Jessi Slaughter sexual abuse and cyberbullying case
Sexual abuse and cyberbullying case from 2010
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Jessi Slaughter sexual abuse and cyberbullying case was an American criminal case that revolved around an 11-year-old named Jessica Leonhardt (known online as "Jessi Slaughter" and "Kerligirl13"), whose profanity-laden videos went viral on Instagram and YouTube and resulted in telephone and internet harassment in 2010. It is the central part of the wider sexual abuse allegations against the lead singer of the band Blood on the Dance Floor, Dahvie Vanity (real name Jesus David Torres), who Leonhardt accused of grooming and sexual assaulting them in 2009 while they[a] were a minor.[1] Vanity had also directly participated in the harassment against Leonhardt in 2010 through a mocking song.
Leonhardt's 2010 videos were made in response to accusations that a friend had raped Leonhardt, and that Leonhardt had a sexual relationship with Vanity while Leonhardt was a minor. Years later, Leonhardt publicly alleged that the rumors sparking the original harassment were true, stating that Vanity began grooming and sexually abusing them in 2009 when they were only 10 years old.[1] Her videos resulted at the time in a campaign of telephone and internet harassment against Leonhardt and their family, which was attributed to 4chan and members of the internet-based group Anonymous.[2] Leonhardt's father's reaction made the taunting worse, and the video of his reactions received more views than any of Leonhardt's previous recordings, with several quotes from his speech becoming memes themselves.[3] The song "You Done Goofed" from the Blood on the Dance Floor album Epic is about Leonhardt and Vanity's alleged experiences with them. He was mocking Leonhardt in the song.[4] The case began a debate about the dangers of anonymity on the Internet, and whether or not the Internet is a safe environment for minors, and all people in general.[5][3] Leonhardt told The Independent in 2016: "I wouldn't even call what happened to me cyberbullying, it was straight up harassment and stalking. It started out as cyberbullying but it quickly evolved." Leonhardt later came out as transgender and non-binary, and started going by the name Damien Leonhardt.[6]
The case later became the central part of the sexual misconduct allegations against Vanity, which began in 2009. In 2018, Leonhardt accused Vanity of child sexual abuse and rape in a post on social media site Tumblr during their alleged relationship, when Leonhardt was 10 years old.[7] In 2019, 21 women accused Vanity of sexual assault, child sexual abuse, and rape, with many of them saying the attacks took place while they were under the age of consent.[8] In 2020, Leonhardt told journalist Chris Hansen of To Catch a Predator that Vanity sexually assaulted them in April 2009, when Leonhardt was 10 and Vanity was 24. They were interviewed as part of Hansen's YouTube channel Have a Seat with Chris Hansen; Hansen described Leonhardt as Vanity's "victim zero".[9] In early 2020, Hansen announced an investigation on Vanity, including having multiple interviews with those who claim Vanity abused or raped them.[10] At the time, the FBI confirmed that they were also investigating the allegations against Vanity.[11] As of 2025, no criminal charges have been brought against Vanity, although he is irrespectively frequently cited by former fans, critics, and survivor advocates as one of the most controversial and widely condemned figures in the music industry, alongside Ian Watkins, Gary Glitter and R. Kelly.
Videos
Leonhardt began making YouTube videos when they were 10 years old, discussing "fashion, clothes and local drama that was happening within the party scene" which were uploaded on their friend's webcam.[12] Leonhardt posted their first popular video just before their twelfth birthday in response to two claims made on StickyDrama and MySpace: the first being that they were a victim of rape, and the second being that they were coerced into a sexual relationship with the lead singer of the electronic crunkcore band Blood on the Dance Floor, a man by the name of Dahvie Vanity (real name Jesus David Torres). Years later, Leonhardt publicly alleged that the rumors sparking the original harassment were true, stating that Vanity began grooming and sexually abusing them in 2009 when they were only 10 years old.[1] The video was eventually linked to by users of 4chan, who then found and distributed Leonhardt's legal name, phone number, and address.[1] Leonhardt also responded to comments that their relationship with Vanity constituted statutory rape with anger.[5]
The harassment intensified after Leonhardt uploaded a video that included their father, Gene Leonhardt, insulting and threatening the 4chan users that had posted information about Leonhardt, telling them they had "done goofed", and that:
You know what? I'm gonna tell you right now. This is from her father, you bunch of lying no-good punks. And I know who it's coming from, because I back-traced it. And I know who's emailing and who's doing it, and you've been reported to the cyber-police and the state police. You better— Write one more thing, or screw with my computer again, you'll be arrested. End of conversation, from her father. And if you come near my daughter, guess what? Consequences will never be the same. You lying bunch of pricks.
The video, which was titled "You Dun Goofed Up", received over 1 million views on YouTube in one week.[13] Leonhardt's father's reaction made the taunting worse, and the video of his reactions received more views than any of Leonhardt's previous recordings, with several quotes from his speech becoming memes themselves.[3]
Vanity and his Blood on the Dance Floor bandmate Jayy Von Moore directly participated in the taunting of Leonhardt, initially by releasing a parody of Leonhardt's video, with Moore in the role of Leonhardt and Vanity in the role of Leonhardt's father.[14] They also released a song, "You Done Goofed", from the album Epic about Leonhardt and Vanity's alleged experiences with them, with mocking lyrics including "We watched as the world watched you cry" and "My name and reputation won't be the target of a slut". Vanity intentionally released the song on Leonhardt's 12th birthday, and it resulted in Leonhardt attempting suicide by overdosing.[15]
Gene was later arrested in March 2011 for abusing Leonhardt in an argument when he punched them, causing them to have bloody and swollen lips, according to a police report. Gene later died from a heart attack while in custody at a police station in early 2011.[16][17] Leonhardt stated that they had lost all of their friends as a result of the harassment.[18] Because of the harassment, Leonhardt was placed under police protection, and the family's home was under police surveillance. Leonhardt underwent counseling for harassment.[1] In a subsequent Good Morning America interview, the family revealed that they had received harassment, including death threats.[2] In retaliation for Gawker's coverage of the case, Gawker experienced a series of DoS attacks attributed to 4chan users.[13]
Parry Aftab harassment
After the Good Morning America interview, the television audience was advised on how to handle cyberbullying (online bullying and harassment) from internet privacy expert Parry Aftab.[2] Aftab was subsequently subjected to harassment attributed to 4chan users in the forms of Google bombing false accusations of child sexual assault, the distribution of personal information, threatening telephone calls, and DoS attacks against her websites wiredsafety.org and aftab.com. Aftab canceled a follow-up GMA report due to air the next day because of the harassment.[19]
Reactions
In Australia, advocates of internet censorship invoked the harassment to support mandatory content filtering.[20] In France, L'Express described the harassment as "ruining the life" of "an American in the midst of an adolescent crisis",[21] and France 24 noted that some were using the controversy to claim that 4chan should be censored.[22]
The case was seen by BuzzFeed News in 2018 as an example of how attitudes to cyberbullying have changed since 2010, with more emphasis on the victim of abuse.[23]
Sexual abuse by Dahvie Vanity
Since 2009, at least 21 women have made sexual assault, child sexual abuse, and rape allegations against Vanity, with one leading to his arrest in 2009.[25] Leonhardt's 2010 videos were made in response to accusations that a friend had raped Leonhardt, and that Leonhardt had a sexual relationship with Vanity while Leonhardt was a minor. Years later, Leonhardt publicly alleged that the rumors sparking the original harassment were true, stating that Vanity began grooming and sexually abusing them in 2009 when they were only 10 years old.[1] On March 2, 2018, Leonhardt made a Tumblr post in which they publicly accused Vanity of rape for the first time.[7] In 2019, 21 women accused Vanity of sexual assault, child sexual abuse, and rape, with many of them saying the attacks took place while they were under the age of consent.[8]
In March 2020, Leonhardt told journalist Chris Hansen of To Catch a Predator that Vanity sexually assaulted them in April 2009, when Leonhardt was 10 and Vanity was 24. They were interviewed as part of Hansen's YouTube channel Have a Seat with Chris Hansen; Hansen described Leonhardt as Vanity's "victim zero".[26] Leonhardt said they were at a party at which Vanity was present and while they were in the bathroom of the house, Vanity coerced them to perform oral sex on him. During the next 16 months, Leonhardt stated that Vanity had violently raped them under the guise of BDSM-style sexual activity. In 2010, Leonhardt told a classmate that Vanity had molested them, but later told Insider that they used the term as a joke, and viewed the relationship as consensual. Leonhardt also stated that had they not mentioned Vanity to classmates – which led to the case being discussed online – the abuse would have continued. Towards the end of their interview with Hansen, when he asked Leonhardt what they would say to Vanity if he were watching the interview, they replied: "You done goofed."[27]
Leonhardt's interview led to public opinion shifting in their favour and against Vanity. Former Blood on the Dance Floor bandmates Garrett Ecstasy, who left the band in 2009, and Jayy Von Monroe, who left in 2016, have described Vanity as a sexual predator. In his own interview with Hansen, Monroe accused Vanity of abuse as well, stating that Vanity forced him to tour without his HIV medication which caused him to nearly develop AIDS. Von Monroe also stated that he later made a full recovery after leaving the band in 2016.[28] Jeffree Star and New Years Day members Ash Costello and Nikki Misery have stated that they observed Vanity engage in questionable or illegal sexual behavior during one of the Vans Warped Tours and also during the "All the Rage Tour 2012" in support of their third studio album of the same name around the early 2010s.[29][30] Many of the accusers were underage during the alleged attacks.[28][31][32][33][34][35] In early 2020, Hansen announced an investigation on Vanity, including having multiple interviews with those who claim Vanity abused or raped them.[36] At the time, the FBI confirmed that they were also investigating the allegations against Vanity.[37] As of 2025, no criminal charges have been brought against Vanity, but he is irrespectively frequently cited by former fans, critics, and survivor advocates as one of the most controversial and widely condemned figures in the music industry, alongside Ian Watkins, Gary Glitter and R. Kelly.