Two teens arrested for murder of soldier met in gay chat room
”Mike was the typical kid who was into chat rooms. It was in his nature. He was outgoing and likable. We told him all the time to be careful. But, once he moved out and got a place of his own, we had no more control over what he did or who he met…. Some kids think they’re invincible and can’t make a mistake, but all it takes is one mistake and your family is planning a funeral…. Even if that were true, that’s no justification to stab someone and then stab them 19 more times,” William Searfoss said. “This wasn’t self-defense.”
William Searfoss remarking on his the murder of Army vet Michael Goucher, 21. His body was found in a wooded area a week after he went missing. Shawn Freemore, 19, is accused of stabbing Goucher to death. His defense is reported to be that he and Goucher had previously had sex after meeting in an internet chat room, but on February 3 Freeman claims he met Goucher again in a car, but put off his advances and then stabbed him when Goucher followed him outside. (Pocono Record)
”(I’m) just wondering how it could have happened, just terribly shocked and we all still hurt…. He plunged right into our music program. He helped with piano and organ, sang in the choir, played bells. Everybody loved him.”
Reverend Doctor William Ramsden of Zion United Church of Christ of Stroudsburg, PA, remarking on the stabbing death of Michael Goucher, 21. Another teen Shawn Freemore, 19, is charged with his murder after meeting Goucher in an internet chat room for sex. (WNEP)
”[If] you dont know, i am kind of crazy since i got out of jail doin 21 months. i hear voices that tell me to kill people, hallucinate, get dillusional sometimes…schitzophrenia runs in my family and i think i caught it early.”
Quote said to be from the web page Ian Seagraves, 17, a/k/a ”ThrOwt Stabba” on MySpace. Seagraves is the second suspect to be arrested for the murder of Michael Goucher, 21. It is not yet clear how Seagraves is attached to previously-arrested Shawn Freemore and the crime, but it is being reported that he is being charged with murder, aggravated assault, criminal conspiracy, robbery, and fabricating or tampering with physical evidence. (Pocono Record)
Support Metro Weekly’s Journalism
These are challenging times for news organizations. And yet it’s crucial we stay active and provide vital resources and information to both our local readers and the world. So won’t you please take a moment and consider supporting Metro Weekly with a membership? For as little as $5 a month, you can help ensure Metro Weekly magazine and MetroWeekly.com remain free, viable resources as we provide the best, most diverse, culturally-resonant LGBTQ coverage in both the D.C. region and around the world. Memberships come with exclusive perks and discounts, your own personal digital delivery of each week’s magazine (and an archive), access to our Member's Lounge when it launches this fall, and exclusive members-only items like Metro Weekly Membership Mugs and Tote Bags! Check out all our membership levels here and please join us today!
