There are currently 233,557,958 user profiles on MySpace.com. A quick search of the site reveals there are profiles for everyone from Playboy magazine founder Hugh Hefner to presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. Even I maintain a profile on the Web site, which I use to keep in touch with friends and fans alike. Ask most users, and they will tell you MySpace can be a great place to make new connections, both business and personal. However, many of those same people will also warn you that not everyone on the Web site is as straightforward as they should be.
For the last five months, a profile purporting to belong to 23-year-old Sir Mario Owens has been among the millions of searchable profiles on the social networking Web site. The "About Me" section of the profile read:
"Wut it do ya'll!?!? My name is Sir Mario Owens! I'm from Shreveport, Louisiana. I reps Louisiana all day, every day, when ever I can. I'll also rep Texas sometimes since I got a lot of family there too. That 318 is where it's at though, ya digg! I moved to Colorado not too long ago, so that's where you'll find me right now. I'm a pretty cool and laid-back type of guy. I enjoy a lil laugh from time to time. I like to do the normal things like everybody else, such as listening to music, watching movies, shooting ball, and just hanging out with my peoples. I was recently caught up in some b/s, so ya boy on lockdown in Canon City, Colorado..." [Sic throughout].
An interesting aspect about Owens that was conveniently left out is the fact that he is currently serving a life sentence in Colorado for a 2004 murder. The "b/s" most likely refers to Owens' recent conviction on charges of first-degree murder and conspiracy in connection with two other slayings that could earn him the death penalty. A jury is currently deliberating on those cases, and a verdict is not expected for at least two weeks.
MySpace administrators removed Owens' profile Monday afternoon. However, a cache of it is still viewable here. According to KMGH-TV, Owens' cousin, a man identified only as D'Angelo, maintained Owens' MySpace page because Colorado inmates are not allowed to have access to the Internet.
It is not unusual to find an inmate's profile on MySpace. They have been invading the social network for several years. According to a November 2006 article at Wired.com, 34 death row inmates in Texas had profiles on MySpace that were maintained by either friends or family members. There is even a group on MySpace called "Inmate Penpals," which was founded in October 2005. The group consists of 294 members, which include several profiles that have been set up for prison inmates.
I find it curious that all of these people will take the time to set up a profile for an inmate. I wonder how many of them would take the time to do the same for a victim? I wonder how many would do the same if the inmate they are helping had murdered a member of their own family? Looking in from the outside can often leave people ignorant to the true reality of a given situation.
The next time you are looking for friends on MySpace, keep in mind that the person you find might not only be a stalker or pedophile, but he/she could also be a violent offender who is reaching out via a third party. Things are not always as they seem. Within Owens' now-deleted profile, he claimed, "I'm pretty harmless." I know of at least three people who would contest that claim if only they were alive to do so.
UPDATE - 9News.com is reporting that the jury in Owens' double homicide case has found that the case meets all five of the aggravating factors necessary to legally justify the imposition of a death sentence. Phase two is set to begin today at 9:00 a.m.