Tyler Barriss, one of the three men behind a prank call that led to an innocent man’s death over Christmas holidays in 2017, has pleaded guilty to several charges that will see him behind bars for 20 years or more. According to a Department of Justice press release, Barriss has pleaded guilty to “making a false report resulting in death, cyberstalking, and conspiracy.”
Following a Call of Duty wager gone wrong, Barriss swatted 28-year old father Andrew Finch, whose address was provided by one of the suspects. Finch was with his family at home when law enforcement officials arrived at his residence, and in the ensuing confusion, shot him dead. The incident drew outrage from the general public as well as the gaming community, leading to demands of exemplary punishment for all three men.
While Barriss has pleaded guilty, the other two accused – Casey Viner and Shane Gaskill – have pleaded not guilty to charges including obstruction of justice. Both Viner and Gaskill were involved in the wager, with Viner enlisting Barriss to make the deadly call after Gaskill provided him with Finch’s address, which he passed off as his own. Following Finch’s death, the duo attempted to erase all traces of their involvement.
Barriss will be sentenced in January, 2019, and still faces a slew of other unrelated federal charges.
[Source: Department of Justice via Destructoid]
