Prosecutor says the Snapchat "was a key piece of evidence that led investigators to the defendant"
A Pennsylvania teenager was arrested Friday for allegedly murdering a 16-year-old classmate, after taking a selfie with the victim’s body and Snapchatting the image to a friend. Although the app is known for making photos disappear in 10 seconds or less, the recipient of the jarring text saved the picture and showed it to police.
Maxwell Marion Morton, 16, confessed to killing Ryan Mangan to police, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports. He was charged as an adult with criminal homicide, first-degree murder and illegal possession of a 9 mm handgun and is currently being held in a county jail without bail.
“[Police] received a copy of the photo which depicted the victim sitting in the chair with a gunshot wound to the face,” a police affidavit says. “It also depicts a black male taking the ‘selfie,’ with his face facing the camera and the victim behind the actor. The photo had the name ‘Maxwell’ across the top.”
District Attorney John Peck said of the Snapchat selfie: “I’ve never seen it before, but it was a key piece of evidence that led investigators to the defendant.”
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