In a sobering reminder that the Internet never forgets, a Pennsylvania man has pleaded guilty to charges that he used the popular social networking site Facebook to solicit a hit man. According to the indictment, the defendant posted several status updates seeking someone to take the life of a woman who had accused the defendant of a sex crime. After a police investigator came across the updates, the defendant pleaded guilty to several crimes, including rape and the attempted solicitation of a hit man.

The 19-year-old West Chester man was arrested in July after a woman accused him of rape. According to police reports, the sex crime occurred when the defendant offered to give the victim a ride home from a party. The woman was intoxicated and passed out during the car ride, and when she awoke, the defendant was allegedly removing her clothing and forcing himself on her.

When the victim later confronted the defendant about the incident, he took to Facebook, posting several status updates implying that he was seeking a hit man. "I got 500 on a girls head who wants that bread?" he allegedly posted. "Hit me up any way possible."

A Pennsylvania police detective came across the updates and responded, pretending to be a potential hit man. The defendant set up a meeting with the detective, but the get-together never happened and the defendant allegedly continued to post Facebook updates stating that he "needed this girl knocked off right now."

After being confronted with the status updates, the defendant admitted that they were directed at the alleged rape victim. He pleaded guilty to various sex crimes and other offenses such as rape, unlawful restraint, possession of an instrument of crime and criminal solicitation of murder. As part of a plea bargain, he will be sentenced to 11 to 22 years in a Pennsylvania state prison.

Source: Switched, "Teen Rapist Admits to Looking for Hitman on Facebook", Amar Toor, 14 February 2011