EMT Posts Murder Victim Photo on Facebook, Gets Fired
On the list of stupid things to post to Facebook, photos from a murder scene have to be right up there at the top. Apparently, this never occurred to Mark Musarella, a now-former emergency medical technician (EMT) at Richmond University Medical Center in Staten Island, New York.
While on EMT duty on March 30, the 46-year-old retired police officer was called to a murder in the West Brighton area of New York's forgotten borough. According to Fire Chief, while he was on the scene, he snapped a few pics of the 26-year-old victim, Caroline Wimmer, lying dead on the floor of her apartment with the cord of a hairdryer wrapped around her throat. For some inexplicable reason, Musarella turned right around and posted the images on his Facebook page -- as expected, he was swiftly fired by the hospital and the NYPD was notified.
What's worse, one source told the Staten Island Advance that Musarella may not have even learned his lesson: Although the murder scene picture has been taken down, someone with access to his profile told the newspaper that Musarella's Facebook page still had a photo from a car crash he may have responded to.
If you have to be told that posting photos of a murder scene is inappropriate, then something is clearly wrong. [From: SI Live, via: Fire Chief]
Facebook Crime and Punishment
Blackmail
Sending any personal info or incriminating pictures to someone on Facebook is a huge mistake for many reasons. One of the worst possible outcomes is getting blackmailed for money, sex, or, well, anything these sickos dream up. Really, whether they're using a fake profile or not, it's a horrible idea. Read up on the story of an 18-year-old who blackmailed 31 male classmates after he posed as a girl and asked for nude pictures. That's lesson enough.
Impostors
Sure, it can be harmless to impersonate a celeb online or create a fake profile for a movie character. But seriously, there's a definite line you shouldn't cross when pretending to be someone else and it can lead to dire consequences for you. Maybe it's not as extreme as the Moroccan man who was jailed for 43 days after creating a fake Facebook profile of a prince, but you never know. Just steer clear of it.
Self-Incrimination
Do we really have to explain this? Just look up the shoplifter who posed with her stolen merchandise, the many photos of drunk underage teens, and, most recently, the album featuring a couple who killed and ate an endangered iguana in the Bahamas.
Suicide
Social networking sites has been blamed for a lot of things, fairly and unfairly, but in our opinion, the worst offense has been their indirect involvement in suicides. Obviously, there are a lot of factors responsible in each case, but there does seem to be links between social networking and a rash of suicides, and obviously tehre's the case tragic of Megan Meier, who killed herself after a classmate's mom impersonated a teen boy and harassed her over Myspace.
Murder
We've reported on numerous incidents of people getting in trouble because of their online behavior. Now, people are becoming victims because of what they're doing on the Web too. In England, a man was convicted of murdering his estranged wife after she changed her relationship status to "single." So, be careful of who can see your profile and what you're doing, no matter how harmless it seems.
Nigerian Scammers
Oh, you thought this only happened via poorly worded emails, right? WRONG. Once people got wise to their old ways, these con men are turning to social networking sites for new targets. This time, they're hacking into people's accounts and impersonating them to ask for money, usually with some weird sob story. You can check out a transcript of one of these conversations here.
Cooperation
Even if the law isn't on a case, a victim, his friends, or empathetic strangers might be. Since it's easy to get word out for anything online, people are using blogs, forums, and social networking sites to help track down criminals. In one such case, a vehicle thief was tracked down by a bunch of anonymous car enthusiasts after the victim posted his story on a forum. In the end, they identified the guy through his Facebook profile.
Self-Incrimination
Do we really have to explain this? Just look up the shoplifter who posed with her stolen merchandise, the many photos of drunk underage teens, and, most recently, the album featuring a couple who killed and ate an endangered iguana in the Bahamas.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 5)
Shutter_Bug said 2:17PM on 5-21-2009
Idiot!
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ddwag1 said 7:08PM on 5-21-2009
Completely Agree....how stupid.
o_O
Sierra said 12:39PM on 5-29-2009
Not only an idiot, but disturbingly sick to collect and post crap like that. He deserved to be fired, and in addition, he needs serious mental help.
FLLady said 3:00PM on 5-23-2009
Can't trust anyone to just do their job anymore. People are so hungry to get their lousy 15 minutes of fame...good or bad.
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paramedic14888 said 2:26PM on 5-21-2009
My words Exactly! If he were my partner i would've slammed him up against a wall and smashed his phone! I hope they ban him from the National Registry for life.
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jfl232 said 3:20PM on 5-21-2009
New York doesn't recognize national registry, genius
Darrell Mayeda said 5:00PM on 5-21-2009
Paramedic 1488,
unfortunately, smashing his cell phone may not be enough. You also need to take destroy or take any memory cards in the phone. This nitwit may have been smart enough to move the pics to an external memory. I would routinely transfer photos taken with my phone to a memmory card for safe keeping.
jessi said 2:27PM on 5-21-2009
what in the hell has got into some people?this is as cold and low as you can get
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Bumpemt said 2:34PM on 5-21-2009
Thanks, as an EMT I can tell you We all needed that Boost to Our public Image...
Jerk, Maybe you would have reconcidered if it were your Mom or Sister?
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RBLUEBULL said 2:34PM on 5-21-2009
IN MY 20 YEARS IN THE NYPD,I NEVER COULD UNDERSTAND PEOPLE LIKE THAT.IF THAT WAS A RELATIVE OF HIS,I DON'T THINK HE WOULD HAVE LIKED IT,ONE BIT !
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Christine Sullivan said 2:36PM on 5-21-2009
Appalling - what else does this guy do that he hasn't been caught for?
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bmontez13 said 2:36PM on 5-21-2009
Idiot!!! Did he not realize that he could screw up the investigation of the murder. What about the victim's family? He should be prosecuted for a HIPAA violation and have his EMT certification revoked and banned from Registry for life. As a paramedic, his action was unprofessional and stupid.
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dunnrh46 said 2:39PM on 5-21-2009
HOW DID HE RETIRE AS A POLICEOFFICER AT 46,SELL DRUGS??
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modnroqr68 said 2:49PM on 5-21-2009
Please, let's not jump to conclusions. You only need 20 years to retire from the NYPD.
karen said 4:12PM on 5-21-2009
20 yrs on the force and you're out....start at 24 or 25, retire at 44, new career ahead!!!
you must have failed math in school
Joe said 2:45PM on 5-21-2009
If he was my partner he could show his Doctor the pictures of his colon and prostate. Because that's where the phone would be
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Thomas Molina said 2:48PM on 5-21-2009
Just one word to best describe him for what he actually did.........PENDEJO!!!!
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Cocopops1958 said 2:53PM on 5-21-2009
JOE : YOU SAID IT BEST , MY DEAR...MY SENTIMENTS EXACTLY !!!
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dave redmon said 2:57PM on 5-21-2009
If someone posts pictures of me dead, im sueing that sick puppy..
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krboy67 said 3:15PM on 5-21-2009
ok, did you read what you wrote, "if someone post picture of you dead, you would sue the sick puppy". hate to tell you but if you were dead, you CAN'T sue ANYONE lol.
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