Kriti Mehrotra
With Crime Junkie Podcast’s ‘BWBRSA: Sextortion’ carefully exploring the tales of Asia Anderson and Walker Montgomery, we get a deep insight into the way teens usually perceive this world. It’s true that almost every adult knows by now that not all technological advancements are for the better and not every person behind a screen is good, but things really are different for youngsters. This much is actually particularly evidenced in the case of the latter — so for now, if you simply wish to learn more about him as well as what transpired, we’ve got the necessary details for you.
What Happened to Walker Montgomery?
As a recent 16-year-old, towards the end of 2022, Mississippi native Walker was honestly on top of the world thanks to him earning his driver’s license plus his social standing at Starkville Academy. After all, this sophomore was not just excelling in academics but was also on the football team, all the while enjoying spending quality time with his family by working alongside them on their farm. He honestly loved his sport, operating heavy machinery, and his loved ones — primarily comprising a good group of friends, parents, three siblings — but what always shined was his personality.
According to Walker’s obituary, he “was a natural leader among friends. He worked hard for everything he earned and gained the respect of family, teachers, coaches, and peers by going above and beyond to help and encourage… He was a dedicated, hard worker and a great friend who had a fun-loving sense of humor.” It thus comes as no surprise he spent chilly November 30, 2022, on a hunting trip with his dad before returning home to work out in the barn, have dinner among family, as well as pray with his mother before finally heading to his room.
That’s where everything changed for the worse. It was around midnight when Walker received an Instagram direct message from a beautiful young girl with several mutuals, driving him to reply in earnest. He seemingly only turned a bit flirtatious in response to her after she’d already flattered him by asking about his classes, football, and other interests, just for things to soon become sexual too. The duo actually got on video chat on the app itself to continue having fun, but little did he know there was no girl on the flip side — her clips were taken from an adult site.
It was a trap, and Walker unfortunately fell right into it the second he exposed himself to “her” on video because his actions were meticulously screen-grabbed by the real person posing as the teenage girl. They then demanded he transfer them $1,000, or this same tape would be distributed to every single one of his Instagram followers one by one — but alas, he didn’t even have access to a bank account. Therefore, following two hours of trying to plead with these extortionists for mercy as they claimed to actually be forwarding the clip and having reached his mother’s username, he had had enough.
How Did Walker Montgomery Die?
Walker sent a message stating he was going to kill himself, to which the scammers only replied with, “Go ahead, your life is already over” – they’d previously said, “We’re gonna destroy your life… Everybody’s gonna disown you. Your life is over.” So, within a total of four hours from the first message, seeing no other option to save himself as well as his loved ones from what he believed would be a life of disgrace, the 16-year-old retrieved a handgun from his father’s safe and shot himself. He had no idea the crooks had not sent the video to even one person, let alone his mother.
Walker’s family was obviously sadly the ones to find his body in the morning, yet arguably the worst aspect for them was the fact they had no idea why he took his own life for the ensuing six weeks. It actually wasn’t until the FBI got involved and got his personal belongings from local authorities that they were able to get a look inside his phone and uncover precisely how things had gone down. Turns out, his harasser/s weren’t even in the United States; they were based out of Nigeria.
“When this happened, none of it made sense,” Walker’s father Brian has since expressed. “There were no signs of depression. No mental illness. No red flags.” So, upon learning the truth, he was obviously furious, “We never got to see him. We never got to help him. We never got to even observe him under the stress to be able to try to help him. There was no opportunity.” That’s why, today, he keeps the memories of his son alive while also serving as an advocate against sextortion.
Read More: Buster Hernandez AKA Brian Kil: Where is the Sextortionist Now?
