Naman Shrestha
In the episode titled ‘Control, Alt, Delete’ of Investigation Discovery’s ‘Deadly Influence: The Social Media Murders,’ the viewers get the intricate details of the 2021 killing rampage in Denver and Lakewood, led by Lyndon McLeod. While he took several victims around the area, the police were in hot pursuit, trying to put an end to his killing frenzy. The episode features exclusive interviews with the survivors, witnesses, and the officials linked to the shootings, but some of the viewers might have a few unanswered questions about the killer.
Lyndon McLeod Murdered Five Victims Within One Hour
Lyndon James McLeod was on the radar of the police as he had already been investigated a couple of times in 2020 and 2021 for undisclosed cases. Had he been charged and put behind bars, he would not have been able to create murderous havoc on December 27, 2021, in Denver and Lakewood. Around 5:25 pm in the evening, he paid a visit to Sol Tribe Tattoo near 1st and Broadway in Denver, where he reportedly shot down shop owner Alicia Cardenas and Alyssa Maldonado. He also severely wounded the latter’s husband, Jimmy, who also used to work there, by shooting him in the neck and shoulder. With the intent to rob, he then entered a residence in the 200 block of West Sixth Avenue, where he shot at the residents during the home burglary, but nobody fell victim to him.
However, it was reported that he set ablaze a van in the alley behind the building. Around 5:45 pm, Lyndon continued his killing spree at a property in the 1200 block of Williams Street near Cheesman Park, where he shot and killed Michael Swinyard. By then, Denver Police was hot on his trail and had gotten a description of his van. When the officers spotted him driving near Zuni Street and West 13th Avenue, they pursued him. However, he fired at them and managed to disable their vehicle before fleeing away. Lyndon then targeted the Lucky 13 Tattoo Parlor on Kipling Street, where he shot and killed a tattoo artist named Danny Schofield. He was again confronted by police officers near a Wells Fargo Bank in the Belmar shopping area, and yet again, he fired back and escaped on foot.
A Brave Police Officer Was Able to Permanently Stop Lyndon in His Tracks
At around 6:10 pm, the shooter went inside the nearby Hyatt House and killed the front desk clerk, Sarah Steck. As he left the hotel, a Lakewood police officer named Ashley Ferris found him near the intersection of West Alaska Drive and South Vance Street and ordered him to drop his gun. Instead of cooperating, he fired a shot at her and injured her. However, Ashley managed to return fire and kill him, finally putting an end to his killing spree. In total, Lyndon was responsible for the murder of five people and inflicted severe injuries on two others. After the killings, his self-published three-book series titled ‘Sanction,’ which he wrote under the pen name Roman McClay, became a hot topic of discussion as it consisted of the names of specific individuals he actually killed during the spree.
‘Sanction’ revolves around a murderous character named Lyndon McLeod, who goes around killing 46 people. Apart from his victims’ names, it also mentioned the names of several popular figures and organizations, including Sam Harris, Ben Shapiro, and Black Lives Matter. The murders that his namesake character commits in the book are quite similar to some of the attacks he carried out in real life, making everyone wonder if he was trying to actualize all the murders. Lyndon also had a Twitter account by his pen name and had a reputation for being a misogynistic white nationalist who featured on alt-right podcasts and preached hyper-masculinity and fascist philosophy in the open.
Lyndon Sent a Package to His Ex-Girlfriend to Repay the Money he Owed Her
Within a couple of weeks after the five cold-blooded murders, Lyndon McLeod’s former girlfriend, Anne, received a mysterious package, which was post-marked the day of the rampage, from him in New Jersey on January 3, 2022. The package contained a movie titled ‘War Horse,’ which he reportedly shot and edited before his encounter. Since it revealed his plan for the attacks of December 27, 2021, the police came to the conclusion that each of his victims was targeted and not random. Since he had stolen approximately $20,000 from her and had only returned about half of it, Lyndon had also sent her copies of his books along with the movie and a note that asked her to sell them and keep the money.
Sharing how she felt about it, Anne told Vice, “He sends it to me after he stole all this stuff from me and he says, ‘Here, make money with this.’ As if I wouldn’t have any kind of moral problem with it… It’s like he didn’t even think I would be hurt over this, and then he sends me this box from the grave.” Although Anne was initially unsure about profiting from his crimes, she ultimately did it and gained the profits. As far as the ‘War Horse’ movie’s production was concerned, not much was revealed about it. However, there were hints that it was shot in the Denver area during the holiday season.
One of the killer’s friends, Amanda Knight, had warned the authorities about his violent tendencies a year prior to the gruesome killings. Later, Amanda joined forces with Anne and worked on selling the movie in order to help her get back the money and property she had lost while she was with Lyndon. So, the movie and books were put on sale on the killer’s website, along with a statement that read, “Proceeds of this film go to victims of the crime.”
