stop my life, so instead of a period, I made it a semicolon.”