A 44-year-old Maryland man told his girlfriend they were going on vacation but actually kidnapped her, tied her up, and watched her die in the Nevada desert.
John Matthew Chapman, 44, was sentenced to life in prison on Friday for the killing of Jaime Feden, 33, of Bethel Park, Penn.
He was found guilty of kidnapping resulting in death after an eight-day trial in May.
"The defendant violated the victim's trust by luring her away from her family and friends in Pennsylvania and out into the Nevada desert, where he viciously killed her," said United States Attorney Jason M. Frierson for the District of Nevada during trial.
Chapman lured Feden under the rouse they were going on a trip in September 2019 and drove her to Lincoln County, Nevada, bounding her hands and feet before tying her to a signpost.
He then ductaped her mouth and nose and watched her die from asphyxiation.
After leaving Jaime's body in the desert, he drove back to Pennsylvania and threw out several items of her clothing along the way.
A welfare check was conducted after a friend alerted the Bethel Park Police Department that Jaime was missing.
Prosecutors said she was born with VATER syndrome, a group of birth defects that develop during pregnancy and can cause physical and intellectual disabilities, according to Trib Live.
Neighbors told detectives that they had not seen her in approximately two months but said they saw a person whom they believed to be her boyfriend entering and leaving her home.
She allegedly dated Chapman off and on for about a decade, despite Chapman being married, according to court documents.
Detectives found identification cards with Chapman's name and photograph, Jaime's phone, multiple zip ties and a roll of duct tape in her home as they investigated her death.
They found that leading up to the 2019 Nevada trip, a search of Chapman's computer revealed search inquiries like "What is the perfect place to dump bodies?" "Dump+body+nevada," and "How can I successfully dump a dead body without being caught?"
Chapman admitted to law enforcement that he drove her from Bethel Park to Las Vegas claiming the trip was a vacation, telling her that they may look at homes to buy there.
However, Chapman had planned the murder well before their departure. He was able to draw her to the desert under the pretext of a bondage photo shoot.
He went back to Pennsylvania and pretended to be her on Facebook Messenger account while continuously using her home and money.
Jamie's obituary described her as resilient, kind, loving, and strong-willed.
