Although social media sites like Facebook were meant to share memories with friends and family, it has turned into a space for criminals to display their acts online.
On Sunday, Cleveland police said Steve Stephens was accused of killing an elderly man at random and then showing the video on Facebook Live. The video was shared numerous times online, but Facebook later took it down, calling it prohibited content.
Stephens is still on the loose and authorities believe he could have fled the state of Ohio to places like Indiana, Pennsylvania, New York or Michigan.
Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of Indianapolis, Kendra Thomas, said many criminals seek attention.
“There's always that part that's trying to seek attention, that sensationalism,” said Thomas. “It gives a person a sense of power, so feeling powerful, feeling like you have an audience.”
Unfortunately, the case in Cleveland isn’t the only crime that's shown up on Facebook Live.
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In March, Chicago police said at least 40 people watched the sexual assault of a teen girl via Facebook. A similar situation occurred when an 18-year-old with disabilities was beat by several people and the event was streamed on Facebook.
Thomas said gaining a national audience doesn’t take much effort, but unfortunately, she thinks it could motivate people to commit more crimes in the future.
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