A Pennsylvania man was sentenced to life in prison after kidnapping and killing a lady whose body was discovered in the Nevada desert.
After a trial in May 2024, John Chapman was convicted of one crime of kidnapping resulting in death.
According to court filings, in November 2019, a friend requested a welfare check on Jamie Feden. Neighbors told police they hadn’t seen Feden in almost two months, but they had seen Chapman enter and exit her home.
Inside, they discovered ID cards bearing Chapman’s name and photo, Feden’s cell phone, several zip ties, and a roll of duct tape.
Chapman took Feden to Las Vegas, Nevada, telling her it was a vacation and that they might buy a home there.
Chapman bound Feden’s hands and feet and tied her to a signpost while posing as a bondage photographer in the desert. He then put duct tape over her lips and watched her suffocate and die.
“The defendant violated the victim’s trust by luring her away from her family and friends in Pennsylvania and out into the Nevada desert, where he viciously killed her,” stated United States Attorney Jason M. Frierson for the District of Nevada.
“This sentence should send a clear message to others that kidnapping and killing another person will result in a substantial prison sentence.”