Kidnapping and Murder: The Case of Kyle Dube
Kyle Dube, also known as Bryan Butterfield, was charged with abduction and killing Nichole Cable, a 15-year-old. According to a state police statement that was made public, Dube tricked Nichole out of her home by pretending to be Bryan Butterfield on Facebook. Dube was trying to set up a kidnapping so that he could afterward save the girl and appear heroic. Nichole was placed at the rear of his father's pickup truck while being duct-taped, but Dube later realized that she had passed away. According to the affidavit, he dumped her corpse and covered it with branches and sticks; according to Dube, this was an attempted kidnapping gone wrong. Nichole’s mother reported to the police about her missing daughter stating that she had left the night before to meet a friend, but had not returned. The jury made a ruling, saying that Dube was guilty of Nichole’s murder since all evidence pointed to him. The information by the witnesses and all the evidence in the case overwhelmingly showed that the accused was involved in the killing of the victim.
The Disappearance of Nichole Cable
Nichole went missing on the night of Mother’s day after leaving her home to go meet a stranger who she had met on Facebook. The victim had intended to receive marijuana from the stranger. She was not aware that she had been communicating with a different person through a fake social media account. Therefore, Nichole went to meet Dube at the end of her driveway, on the presumption that she was talking to Bryan Butterfield. After a week or receiving information and searching, the police found Nichole’s body in a wooden area covered with sticks; the following day, Dube was charged with the intentional murder of the victim (Brown & Keppel, 2007). However, Dube claimed that it was not his intention to kill Nichole but to stage a kidnap and rescue her later so that he is recognized for the heroic act. He pleaded the lack of mens rea in the death of the victim.
The Prosecution vs. The Defense
The prosecution stated that Dube had a crush on Nichole and kidnapped her with the intention of having sexual intercourse. The prosecution further said that she resisted his advances and the accused strangled her. Moreover, two residents testified during the trial that they heard screams coming from the victim’s driveway. Assistant Attorney General, Donald Macomber argued that the neighbors heard the screams when Dube was wrapping the victim with duct tape; he later threw her into a truck and drove to a secluded area to dump the body. Medical examination of the body indicated that Nichole died of asphyxiation. On the other hand, the defense said that Dube was at home with his family on the night of the killing (Carron, 2013). The argument by the accused lawyers was that the prosecution was biased towards the accused and only interested in evidence that pointed to the defendant.
The Accused's Girlfriend's Testimony
The defense also claimed that Dube’s girlfriend had access to the Facebook account and she might have wanted to kill Nichole because her spouse was obsessed with her. In addition, police had a recording of Dube’s girlfriend saying that she did not care whether Nichole was alive or dead. She had threatened to kill the victim if she had sex with her boyfriend. However, during the trial, Dube’s girlfriend testified against him claiming that Dube had confessed to her about all the events on that night. According to the witness, Dube had kidnapped Nichole so that he would later rescue her; however, when arrived at the place where he was to hide the victim, she was already dead (Brown & Keppel, 2007). Moreover, the witness also said that Dube covered Nichole’s body with leaves and sticks, and threw her clothes away on his way back. The accused girlfriend said that he was supposed to pick her at 9 pm but was late and instead arrived at 11 pm.
Evidence Points to Guilt
Despite the strong arguments by the defense, the prosecution had gathered overwhelming evidence against Dube. The jury used just one hour to decide that the accused guilty of the charges. Even though Dube denied any involvement in Nichole’s kidnapping and murder, all evidence was pointing at him. First, the fake Facebook account under the name Bryan Butterfield was traced back to Dube’s home; therefore, he was the last person to meet with Nichole. Second, the DNA evidence found under Nichole’s nails matched with DNA of the accused. Dube also had marks on his face that indicated he had been on a struggle with someone. At the scene where the body was found, a hat and socks found matched Dube’s DNA. Furthermore, Dube’s girlfriend and brother told the police that Dube had told them what had happened, stating that it was not his intention to kill Nichole. Additionally, Dube gave an inmate a written confession, saying all that had occurred during the night when Nichole went missing. All the available evidence was enough to prove the guilt of the accused (Evan, 2015).
The Sentencing
Dube was sentenced to 60 years in prison for two charges; kidnapping and murder of Nichole Cable. The prosecution was satisfied with the judgment and cited that the 60-year sentence addressed the violent nature of the crime committed by Dube. Consequently, the prosecution claimed that the defense had no remorse for the offense Dube engaged in, and as such, the sentence significantly resolved the issue. Speaking to the media, Nichole’s mother said that she was satisfied with the sentence, although she was concerned by Dube’s lack of remorse for the crime he committed. She stated that Nicholes’ sisters who were afraid that the accused would attack them would live in peace without being scared. On the other hand, Dube’s mother stated that he was a young man, and a father of a four-year-old girl; therefore, the court should have considered the condition and given him a few years in prison (Harrison, 2015). Moreover, Dube’s lawyers said that they were going to appeal both the sentence and the conviction. Nichole’s friends and family said that the sentence brought a bittersweet sense of justice to the situation.
Ensuring Cyber Security
Cyber security crimes have been a concern for a long time on the safety of people using social media. Although the internet connects us all, helps us learn, and prevents us from falling out of touch, it also has dangerous consequences. To increase cyber security, strict policies should be established by all social media platforms in efforts to reduce impersonation crimes. For instance, the basic information provided by an individual when creating an account in an internet social platform should be verified before allowing the creation. There should be heavy penalties for internet offenders to deter people from engaging in such crimes. Moreover, more awareness should be made to educate social media users on things to look out for that might put one in danger. Parents should also supervise their teenagers’ activities on social media to ensure responsible utilization and avoidance of dangers (Carron, 2013). Additionally, parents should strive to create an honest and open relationship with their children to understand them better and enhance their safety. Although one can never tell who is on the other side of the keyboard, people using social media should be careful with the people they interact with on the online platforms. It is of the essence to appreciate the fact that Facebook is able to track the origin of an account, thereby promoting security in case of illegal activities.
Conclusion
Nichole’s case served as a warning to young teenagers about the dangers of using social media. In response to her murder, many closed their accounts while others campaigned for more awareness of social media. It is important to recognize although the internet is an essential part of our lives, it is not always safe. Therefore, teachers and parents should take up the role of teaching student on how to use social media in a responsible manner and the dangers associated with the internet. Since you can never really tell when the danger is coming, everyone ought to be careful when handling social media to avoid getting into various troubles connected with social media. Dube serves a 60-year sentence with the hope of walking out of prison at the age of 70. The conviction provides a good warning to potential cyber crime offenders who take advantage of innocent teenagers.
References
Brown, K. M., & Keppel, R. D. (2007). Child Kidnapping and Murder: An Analysis of the Effect of Time and Distance Separation between Murder Incident Sites on Solvability. Journal of Forensic Sciences, 52(1), 137-145.
Carron, E. (2013). Intelligence on social media: Kidnapping and Murder of 15-year-old Nichole Cable. (Doctoral dissertation, Utica College).
Evan, B. (2015). Tears in Court as Killer is found Guilty of Murdering Schoolgirl in Botched attempt to fake her Kidnapping and be hailed a Hero. Dailymail.com. Retrieved on April 14, 2017 from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2983721/Friends-family-murdered-schoolgirl-15-leave-court-tears-hearing-killer-kidnapped-intention-finding-hailed-hero.html.
Harrison, J. (2015). Kyle Dube found guilty of murder, kidnapping in Nichole Cable’s death. Bangor Daily News. Retrieved on April 14, 2017 from http://bangordailynews.com/2015/03/06/news/bangor/kyle-dube-found-guilty-of-murder-in-nichole-cable-case/
