Shivangi Sinha
On the afternoon of March 20, 2012, the police conducted a welfare check at the Sesler residence following a report of no contact with the family. Inside, they discovered a horrific scene: Mark Sesler and his father, Lawton Sesler, were found shot dead in the house, while Rhonda Sesler was found in a similar condition in the garage. The younger son, Trey Sesler, was missing along with his car, prompting the police to focus their efforts on locating and questioning him. ID’s ‘Deadly Influence: Social Media Murders’ episode, ‘Killer Content, ‘ details the interrogation process of Trey’s eventual confession and explores his motivations for committing the crime.
Trey Sesler Showed Off Weapons on His YouTube Channel
Born on August 3, 1989, Trey Eric Sesler was the son of Rhonda Dee Wyse Sesler and Lawton Ray Sesler Jr. Trey grew up with his older brother, Mark Alan Sesler, and had a relatively normal childhood. He attended Waller High School in Harris County, Texas, where classmates recall that, despite not being very popular, he had a close circle of friends and seemed shy and reserved. Like many kids of his era, Trey decided to start a YouTube channel on September 14, 2006.
He had some ideas and decided to start a channel called Mr. Anime, where he posted anime shows and content reviews. He also launched a second channel, LensCapProductions, where he shared small skits he created. It was mainly harmless fun that went largely unnoticed and seemed like a hobby he pursued on the side. In 2007, after graduating from high school, Trey enrolled at Blinn College and attended for about two years, but he did not complete his studies for unknown reasons.
He stayed at his grandparents’ house for a while and allegedly started working for Google selling ads. Soon, he moved back to his parents’ house, but things were not very amicable. Close friends of the family have claimed that there were a few arguments between Trey and his father because he was a 22-year-old man living with his parents and did not have a solid career ahead of him, but nothing about it seemed extraordinary to anyone. At home, Trey had started showing signs of being a little disturbed.
On his YouTube channels, he had started posting videos of himself playing with weapons and shooting at various items. He had begun firing at businesses in the area in the middle of the night and had even killed some livestock and his pets. However, he had never been charged with any criminal activity till then. In mid-February 2012, he announced on his channel that he planned something and would take a break for about a month. On March 19, 2012, some neighbors of the family reported hearing gunshots from inside the house, but when the police arrived, they found nothing amiss and left.
The police arrived but did not find anything amiss. However, when a family friend requested a welfare check on March 20, the truth came to light. Trey had taken his mother to the garage and shot her four times, causing her to die immediately. He then entered the house and shot his brother. His father, who was asleep at the time, woke up from the gunshots and was also shot to death. Trey took the time to write on the walls of the house that he loved his family and would never forgive himself. He then took his Mustang, filled it with lots of ammunition, and drove to his high school’s parking lot. After waiting there for a while, he went to his friend’s house in Magnolia, Texas, where the police arrested him at about 9:30 pm.
Trey’s questioning began, and he changed his story several times. While his motivations remained unclear, Trey admitted to killing his family because he did not want them to witness the larger plan he had. The police seized his computer and discovered that he had been obsessively studying mass murders like the Columbine High School massacre and the Virginia Tech shooting. He had even taken aerial shots of his high school. Additionally, they found that he had delved deeply into research about serial killers and other gruesome crimes. The police suspected that Trey intended to carry out a school shooting after killing his family, but the reality of his actions struck him before he could proceed with his plans.
Trey Sesler is Serving a Life Sentence Today
At the time of his arrest, Trey Sesler was charged with three counts of capital murder. The gravity of his actions was incomprehensible to those who knew the family and Trey. After his arrest, he contacted some of his extended family members to apologize for his actions. On August 2, 2012, he pled guilty to all charges against him. He was handed a sentence of life without the possibility of parole. Currently 34 years old, Trey is incarcerated at the C.T. Terrell Unit in Brazoria County, Texas, where he will spend the rest of his life.
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