Virginia Teen Shot Dead in Ding Dong Ditch Prank Gone Wrong After Homeowner Mistook Him for Intruder
Tyler Butler, 27, is charged with second-degree murder, malicious wounding and using a firearm in the commission of a felony. Butler is accused of shooting at three teenagers who were behind his Fredericksburg home.
The deadly shooting happened around 3 a.m. on Saturday, May 3. The Spotsylvania County Sheriff's Office says the teens were attempting to burglarize the Butlers' house when 18-year-old Massaponax High School senior Michael Bosworth was shot and killed.
One of the two juveniles with him was shot and wounded. They told investigators they were recording themselves doing a "ding-dong ditch" as part of a TikTok challenge. The prank involves knocking on the door or ringing the doorbell of an unsuspecting resident and fleeing from the spot before they can answer the door.
One of Butler's neighbors who spoke with FOX 5 said his home surveillance system captured video of three teens coming up to his house not long before the shooting. The video showed the teens banging, kicking and slamming on the neighbor's garage door — not just ringing the doorbell.
Bosworth's classmates held a vigil in his honor as part of their senior sunset celebration at school Tuesday night. Those who knew him are still trying to make sense of his death. Butler is being held without bond in the Rappahannock Regional Jail. His next court date is scheduled for June 18.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Independent Singapore
3 days ago
- Independent Singapore
‘What to do? Please help' — Employer frustrated after learning maid spends 80% of her time on social media
SINGAPORE: A local employer recently took to social media to express her frustration after discovering that her domestic helper had been spending most of her time on social media instead of fulfilling her duties at home. Posting anonymously in the Facebook group 'Direct Hire Transfer Singapore Maid/Domestic Helper' on Tuesday (July 29), the woman shared that she had reviewed footage from her home's CCTV system and was shocked by what she saw. According to her, the helper had been 'neglecting' her two young children and spent about 80% of her time recording TikTok dance videos and going live on Instagram. Disturbed by the findings, the employer decided to check the helper's public social media accounts—and what she found raised more red flags. 'She has hundreds of followers and receives a lot of comments on her TikTok, and she replies to them in a very flirtatious manner,' the employer wrote. 'But during the interview, she came across as humble and down-to-earth.' The employer added that she is now unsure whether to keep the helper, as some of her stories do not seem to add up. For example, the helper previously told her that she was 'happily married' and had three children back in her home country. However, based on her social media posts, it appeared that she was in a relationship with a foreign worker in Singapore. In another instance, the helper claimed during the interview that her previous contract with an American family ended because they relocated to another country. But later, when the employer asked for more details, the helper admitted that her contract was actually terminated because she had brought a man into the house while her employers were away. To make things worse, the helper also lied about her domestic skills. 'She doesn't know how to keep the house tidy. I have two young kids, and they will leave toys all over the house. I still need to tell her; only then will she do it, and if she does do it, she'll just throw everything in a container. Not even keeping it nicely,' the employer explained. 'She also doesn't know how to cook, even though she claimed she could during the interview. When we brought her to the supermarket and asked her what she can cook so we can buy the ingredients. She said she can only cook basic instant noodles and eggs. Omg.' Despite the numerous issues, the employer admitted she was reluctant to terminate the helper's contract, as the family had already paid for her 'flight, medical check-up, and insurance.' 'I also urgently need someone to care for my baby since both my husband and I are working full-time,' she added. 'What should I do? Please help.' 'I have experienced this; it will not get any better but worse.' In the comments, many netizens strongly urged the employer to terminate the helper's contract, stressing that her behaviour was unprofessional and posed a potential risk to the safety of the children. 'Your baby should always be a priority in any situation. She doesn't seem like a trustworthy person from what you are saying. I would never leave my kids with someone like that because she won't have accountability if anything happens to your kids,' one wrote. 'This type of helper does not know work etiquette. I am also a helper, and I can't tolerate such behaviour. You can either give her a few months or send her home and get her blocklisted; maybe she can learn a lesson from it,' another wrote. 'Send back now and get a new helper. I have experienced this; it will not get any better but worse,' a third commented. Some also suggested the employer take time off work or get help from family members like parents or in-laws while looking for a replacement. Still, despite the overwhelming criticism, a few commenters felt the employer should give her a chance and hear 'her side' of the story. One added, 'People do change over time, as my maid has also changed a lot since she started working with us.' Establish clear rules for phone use Ms K Jayaprema, president of the Association of Employment Agencies (Singapore), says it is important for employers to have an open discussion with their domestic helpers about phone use and to come up with a reasonable schedule. She also recommends setting basic house rules, such as asking the helper to keep her phone off during working hours unless she is expecting an urgent call. Employers may also suggest avoiding phone use past bedtime. Read also: 'Cai png now costs me S$6' — Local says everything in SG is becoming more expensive quietly but quickly
Straits Times
21-07-2025
- Straits Times
Trump posts fake video showing Obama arrest
US President Donald Trump regularly reposts AI-generated or mocked-up videos and photographs on his Truth Social account. WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump reposted a fake video showing former President Barack Obama being arrested in the Oval Office, as Trump administration officials continue to accuse Mr Obama of trying to harm Mr Trump's campaign during the 2016 election, and the president seeks to redirect conversation from the Jeffrey Epstein files . The short video, which appears to have been generated by artificial intelligence and posted on TikTok before being reposted on Mr Trump's Truth Social account on July 20, comes days after the Office of the Director of National Intelligence issued the latest in a series of reports from the Trump administration trying to undermine the eight-year-old assessment that Russia favoured the election of Mr Trump. The video appears to be manipulated footage of an Oval Office meeting that took place in November 2016 between Mr Obama, then the president, and Mr Trump, who days earlier had defeated Hillary Clinton, the Democratic nominee, in the election. The fake video purports to show FBI agents bursting into the meeting, pushing Mr Obama into a kneeling position and putting him in handcuffs as Mr Trump looks on smiling, while the song 'YMCA.' by the Village People plays. Later, the fake video shows Mr Obama in an orange jumpsuit pacing in a cell. The start of the video shows a compilation of actual footage of Democratic leaders, including Mr Obama and former President Joe Biden, saying, 'no one is above the law.' Mr Obama's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the video. Mr Trump regularly reposts AI-generated or mocked-up videos and photographs on his Truth Social account. Ms Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence, said last week that the latest report released by her offices showed a 'treasonous conspiracy in 2016' by top Obama administration officials to harm Mr Trump. She said she would make a criminal referral to the FBI based on recently released documents. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. World US President Trump 'caught off guard' by Israel's strikes in Syria Singapore LTA seeks tailored solutions to improve Bukit Panjang LRT's maintenance inspections Opinion Singapore's vaping crisis lays bare the drug addiction nightmare for parents Singapore Subsidies and grants for some 20,000 people miscalculated due to processing issue: MOH Multimedia 'It's very sad': She comforts loved ones turned away by inmates Opinion Sumiko at 61: 7 facts about facial skin ageing, and skincare ingredients that actually work Business Why Singapore and its businesses stand to lose with US tariffs on the region Opinion With Shatec cutting back operations, what's next for the hospitality sector? A link to real video footage from an interview that Ms Gabbard gave to Fox News on July 20 on the subject was also posted to Mr Trump's social media. Democrats have denounced the administration's effort to discredit Mr Obama as politically motivated and riddled with errors, and contradicting previous reviews of the assessment. The latest document, issued last week, did not show Russian manipulation of the election, and instead reinforced the view of intelligence officials who found no evidence that Russia hacked voting systems to change votes. Democrats have cited reports by intelligence agencies and Senate investigators who found that, while Russian hackers probed election systems to see if they could change vote outcomes and extracted voter registration data in at least two states, there was no evidence that they attempted to change votes. The Obama administration's assessment also did not say that Russian hackers manipulated votes. Mr Trump has been trying to change the conversation among his supporters, after the Justice Department walked back its promise to release the full collection of files about Epstein, a multimillionaire financier and convicted sex offender who died in prison in 2019. That decision angered some of the president's most ardent supporters. Some have questioned Mr Trump's judgment on the matter, causing strife within the Maga movement that powered Mr Trump to two presidential election victories. NYTIMES
International Business Times
21-07-2025
- International Business Times
US President Donald Trump Posts AI-Altered Video of Barack Obama Arrest, Sparks Outrage and Conspiracy Claims
U.S. President Donald Trump has courted yet another controversy by sharing a doctored video that depicts former President Barack Obama getting arrested in the White House. The doctored video, which was posted to Trump's Truth Social platform on Monday, shows Obama handcuffed by two FBI agents as Trump smiles from nearby. US president Donald Trump posts I-generated video of former president Barack Obama's arrest X The one-minute spot opens with a voice that sounds like Obama saying, "No one, not even the President, is above the law," and features other Democrats, including former President Joe Biden, stating the same. The video then segues to a doctored image of Obama in a prison jumpsuit and behind bars. Trump did not add a disclaimer to the clip that this time the video was created with artificial intelligence and was not real. The video was originally posted to TikTok before it went out on Trump's platform. Critics, media experts, and watchdogs have described the post as "irresponsible" and dangerous, particularly in today's politically charged environment. The release comes as Tulsi Gabbard, the U.S. Director of National Intelligence, is set to make explosive claims in a video. In a series of tweets on X (formerly Twitter), Gabbard accused Obama and his top aides of being part of a "treasonous conspiracy" to throw the 2016 election. She alleged that officials intentionally distorted intelligence reports to force a narrative about Trump's links to Russia. Gabbard said that her office has handed over the documents to the Department of Justice and called for a complete investigation. "Everyone involved needs to be prosecuted within the rule of law," she wrote. But a report recently declassified by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) suggests that Gabbard is untrue. The 114-page report says U.S. intelligence agencies had made that assessment before the 2016 election that Russian cyber activity had a certain outcome, meaning it likely did not affect final vote tallies. An intelligence briefing from December 2016, likewise, found no significant evidence of vote manipulation. But Trump's post and Gabbard's allegations have rekindled a fight over the legitimacy of the 2016 election and whether politicians can use artificial intelligence to generate political messages. Experts caution that such videos can amplify misinformation at a rapid pace and undermine public trust. More and more people are calling for new guidelines when it comes to AI-forged content, particularly when public figures are involved.
