The Downfall of Mr. Anime: The Sesler Family Murders
For this case, I watched an episode of Deadly Influence: The Social Media Murders. It’s season 1 episode 4, titled ‘Killer Content.’
A popular YouTuber posts one final dark and disturbing video.
Background
The Sesler family, Lawton, Rhonda, Mark, and Trey, lived in the small town of Waller, Texas. They were pillars of the community and church. Lawton was a beloved teacher, and Rhonda worked at The Waller Times. Mark and Trey were very close, and both lived in the home after graduating from high school.
Trey Sesler
Rhonda Sesler
Lawton Sesler
Mark Sesler
The YouTube Channel
Trey began making videos and movies while he was in high school. He was into horror films and special effects. Mark would often appear in the videos.
Trey’s popularity on YouTube increased when he started calling himself Mr. Anime and posting anime reviews.
However, Trey’s behavior offline was becoming dark. He posted various other videos, often under the influence of alcohol or drugs. One of his former girlfriends said that Trey had tied her up with rope because he said he wanted to see if it would hurt.
Trey never held down a steady job and only attended community college for a while. Trey’s videos on YouTube were popular and he was able to monetize his videos.
The Last Video
In August 2010, Trey moved into his grandmother’s house in Hempstead, Texas, after she passed away. Trey was 21 at the time.
Trey also let his brother’s friend move in with him for a short time.
The friend described Trey as being paranoid about being in that home. He said he once knocked on Trey’s door, and Trey answered holding a gun. Mark’s friend left after 4 nights.
Trey’s alcohol and drug use increased. He often smoked weed and meth. Trey was also not posting videos as frequently. There were many concerned fans online who began to post comments regarding Trey’s behavior in his videos.
In 2011, Trey begged his parents for help and moved back in with them.
On February 13, 2012, Trey posted a video on YouTube with the title, ‘Mr. Anime is planning something.’ He said he was going to reward himself with a break for hitting 4,000 subscribers.
The Murders
On Tuesday, March 20, 2012, just a few weeks after Trey posted his video on YouTube, the police arrived at the Sesler home. The Seslers hadn’t been heard from in a few days, and someone had reported gunshots coming from the home on March 19.
The blinds to the home had all been drawn except for one window in the back of the house. The police could see a person on the floor covered in blood.
Mark Sesler was found dead in the bathroom of the house. He was the person that the police saw from the outside window. He had been killed after Trey killed their mother.
A struggle had taken place. The police said it looked like a war zone, and that a bomb had gone off. There were bullet casings everywhere.
Rhonda had been killed first. Her body was found in the garage underneath a blue tarp. Lawton was found in the bedroom in the bed. He was the last one to be killed.
There were various notes written on the cabinets and walls pointing to Trey as the killer. He wrote, “I love my mama, dad, and brother.” He also wrote, “God forgive me because I cannot forgive myself.” There were also several knives stuck to the cabinets.
The Confession
Trey’s original plan was to drive to his former high school, Waller High School with ammunition and weapons. He had become obsessed with the Columbine school shooting and the Virginia Tech shooting. However, he ended up driving to his friend’s house and was arrested on March 20.
When the police arrived, Trey walked outside with a Glock in his hand, but dropped it and surrendered.
Trey showed no remorse as he admitted to killing his family. He said he was going to protect his family but that if anyone was going to hurt them, it would be him.
Trey was asked why he killed his family. He said he couldn’t bear for them to see what he was going to do. He said he began having fantasies about Columbine and the Virginia Tech shooting. He said he wanted to be like them.
Trey bragged that he was a YouTube star and about how many videos he had posted. He also gave the police his channel name so they could access the videos.
On August 2, 2012, Trey pleaded guilty to capital murder. He was sentenced to life without parole.
Trey’s mugshot
FINAL THOUGHTS
It’s clear that Trey had severe mental health issues but instead of asking for help, he chose to kill the ones who would have helped him. Trey was described as being spoiled by his family, but they were also described as very tight-knit and loving. Trey could have very easily still been a popular YouTuber had he gotten the help he needed. My heart goes out to the family and friends of the Seslers, the police for having to see what they saw in the house that day, and the community of Waller.
Sources
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sesler_family_murders
https://morbidology.com/mr-anime-the-massacre-of-the-seslers/
