Getty A law enforcement officer stands at the front door of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School after a shooting at the school.
Brandon Fleury is a California man who is accused of cyberstalking and harassing the families of Parkland, Florida mass shooting victims in a quest to become popular on the Internet.
The Santa Ana, California man is accused of targeting the family members of Parkland victim Jaime Guttenberg, among others. The complaint lays out a litany of disturbing accusations against Fleury. “Fleury stated he was motivated by gaining popularity and notoriety after posting the messages,” the criminal complaint, which you can read in full later in this article, alleges.
Jaime Guttenberg was only 14 when she died, and she was remembered as a person with a sensitive and compassionate soul who loved to dance. You can read a tribute post to her here. Her father, Fred Guttenberg, has emerged as one of the strongest voices for gun control in the wake of the mass shooting.
Be forewarned that the messages allegedly sent by Fleury are extremely disturbing. Seventeen students and staff members lost their lives in the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. The Complaint Accuses Fleury of Harassing the Family Members & Expressing Fascination With Serial Killers Like Ted Bundy
The criminal complaint, which was filed in Broward County, Florida, accuses Brnadon Fleury of transmitting in interstate commerce a communication containing a threat to kidnap a person and using electronic communication to cause “substantial emotional distress” to others.
The complaint alleges that on or about December 22, 2018 and January 11, 2019, Fleury made a “series of threatening and harassing posts through the social media application Instagram.”
The messages mentioned Instagram accounts used by relatives and friends of students killed in the mass shooting at Parkland. Thus, those people received notifications, including the contents of the messages.
“One post threatened to kidnap the message recipients, while others sought to harass the recipients by repeatedly taunting the relatives and friends of the MSD victims, cheering the deaths of their loved ones, and, among other things, asking them to cry,” alleges the complaint.
Another page was called “nik.taunts._” and included vile messages like “I killed Jaime, fool.” Yet another page was created in the name “teddykillspeople.”
A comment made by this page referenced victims who were abducted and murdered by serial killer Ted Bundy in 1974. Fleury is accused of telling authorities he had “a strong interest in Ted Bundy and” had researched him. He also sent messages from a page called “tedtheabductor,” alleges the complaint.
They included comments like “Nikolas murdered your friends and teachers but guess what? I murdered Janice Ott and Denise Naslund.” Those were two Bundy victims, says the complaint.
The family members told authorities the messages caused them emotional distress. One post by “teddykillspeople” stated “I’m your abductor I’m kidnapping you fool” and placed the victims in fear.
According to the complaint, Fleury described his “fascination” with Nikolas Cruz, other mass shooters, Ted Bundy and other serial killers. He was trying to “get reactions from people and be controversial,” the complaint alleges.
2. Fleury Is Accused of Trolling the Families in an Attempt to ‘Gain Popularity’
GettyFred Guttenberg watches as Nikolas Cruz enters the courtroom for his arraignment at the Broward County Courthouse March 14, 2018 in in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Guttenberg’s daughter died in the attack.
According to the complaint, Fleury is from Santa Ana, California, where he lives with his father and brother. Authorities executed a search warrant on the Santa Ana address.
Fleury is accused of admitted to creating at least some of the Instagram profiles and posting messages in an attempt to “taunt” or “troll” the victims and “gain popularity.”
He’s accused of targeting family members who were “activists” with large social media presences.
The victims of the harassment included a brother, father, and best friend of Jaime Guttenberg. Another individual was the father of another student killed in the shooting. Other posts referenced Parkland victim Scott Beigel. Beigel was a teacher killed in the shooting. One post is accused of saying “Nikolas killed Scott Beigel in cold blood” and “hehehaha! Mr. Beigel is dead.”
You can read a tribute post to Scott Beigel here. He was one of the heroic adults who saved children by shielding them from bullets, and he paid for that with his life.
When creating one Instagram account, Brandon Fleury provided the name of Parkland mass shooter Nikolas Cruz, the complaint alleges. He is accused of creating another handle called “bullseyetauntsyou_” The term bullseye referred to a movie villain, according to the complaint.
3. Brandon Fleury Was Injured in a Drunk Driving Crash as a Boy
FBI on Friday charged a guy who was using Instagram to harass the family & friends of victims in the Parkland shooting. The bureau says the suspect, Brandon Fleury, admitted he was trying to “taunt or ‘troll’ the victims and gain popularity.”
There was a time when Brandon Fleury was in the news – as a victim. That was in 2007, though, when he was 9-years-old and was injured in a drunk driving crash with his brother.
An article at the time in the Orange County Register reported that Brandon Fleury had inquired of his brother over dinner, “Is Nathan going to die?”
Nathan Fleury was left in a coma by a crash caused by a repeat drunk driver, the newspaper article reported. Brandon was injured, but not as seriously, after the drunk driver was accused of broadsiding the family’s car.
4. Fleury’s Mother Died After Surgery When He Was Young
GettyThe scene near the Parkland, Florida school.
The article in the Orange County Register also reported that Brandon Fleury’s mother had died tragically. It described his father, Patrick Fleury, as “widowed,” and said Patrick’s wife had “suddenly died after surgery almost five years ago.”
The OC story further described Patrick Fleury as a “tennis professional.” An obituary in the Sacramento Bee says that Maryellen Fleury died on May 27, 2002 “from a bilateral pulmonary embolism at age 44. A 7-year resident of Orange County, CA. She was an employee of the CPA/Department of Consumer Affairs.”
The obit adds that “Mrs. Fleury is survived by her husband Patrick J. Fleury; sons Brandon and Nathan Fleury” and other family members. Local10 confirmed that Brandon’s father is named Patrick Fleury.
5. The Complaint Describes a Series of Vile Comments
GettyCandles still glow after last nights vigil for victims of the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, at Pine Trail Park, on February 16, 2018 in Parkland, Florida.
Fleury is accused of creating an Instagram username called “nikolas.killed.your.sister.”
The vile messages he’s accused of sending included such comments as:
“I killed your loved ones hahaha.”
“Cry for me.”
“Your grief is my joy.”
“With the power of my AR-15, I erased their existence.” The message was filed by smiling, applause and handgun emojis.
“I gave them no mercy.”
“I took Jaime away from you. You’ll never see her again hahaha.”
“I took a sh-t on your sister’s grave.”
Another comment allegedly said horrific things like: “You’ll never see Jaime again, little orphan. Nikolas took her from you.” There are many similar comments outlined in the criminal complaint.