Don't F**k With Cats: Hunting An Internet Killer

[Quilt Fairy]

Quote

A twisted criminal's gruesome videos drive a group of amateur online sleuths to launch a risky manhunt that pulls them into a dark underworld.

It's hard to believe that there isn't already a thread for this mini-series documentary, but I sure couldn't find one.  Has anyone else watched this?  Maybe because it dropped right before Christmas, and is the least Christmassy thing you'll ever see.

I clicked on this the other night because I had run out of interesting things to watch and it kept coming up in my Netflix recommendations.  I'm one of the stupid people like the reviewer on IMDB who posted "I thought it was about cats....."   If all you ever see on the Netflix screen is "Don't F**k With Cats"  you'll think it's something like People's Stupidest Home Videos, except about cats.  And then you find out it's not.  I had not heard anything about this story when it happened. 

I thought the series was mostly excellent, but there are things where it was weak.  In particular, Luca Magnotta (what a name he came up with!) must have spent hours and hours on the computer posting all those pictures, creating sock puppet accounts and fake fan sites complete with comments.  I think he must have been as heavy into the internet as the group that hunted him down, and I think the show could have spent some time on that.  

I was distressed at how much of the videos the show aired.  I looked away when they were on the screen, and I guess the most gruesome parts were cut, but it was still a bit too much for me.  And not much later they show pictures of the dead cats and in the last episode the dead puppy.  

His mother was in deep denial.  It was bizarre to see her interview. 

What do you think? 

[Frisson]

I found it strange how much it focused on how these internet investigators did so much research to track him down, only for him to be found because he was researching himself.  
 
Strangely, I found the first two episodes to be more engaging (not exactly the right word) than the last. 
 

And I want to know what his mom knew, since she asked the police if they were there about the cat videos when they were looking for him. I would not be blasé if anyone, much less my son, I knew was making cat murder videos. What the hell, lady?

[sistermagpie]

On 1/18/2020 at 2:08 AM, Quilt Fairy said:

His mother was in deep denial.  It was bizarre to see her interview. 

 

On 1/18/2020 at 6:08 PM, Frisson said:

And I want to know what his mom knew, since she asked the police if they were there about the cat videos when they were looking for him. I would not be blasé if anyone, much less my son, I knew was making cat murder videos. What the hell, lady?

Yeah, the mom was pretty amazing there. Yes, it's the animal rights people who are crazy for trying to figure out where the cat murderer is murdering cats. She was almost comic in her reactions. "He looked so confused!" As if he had any reason to be confused.

The one question I was frustrated they didn't speak to was those extra hands at the end of the python video. Not that I believe Manny was real--the very fact that Luka could tell his mother to "look at the end of the video" for the proof he stuck in there made that pretty suspect (gee Luka, does MANNY know he accidentally posted a video with his hands in it that you noticed and he didn't?). But I wish they'd addressed it since they made a point of bringing it up. Did the original video even have that pair of extra hands? Was there a way for him to splice something in, since they appeared in a close-up of the python that could be anywhere? It was weird they didn't bring it up. I doubt the internet sleuth group would have missed those extra hands.

I could so recognize the way the internet group had the core group of people who could recognize each other as the best detectives and made a smaller group to get away from the noise of the bigger group who just wanted someone to be guilty. And I have to admit, the final twist of Luka trying to be Sharon Stone in Basic Instinct with all those little clues would have made for a really fun mystery if someone didn't have to actually die for it (not to mention the animals). Jun Lin looked like a really sweet guy in his picture and I'm glad they let his friend speak about him.

[Quilt Fairy]

1 hour ago, sistermagpie said:

The one question I was frustrated they didn't speak to was those extra hands at the end of the python video.

I read a comment somewhere that the extra pair of hands belong to the guy who owned the python.  

[nokat]

Thanks for starting this. I've been avoiding watching this for obvious reasons, but I hear it is so good.
 

[marys1000]

I just stumbled on this and thought it was great.  For one I hate abusers, two I have an (unacted on) streak of vigilantism and three I was intelligence in the military and much of this felt familiar as I'm sure it did to any in law enforcement/FBI etc.  

I would love to be part of a group that tracked down animal abusers.  I disagreed with her at the end with the whole did we create this monster and maybe we shouldn't have done this.  That guy was headed there regardless. 

I'm not quite sure about the guy in Africa, did they blow up his life and cause his suicide?  They seemed to skim over that which would be huge.  I was left a little confused.  

[sistermagpie]

26 minutes ago, marys1000 said:

I would love to be part of a group that tracked down animal abusers.  I disagreed with her at the end with the whole did we create this monster and maybe we shouldn't have done this.  That guy was headed there regardless. 

I thought the same. I understood her logic, but the guy was going to keep going until he found someone. He could have gotten internet attention just by trolling a forum. He was ready to kill.

[Quilt Fairy]

On 1/21/2020 at 12:48 PM, marys1000 said:

I'm not quite sure about the guy in Africa, did they blow up his life and cause his suicide?  They seemed to skim over that which would be huge.  I was left a little confused.

I agree they skimmed over it with the idea that he already had issues.  But even if he did, this seems to be what tipped him over the edge.  

[Whimsy]

On 1/18/2020 at 2:08 AM, Quilt Fairy said:

It's hard to believe that there isn't already a thread for this mini-series documentary, but I sure couldn't find one.  Has anyone else watched this?  Maybe because it dropped right before Christmas, and is the least Christmassy thing you'll ever see.

I clicked on this the other night because I had run out of interesting things to watch and it kept coming up in my Netflix recommendations.  I'm one of the stupid people like the reviewer on IMDB who posted "I thought it was about cats....."   If all you ever see on the Netflix screen is "Don't F**k With Cats"  you'll think it's something like People's Stupidest Home Videos, except about cats.  And then you find out it's not.  I had not heard anything about this story when it happened. 

I thought the series was mostly excellent, but there are things where it was weak.  In particular, Luca Magnotta (what a name he came up with!) must have spent hours and hours on the computer posting all those pictures, creating sock puppet accounts and fake fan sites complete with comments.  I think he must have been as heavy into the internet as the group that hunted him down, and I think the show could have spent some time on that.  

I was distressed at how much of the videos the show aired.  I looked away when they were on the screen, and I guess the most gruesome parts were cut, but it was still a bit too much for me.  And not much later they show pictures of the dead cats and in the last episode the dead puppy.  

His mother was in deep denial.  It was bizarre to see her interview. 

What do you think? 

I also kept skipping this despite it showing up repeatedly as suggested for me.  I watch a LOT of true crime, so I should've paid closer attention.  I thought it was going to be a bunch of videos of cats losing their shit and attacking lol.  But, this was both fascinating and very difficult to watch.  I'm glad I watched it, but it's hard to recommend it in a way because I was so distressed by the videos.  Me and my family are very avid animal lovers.

On 1/21/2020 at 1:48 PM, marys1000 said:

I just stumbled on this and thought it was great.  For one I hate abusers, two I have an (unacted on) streak of vigilantism and three I was intelligence in the military and much of this felt familiar as I'm sure it did to any in law enforcement/FBI etc.  

I would love to be part of a group that tracked down animal abusers.  I disagreed with her at the end with the whole did we create this monster and maybe we shouldn't have done this.  That guy was headed there regardless. 

I'm not quite sure about the guy in Africa, did they blow up his life and cause his suicide?  They seemed to skim over that which would be huge.  I was left a little confused.  

I'm of two minds about this.  He obviously had issues.  If it wasn't this, it may have been something else that pushed him to commit suicide.  But, also, maybe this was really the sole reason.  Either way, I am very sad for him and his family/friends.  I sincerely wish had had gotten help.  I am beyond frustrated that the vigilante group wouldn't even listen to hard-core facts that proved it couldn't be him and just continued to hound him.  I hope they are also feeling guilty about what happened.  I would carry that guilt forever, just like the woman (I watched this weeks ago- I forgot her name). 

[Avaleigh]

I finally finished this. I thought it was well done but it is frustrating that this guy continues to get media attention. I had no idea who he was and knew nothing about his crimes until I watched this documentary. It's weird, I thought it was an interesting story and was well done but I kind of regret watching it if that makes any sense. When it comes to these evil people who are killing because they want fame and are seeking notoriety I kind of wish that their names would never be released to the public. I know that's an impossibility but it is sad that more people remember the names of the killers as opposed to victims like Jun Lin.

I agree that this asshole would have killed even if this group hadn't been looking for him and feeding his ego. Something was deeply wrong with him before he even posted the first video. 

[Future Cat Lady]

I think they shouldn't have said his name or shown his pictures at all in the documentary. Call him the suspect or give him a fake name, but don't say his actual name like is insignificant or something.

[pasdetrois]

When I first saw the title, I thought this was going to be a bizarre Comedy Central kind of deal.

I wish they hadn't showed how the animals were killed. There will be copycats (no pun intended).

I suspect the mother created the monster.

The Internet sleuths talked too much. Their talking heads could have been reduced by half.

[greekmom]

On 1/28/2020 at 1:33 PM, Avaleigh said:

I agree that this asshole would have killed even if this group hadn't been looking for him and feeding his ego. Something was deeply wrong with him before he even posted the first video. 

Living in Canada, it wasn't that long ago when all this went down.

I agree that the POS would have done what he would have done even if the internet sleuths didn't give him the attention he craved. He might have even killed more people and/or animals just for shock value.

The mom was so disillusioned it was nuts. She knew he was killing the cats (even though he blamed it on phantom "Manny") but still, at that point, if she believed that there was such a person, she didn't push hard enough for him to go to the police.  Deep denial. But then I remember how Karla Homolka's mother also visited her daughter even though she killed her sister. I guess alot of these parents are in denial of the sins of their children.

I really did sympathize with both of the internet sleuths and their fustration with the Toronto and Montreal police.  Until the end when Deanna/Bondi turned to the tv and stated that maybe we are encouraging by watching this documentary. Was that for shock value? Because it missed the mark. If she didn't want to give this guy anymore attention, why do the documentary at all?

I too fast forwarded the videos that he posted. I just couldn't. That's why it took me so long to actually watch the documentary. 

 

[Court]

I also just watched this. I had heard about it but had no idea what I was getting into. I closed my eyes during every single video. I'm a crazy cat lady and I couldn't bear to see that actually happen. Hearing was hard enough!

The mother is delusional. Yes, the internet group are the crazies here, not your murdering son. 

I don't want to say I enjoyed this but overall I thought it was well done. 

[atlantaloves]

I just finally watched this, and I too fast forwarded through that creep's videos.....this was so well done, and so sick. WOW.  I had never heard of this case, and honey child I follow murder cases like crazy. And, that Mother, yep, the acorn does not fall far from the tree, she was a sicko. He can't die soon enough in prison for me. Question, where did he get all his money to travel everywhere, he didn't charge that much for his escort services let me tell ya. A good call girl can get at least a thousand a pop. 

[Lamima]

Effer got married in prison to another killer guy. They get something like 3 nights in a trailer together a month. Tough life he has there in Canadian prison. His mom was even able to attend his "wedding". Delusional wacko she is. And what is this about some prison internet dating match thing some lady runs...where he met his husband? WTF?

[Quilt Fairy]

3 hours ago, Lamima said:

Effer got married in prison to another killer guy. They get something like 3 nights in a trailer together a month. Tough life he has there in Canadian prison. His mom was even able to attend his "wedding". Delusional wacko she is. And what is this about some prison internet dating match thing some lady runs...where he met his husband? WTF?

Do you have a link to this info?

[Lamima]

2 hours ago, Quilt Fairy said:

Do you have a link to this info?

https://www.narcity.com/gossip/ca/luka-magnotta-now-is-almost-unrecognizable-after-several-years-in-prison

Also discussed on web sleuths

Though articles state they were denied the cohabitation thing of 3 days a month. But I did read that they were allowed somewhere earlier today. Maybe on WS?

Edited August 5, 2020 by Lamima