Stalking Ghosts
At first, Jason Hawes shrugged off the strange emails from a man named Joseph Kennedy as the rantings of some nut. Not many people would mess with then 36-year-old Jason, a formidable man with a muscular build. But as Jason discovered, this was no ordinary nut; this was an online stalker who would soon begin threatening his wife and children:
Ho! Ho! Ho! Did you think I was gone forever??? No such luck. I just got out of the Cook County Jail after 2 months in HELL. I am sending this BCC to prevent all of you from contacting one another and comparing notes. I hope and pray that OSAMA BIN LADEN KILLS THOUSANDS of Americans this Spring!!! I also hope and pray that a TERRIBLE EARTHQUAKE OCCURS OR A MASSIVE VOLCANIC ERUPTION KILLS THOUSANDS!!! Last night I MURDERED a young, pretty woman after raping her several times. I killed her by strangling her with a pair of her brown-colored pantyhose!!! You are next VERENE!!!
Until later SCUM!!!
A Serial Killer
In 1990, Jason and his buddy Grant Wilson co-founded a ghost-hunting organization called The Atlantic Paranormal Society (TAPS) in Warwick, Rhode Island. Both men claimed to have experienced paranormal events and were interested in learning more. By day, they were plumbers for Roto-Rooter; by night, they looked for ghosts. As more members joined TAPS, Jason’s and Grant’s reputations as ghost hunters began to grow and, in 2003, the Syfy cable channel asked the duo if they would be interested in filming a television series based on their paranormal investigations. In October 2004, Syfy aired the first episode of the Ghost Hunters series, which has since earned a cult following among those who love all things paranormal.
In March 2005, Jason and other members of TAPS started to receive disturbing emails from someone who called himself a serial (sometimes “cereal”) killer. At first, Jason and the staff at TAPS deleted the emails, but the emails continued to pour into their inboxes, and the threats escalated:
From: Sharon Edwards
<womanly9988@yahoo.com>
To: TAPS Members
Sent: Saturday, March 12, 2005 4:02 PM
Subject: Thank You
The Kennedys are FILTH and SCUM!!! Swimming in Shark-Infested Waters is nothing compared to what I am going to do to you before I MURDER YOU!!! Ho! Ho! Ho! I Murdered another Young Woman last night. That’s 3 so far this year. [F—-] YOU F.B.I.!!!
From: Gomez Fuentes
<dancin_mexcan@yahoo.com>
To: TAPS members
Sent: Tuesday, March 15, 2005 12:02 PM
Subject: Mexico
Well. I have another short stay in the Cook County Jail ahead of me. I am not looking forward to it but I get my Revenge on Young Women. By the way, this missive is being sent BCC to 7 TAPS members and 7 Non-TAPS members, including one of my “friends” in Australia. VERENE-I hope and pray that GOLDA and MOSHE are both DEAD by now or at least DYING of CANCER!!! BENJAMIN R.-Have you RAPED any FEMALE WHITE BUFFALOES lately? CYTOCOP-I posted another message at VJ claiming to be a Desparate Young Woman!!! I got some great responses from new VICTIMS!!! … Want to hear a good joke? What did the Penus say to the Vagina??? Answer-“Can I squirt sperm inside you?” Ho! Ho! Ho! Attention F.B.I,-I am a Genius and infinitely too smart for you to catch because 1. I ONLY use a Library Computer. 2. I ONLY use Free Yahoo Mail. 3. I NEVER use the same e-mail address TWICE. 4. I ONLY use HACKED Library Card Numbers to log onto the Internet. 5. I provide False Clues like the Cook County Jail. 6. I have a GENIUS I.Q. of 162. 7. I know NONE of the people I Terrorize. I hope and pray that Osama Bin Laden KILLS THOUSANDS of Americans this JULY 17!!! TONIGHT I MURDER another Young Woman whom I have been Stalking for 2 weeks. She wears Brown-colored Pantyhose and that gives me a HUGE Erection!!! Shalom. A Serial Killer
The staff at TAPS continued to receive the strange emails, but the team refused to respond.
“The problem is I [had] no issues with anyone that I [knew] of,” said Jason. “I felt it would give him the attention he wanted if I responded, so I never have.” But then, the emails began to focus directly on Jason’s wife, Kris Hawes, and their children.
From: Efrem Zimbalist Jr.
<spanish_dandy@yahoo.com>
To: TAPS members
Sent: Saturday, April 09, 2005 12:31 PM
Subject: Hardee’s On Brayton Road
Hello from the very nice Warwick Public Library at 600 Sandy Lane. Your library does not have as many Computers as the one I go to near Wrigley Field but they are Private and the Basthroom is Clean. Jason Hawes-Shame On You for Blocking Your E.M. Address!!! I guess I will have to come visit you and Kris and your Children at [address deleted for privacy] or Call you at [phone number deleted for privacy]. After Breakfast at the Dunkin’ Donuts, I paid a visit to the T.A.P.S. Trailer HQ that I have seen so many times on Television. How Quaint! I am eating Lunch at Hardee’s after I send this missive to all my many BCC acquaintances. TERRI -I apologize for forgetting to send you any personal messages lately. I posted 3 Messages at Goldsmith Students. Can you spot them??? Attention F.B.I.-Did you get the reference to Inspector Erskine. If you’re still in the Dark, just check out Efrem Zimbalist Jr. the Actor. CYTOCOP-There is still one of my FAKE messages posted at VJ. It is dated 3-7 and is from a “desparate young woman” names Alicia C. I got some good responses to that. Hey F.B.I….Am I from Chicago or not??? Ho! Ho! Ho! I will be watching my favorite TV show Ghost Hunters this July and also my 2nd favorite show-Battlestar Galactica. I hope that Commander Adama Lives! My dear brother Osama will SLAUGHTER THOUSANDS of Americans on JULY 17. I will both RAPE and SLAUGHTER AMY by my 40th Birthday on April 15. Soon I will have a 5th pair of Pantyhose in my Shoebox. Kris Hawes MAY be Number 6. Ho! Ho! Ho!Because of my GENIUS I.Q. of 162, I can NEVER be caught. I will be on RED ALERT for a Police StakeOut of the Warwick Library, Hardee’s, Dunkin’ Donuts, etc!!! AMY, soon I will take a pair of Silky Pantyhose from YOUR Lingerie drawer!!! Get your Vagina and Breasts ready for ME YOU FILTHY BITCH!!!
aurevoir,
the Cereal Killer
From: Miriam Sawyer <feminine8@yahoo.com>
To: TAPS Members
Sent: Tuesday, April 12, 2005 10:33 AM
Subject: T.A.P.S. Membership
Ode To Murder
Amy I can’t find your address
So this is your lucky day more or less.
A young virgin I won’t be able to Rape and Kill
If you need a Shrink after this send me the Bill.
KRIS HAWES will be taking your place
I can;t wait to meet her face to face.
When Jason leaves Warwick to hunt a Ghost
Of our time alone together I’ll make the most.
To [address removed for privacy] I will go
There Naked in Bed Together KRIS and I will put on a show. …
My 12 inch Penus will Penetrate her Vagina
With Vaseline Galore as an oily liner.
I’ll RAPE and then KILL KRIS while she Cries
Then I’m off to Hardee’s for a burger and fries.
A 5th pair of Pantyhose for my Shoebox
Then the countdown to Murder 6 while the clock tick tocks.
The F.B.I. and Police are in Darkness with NO Clues
When you take on an I.Q. of 162 you are bound to lose.
My brother OSAMA on JULY 17 will Strike
The BLOODY Pictures on CNN I will truly LIKE.
I’m getting a Job in WARWICK and staying here
Where [address removed for privacy] is so very near.
Goodbye Elgin, Geneva, Batavia, Fox River Valley
In Warwick, what will be my final Murder Tally?
Shalom,
Osama Jr.
P.S. Hey F.B.I.-Do you really think I would use a Computer at the Warwick Public Library and then be Stupid enough to tell you? Where am I using a Computer? Ho! Ho! Ho1
As the content of the emails escalated and grew more bizarre, Jason contacted the local police, who in turn contacted the FBI because of the death threats and self-professed claims that the cyberstalker was a serial killer.
Whoever the cyberstalker was, he was clever. He would open a free email account on Yahoo!, send one message to the intended recipients, and then cancel the account. When the cyberstalker sent the next message, he used a new Yahoo! email account and then deleted it after he sent the email. He hoped to confuse the police and FBI, but opening and closing free email accounts doesn’t safeguard a user’s anonymity.
The FBI told Jason that the email threats had been traced to an ISP somewhere in Ohio. Jason wanted to speed up the pace of the investigation, so he contacted the online safety organization WHOA. After he forwarded several emails to WHOA, he discovered that although the FBI was correct that the ISP headquarters were in Ohio, that’s not where the messages originated.
Email message headers (e.g., To, From, Date, Subject) provide plenty of hidden clues, but there’s a way to display these full headers to retrieve all of the behind-the-scenes information. When the message header is properly displayed, the message can then be traced to the specific ISP/location by looking at the originating internet protocol (IP) address, which consists of four sets of numbers that have one to three numerals in each set. Each IP address is unique and assigned to a specific computer/account.
WHOA determined within a day that the messages to Jason had come from two IP addresses: 216.183.185.70 and 216.183.185.133.
This data helped pinpoint the IP addresses where the messages originated. The messages were sent from two libraries in the Pittsburgh area: the Bethel Park Public Library and Mt. Lebanon Public Library. Both used the same Expedient Communications ISP in Cleveland, Ohio.
When Jason passed this information along to the FBI, the FBI discovered that the cyberstalker was using a third IP address at the Upper St. Clair Library, also in the Pittsburgh area. Since these libraries did not have any video cameras or sign in/sign out logs for anyone using library computers, the FBI had to find another way to figure out who was sending the emails.
On April 19, the FBI took control of Jason’s email account after he received the following messages from the cyberstalker:
From: Sonny Garfunkel
<sonnyboy6644@yahoo.com>
To: Jason Hawes
Sent: Tuesday, April 19, 2005 11:10 AM
Subject: Providence Haunting
Funeral Verses
Last night I Murdered Victim Number 5
She’s Dead and Buried, that ain’t no Jive.
5 pair of Pantyhose for my Shoebox
Kris Hawes is next, Tick Tock Tick Tock.
East, West, North, South from Warwick you go
A 100 mile radius to search to and fro.
I Buried her Corpse in a woods dark and deep
Her Silky Brown Pantyhose are now mine to keep.
She Cried and Sobbed and Begged for her life
I Laughed and Slit her Throat with my Knife. …
I Raped her 2 times and made her Spread her Legs Wide
Her Vagina was all Hot and Oily inside.
I’ve got her Purse, Credit Cards and Money
When I think of her Dying Sobs it sure is Funny.
The Quantico Profiler says I’m filled with such Hate
That venting my Murderous impulses feels great.
Library Computers and Free Yahoo Mail
Putting the Cuffs on me will be to no avail.
The Quantico Profiler says I’m on a vast stage
My 13 BCCs let me vent all my Rage.
The F.B.I. can’t catch me because I’m too damn smart
an I.Q. of 162 for a start.
In Warwick I’ve got a job and sublet
To [address deleted for privacy] I can easily get.
Kris Hawes Breasts and Vagina soon will be mine
I know Raping her wil be quite fine.
I’ll Kill Jason’s Kris while she Sobs and Cries
Then it’s McDonald’s for a Burger and Fries.
Reanna W., Paula D., Donna L. you’re all on my list
Your Throats I will Strangle after your Vaginas I Kiss.
Cantigny World War 1 Memorial was a favorite spot
Can you track down this clue F.B.I.? Why not give it a shot?
A Jumbo bag of Doritos and a 6 Pack of Coca-Cola I will need
Watching CNNs Bloody Pictures on JULY
17…indeed!
My Sociopath Rage is all I.D.O.C.s fault
Illinois gave me 5-Felonious Assault.
Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! God Damn It! Shut Up!
Which Young Woman will next Drink from my Bloody Cup?
Aurevoir,
The Cereal Killer
From: Patricia Donovan
<preg_womn@yahoo.com>
To: Jason Hawes
Subject: Message Board
This letter is for the F.B.I.
If you wish to establish 2 way contact with me, post a message on the Message Board at www.goldsmithstudents.com. Terri is the Webmaster. Her e-mail address is [address removed for privacy]. Her Phone Number and Address are listed in Yahoo People Search. You might want to tell her what you are doing and also tell her not to delete my response. When you contact me, be sure to include a valid F.B.I..e-mail address so I can be sure that Jason or Grant are not answering me. I will only use the F.B.I. e-mail address for verification purposes, as I am not sure you cannot Trace me from an F.B.I. Website. I will post a Message at Goldsmith Students in response to you and we can have an ongoing discourse that way. Of course, I realize that many T.A.P.S. members will take a “peek” at our exchanges. If you do NOT choose to correspond with me, I will Murder another young woman this Friday night. This is your ONE opportunity.
Aurevoir,
The Cereal Killer
By watching the flow of emails, the FBI was able to find a pattern in the days of the week, the time of day, and where the messages originated. “One FBI agent had a BlackBerry and was watching the emails as they came in,” Jason said. “The agents involved in the case watched this gentleman email me and were building a strong case against him. This idiot ended up emailing all the government branches, including the Secret Service, telling them I wanted to take out the president. A Secret Service agent came to my house to interview me because of those emails. I know he was doing his job and I respect that. It’s just strange having to deal with that because of this idiot.”
In a joint effort, the Secret Service, the FBI, and the Bethel Park Police Department monitored the three libraries to nab the cyberstalker. They didn’t have to wait long. On May 14, Barry Clinton Eckstrom was arrested at the Bethel Park Public Library for threatening to kill the president and threatening to shoot Roto-Rooter employees. The 51-year-old Eckstrom from Upper St. Clair was sitting at a computer typing while an FBI agent sat at the computer next to him. The agent watched as Eckstrom typed an email to the Department of Homeland Security that had been forged in Jason’s name: “I hate and despise the scum President Bush! I am going to kill him in June on his father’s birthday.”
At the initial court hearing on May 16, 2 weeks after he had been arrested, Eckstrom told the magistrate that he had only “typed in another person’s name” and then was told not to make any other comments until a lawyer could be appointed to represent him. Witnesses at the hearing said that Eckstrom was so skinny that his jail uniform pants fell to his ankles at one point. It turned out he was unemployed and living with his parents.
On October 20, Eckstrom pled guilty in federal court to the charge of making a threat against the U.S. president. The hearing for his sentencing was set for January 5, 2006.
Jason made sure he attended the sentencing to provide a victim impact statement. He later remarked that he was glad he was there.
“They were going to let him off on just probation,” Jason said, shaking his head. “But because I was able to tell the court what happened and how it affected me and my family, they gave him 2 years in federal prison, 3 years’ probation with an ankle bracelet, and he is not allowed to use a computer or any electronic storage device during that time.” The judge also ordered Eckstrom to undergo psychiatric treatment while serving his time in prison.
In August 2009, Eckstrom was released into the custody of his brother and was not allowed to use a phone or computer for 3 years while on probation.
While Jason and his family have since moved to another city in Rhode Island, he and Grant have continued their successful partnership with the Ghost Hunters (even though Grant left the show in 2011) and Ghost Hunters International TV shows (and specials) on the Syfy Channel. They have published books about their paranormal exploits and currently offer special ghost-hunting packages at The Spalding Inn in Whitefield, New Hampshire, which they purchased in 2009. In the meantime, it appears that at least one ghost from Jason’s past is gone for good.
Jason Hawes (with his dog, Maddie), whose fame resulted in email threats directed at his family [Courtesy of Jason Hawes]