Deadly Influence: The Social Media Murders is examining the brutal crimes of social media influencer Trey Sesler, who murdered his mother, father, and brother at the family home in Waller, Texas.
Sesler achieved a moderate amount of celebrity as a reviewer of anime movies and shows on his YouTube channel, where he called himself Mr Anime.
Unfortunately, Sesler’s videos started becoming increasingly dark and began featuring more and more firearms from his expanding personal armory.
On March 20, 2012, Sesler used a high-powered rifle to gun down his mother, Rhonda, his father, Lawton, and his 25-year-old brother, Mark. Sesler, who was 22 at the time, had shot his family members multiple times.
Texas Rangers and a SWAT team found Sesler the following day sitting in the back of his Mustang near a friend’s house in Magnolia, a suburb north of Houston.
A couple of days later, a tearful Sesler admitted to detectives that he had killed his family. He told them that he planned to do a Columbine-style mass shooting and concluded he would have to first kill his family so they wouldn’t be ashamed of him.
Sesler had stockpiled weapons and ammunition at his Waller home and at his grandmother’s home in the nearby town of Hempstead.
Watch the Latest on our YouTube ChannelTrey Sesler showed not-so-subtle hints he was a killer
Initially, the police and the community couldn’t understand why or how Sesler could kill his seemingly loving and average family. However, investigators noted how Sesler’s YouTube videos had increasingly shown him playing with guns.
They also discovered that Sesler had killed animals, including his own pets. Waller County Sheriff Glenn Smith explained, “It’s a classic example that we’ve seen in our past, in our careers and training. He started as a young person, killing pets and some of his own animals. He progressed… to get weapons and started shooting at buildings. Then, he started setting a few fires. It’s a progression that, unfortunately, we’ve seen.”
The killer pleaded guilty and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Waller residents thought Trey Sesler should have received death penalty
Some residents of the community thought Sesler got off lightly. Resident Logan Peavy told reporters, “Death penalty, definitely, because it was obviously premeditated. It had to have been. He’s crazy.”
Another resident, Stanton Ashley, explained, “People are going to be happy that justice is served, but they’re not going to be happy with how it’s served.”
Deadly Influence: The Social Media Murders airs Mondays at 9/8c on Investigation Discovery.