MODERN ROMANCE

Dating App Scammers Lured Would-Be Romeo—Then Robbed, Kidnapped Him, Cops Say

A man entering a woman’s apartment found three others there, all armed with handguns, police said.

A group of four people kidnapped, robbed, and shot at a man they lured to a home via a dating app, Memphis police say. The man, whose identity has not been released, told police on Nov. 15 he had agreed to meet up with a woman going by the username Sonja on the app Mocospace who in reality was Jasmine S. Williams, one of the foursome of alleged scammers. He and Williams had chatted online for five days. When he arrived at Williams’ house, three other people confronted him with handguns and ordered him to hand over his wallet, phone, and keys. When he didn’t, they allegedly assaulted him and held him at gunpoint, threatening to torture and kill him. After they drove him to a wooded area in the bed of a truck, he managed to run away and escape as they shot at him. The other three were identified as Jasmine A. Williams, Nadia Townsend, and Trevor Keys. All four have been arrested and charged with attempted first-degree murder, especially aggravated kidnapping, and aggravated robbery.