Brian Blankenship is accused of threatening to kill a porn star and broadcast her murder live on the internet. (Muscogee County Jail)
A Georgia man threatened to kill a porn star and live stream her murder like the killings of a Virginia TV news crew, the FBI says.
According to court documents, Brian Blankenship, 25, told the porn star, Malena Morgan, her next online web stream would “be your bloody head on a stick.”
Blankenship, of Columbus, appeared in court for the first time last week and remains in custody. The FBI says there is probable cause that he “did transmit in intestate commerce, a threat to injure the person of another and did, with intent to kill, injure, harass, intimidate, or place under surveillance with intent to kill, injure, harass, or intimidate another person.” He faces up to five years in prison if convicted.
He has pleaded not guilty, according to the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. He Said He Would Use Periscope to Broadcast While ‘Opening Fire on Malena Morgan’
Blankenship appeared to be inspired by Vester Flanagan, the former news reporter who filmed himself killing a reporter and cameraman on live TV in Virginia.
He said he would use Periscope, a mobile video streaming app owned by Twitter, to broadcast live as he was “opening fire on Malena Morgan,” and promised to “end Malena Morgan’s life,” the FBI says in court documents (which you can read above).
Flanagan, 41, opened fire on the news crew during a live interview with a member of the local Chamber of Commerce on August 26 near Roanoake, Virginia. WDBJ-TV Cameraman Adam Ward, 27, and reporter Alison Parker, 23, were killed. The woman being interviewed, Vicki Gardner, was also shot and wounded. Flanagan later fatally shot himself after being chased by police. He posted the video of the killings on Facebook and Twitter before his death.
Blankenship allegedly made his threats on August 27, a day after the Virginia killings, according to court documents. He used the online name “Joe Cook” and “@BrianFalcons48,” the FBI says.
2. Morgan Is a Nude Webcam Model & Has Appeared in Porn Films
(Instagram)
The 24-year-old who uses the stage name Malena Morgan was born in Florida, and became a model when she was 13, according to her IMDB biography. She moved to Los Angeles in 2011 to pursue a career in the adult film industry.
Morgan became a nude web-cam model and also performed in hardcore movies, according to her biography. She has also modeled in adult magazines, including Penthouse.
On her Twitter account, she says she is a photographer, model and brand ambassador.
Morgan often streams live videos on the app Periscope, which is where Blankenship watched her and made threats, according to court documents.
She told the Columbus Ledger-Inquirer that she retired from appearing in pornographic films in 2013.
3. Morgan Reported Blankenship to the Police After He Sent Her Several Emails
Malena Morgan. (Twitter)
In early September, Morgan reported the threats to the Beverly Hills Police Department, with a “level of emotional distress,” the FBI says.
Morgan told the FBI that Blankenship had sent her 12 emails between August 20-24, 2015, which included threatening statements.
In an August 20 email, Blankenship wrote, “when you walk out of your house and see me it will be to [sic] late,” “as soon as I have a clear shot when I see you.”
He also said, “you’re [sic] next periscope will be your bloody head on a stick bank on it bitch,” and “I hope you have protection … I have a 9mm and a shotgun your dead bitch and you won’t see me coming.”
The FBI says Blankenship told Morgan he would “periscope you’re [sic] undoing it’s raw and I will take my own life after you’ve [sic] life is gone.”
Blankenship told Morgan that after he was blocked by another woman in 2008 on social media, he posted the woman’s address online and she was shot while leaving her apartment in New York City. He said, “the same will happen to you.”
The FBI did not say if it has confirmed that a woman was shot in 2008 as a result of a social media posting by Blankenship.
4. His Mother Told the FBI She Is ‘Fearful of Her Son’
Brian Blankenship. (Facebook)
According to court documents, the FBI interviewed Blankenship’s mother, who told the agents she was “fearful of her son.”
She said Blankenship threatened to killer every member of their family, and knew where his father’s gun was stored.
Blankenship was interviewed by FBI agents on the same day he was confronted by Publix. He, “confessed to sending multiple threatening emails to Malena Morgan, using his wrestlemania17@yahoo.com email account, as well as posting multiple threatening videos on the social media platform Periscope. Blankenship noted he had threatened to kill Morgan in multiple videos.”
Some Twitter users who saw the threats posted about them:
@BreeOlson If @BrianFalcons48 follows you, you can invite him to a private chat, then you can help him fix his issues with Malena.
According to court documents, Blankenship was confronted by his employer, Publix Super Market, on October 8 after the store received complaints online about “his video posts in which he threatened to kill Malena Morgan.”
The FBI says Blankenship admitted to his employer “that all allegations were true.”
5. Morgan’s Friend Says She Was Also Threatened by Blankenship
Jenna J. Ross says she was also threatened by Blankenship. (Twitter)
Another porn star, Jenna J. Ross, told The Daily Beast that she was also threatened by Blankenship, but did not report it to authorities.
“Because she’s my best friend he decided to come after me as well. By proxy, I became target number two,” Ross told The Daily Beast. “When Malena blocked him on social media he couldn’t get to her anymore, so he turned it around on me. The best way to hurt her would be to hurt me.”
Ross said she didn’t report the threats because he didn’t seem like he would follow through.
“It was weird, he kept asking us to send him money. He seemed emotionally disturbed but he didn’t seem like he had the means to execute his threats,” she told the news website. “But at the same time, crazy s**t does happen and he needed to be stopped.”
