Texas man who wanted to rape, kill, eat girl receives 40-year prison sentence
BEAUMONT, Texas – A 23-year-old east Texas man dubbed the ’dark web cannibal’ by federal authorities has been sentenced to to 40 years in prison for child exploitation, ABC affiliate KLTV reports.
Alexander Nathan Barter pleaded guilty back on Dec. 20, 2019, to attempted coercion and enticement of a minor and distribution of child pornography.
This week, he was sentenced to 480 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Michael Truncale. Following the completion of his prison sentence, Barter was also ordered to submit to a lifetime of supervised parole.
As part of his plea agreement with the government, Barter agreed to be sentenced to a term of imprisonment of 20 years on each count.
According to information introduced as part of Barter’s plea and at sentencing, in October 2018 Barter had posted an ad on a dark web site stating, “I’d like to try necrophilia and cannibalism, and see how it feels to take a life. If you’d be willing to let me kill you, are in the U.S. (preferably in the south) and can travel by car, contact me.”
An undercover officer saw the ad and responded, utilizing the persona of a father with a 13-year old daughter. Between October 9, 2018 and October 19, 2018, Barter and the undercover officer exchanged a series of messages that included Barter’s repeated interest in raping, killing, and eating the 13-year old child.
Barter provided the undercover with instructions on traveling from Florida to Shelby County, Texas, what to tell the child to get her acquiescence to travel, and how to conceal evidence of their crime. On October 19, 2018, Barter arrived at the designated meet site in Joaquin, Texas with a knife, trash bag, cellular phone, and a tablet.
“As this chilling case demonstrates, online talk is not always just talk. The constant vigilance of our law enforcement partners has prevented an evildoer from finding a likeminded accomplice and bringing his grisly plan to fruition,” said U.S. Attorney Stephen J. Cox. “This case is a sobering reminder of how the brave men and women of law enforcement face down the worst of the worst in the scariest of scenarios.”
“In my 23-year-career in law enforcement, this is among the most morally depraved and appalling criminal conspiracies that I have come across,” said Mark Dawson, special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Houston. “Without the quick and decisive actions of special agents from HSI Cocoa Beach and HSI Beaumont this disturbed predator would still be out there looking for potential victims to carry out his sick and demented fantasies.”
