Woman to virtual ex: 'I won't be ignored!'
This has to be the weirdest and saddest crime-of-virtual-passion story I've come across.
Kimberly Jernigan--a 33-year-old woman from North Carolina--was apparently distraught after her online relationship with a 52-year-old man from Claymont, Del., came to an end.
The pair apparently met through the online community Second Life and began a virtual relationship. The two finally met in reality several months ago, and the alleged victim ended the relationship, sending Jernigan into a downward spiral.
Kimberly Jernigan met her virtual ex-boyfriend in Second Life.
(Credit: CBS3.com)In early August, Jernigan allegedly drove to the victim's Pennsylvania workplace and attempted to kidnap him at gunpoint, according to local news station CBS3.com. When she was unsuccessful, according to the report, she returned two weeks later to track down the victim's Delaware address, and posed as a postal worker to do so. After four days of searching, authorities said she found residence in the Whitney Presidential Towers on the 7100 block of Society Drive in Claymont.
On August 21, police said, Jernigan broke into the unnamed victim's apartment with a Taser, a pair of handcuffs, a BB gun, her dog, and a roll of duct tape. He wasn't there, so she waited. When the virtual ex arrived home he saw what looked like a laser beam projecting on his chest. He immediately fled the apartment and contacted the Newcastle County Police.
When police arrived they said they found Jernigan's dog, Gogi, bound with duct tape in the bathtub of the victim's bathroom. Jernigan's reason for gagging her pooch--"he was making too much noise." The dog was said to be uninjured, but the ASPCA is looking into possible charges of animal cruelty.
Approximately an hour after the incident, authorities in Maryland spotted Jernigan's vehicle at a rest stop on I-95. She was taken into custody after a brief struggle. Jernigan is currently facing charges of attempted kidnapping, burglary, and aggravated menacing, CBS3 said.
What's the lesson here, kiddies? Keep your virtual relationships virtual and don't bring it into the real world or some innocent animal may be harmed in the process...
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I'm not sure I really get 'virtual' romance - the people behind the avatars have real emotions and once you start engaging emotionally you need to be clear that everyone is playing by the same rules.
If it's not a clear cut case of role play - and what I can gather from my discussions with those who do indulge - it's often not, then you need to respect that when you are dealing with someone else's emotions there's a lot of scope for things to go awry.
If you follow the advice put forward by Kurt Vonnegut and repeated in 'the sunscreen song', "Don't be reckless with other people's hearts, And don't put up with people that are reckless with yours" - your chances of having more successful real life, second life and virtual life friendships, relationships and interactions with others will be greater.
Of course, no method is full proof. Some people unfortunately to suffer from mental illness and emotional instability and despite your best efforts to be respectful of their feelings and ensure that you are both 'playing' by the same rules, things may go wrong.
Moggs wanders off singing an old McCartney tune,
"We all know
That people are the same wherever we go
There is good and bad in everyone
We learn to live, we learn to give each other
What we need to survive
Together alive...."