Facebook Murderer Given Life Sentence

No sentence, no punishment, can compensate for the loss of a loved one, but 17-year old Ashleigh Hall's friends and family may be able to rest a little easier knowing her killer must serve a minimum of 35 years in prison. 33-year old Peter Chapman, who befriended the teenage girl on Facebook by posing as a teenage boy, then raped and murdered her, was handed a life sentence after pleading guilty to the crime.

Chapman had a history of sexual assault stretching back to age 15. He was imprisoned for seven years for the brutal rape of two hookers in 1996. He initially denied any involvement in Hall's death, but later confessed to kidnapping, raping, and suffocating the girl, then dumping her body in a field.

Chapman invented the teenage boy he posed as on Facebook, then pretended to be the boy's father when he picked-up the 17-year old Hall. His license plate number had been in the system because he had failed to comply with proper sex offender registration requirements. When the number was connected to Hall's disappearance, Chapman was picked up and questioned.

Police admitted that, had Chapman not confessed, his vehicle probably would have been crushed and valuable evidence lost.

© C Harris Lynn, 2010