ROCKLIN, California – Damon Allen Benson, dubbed the “Tinder killer” by local police, has been sentenced to 71 years to life in prison following a disturbing attack on a woman he met via the dating app and the murder of another man she was seeing, according to authorities. The horrific incident took place in August 2021 and was described by the District Attorney’s Office as a “horrific love triangle murder plot.”
The 31-year-old Benson and his two victims reportedly met separately on Tinder, which led to jealousy, torture of the female victim, and ultimately ended in the murder of one of the men involved in the love triangle, as per a release from the Placer County District Attorney’s Office.
Authorities revealed that Benson held the female victim against her will at his apartment after extensively torturing her on multiple occasions. The torture included carving a swastika into the victim’s back while tying her to the ceiling with a rope. Benson then allegedly tortured the female victim to obtain the address of her other lover, leading to the fatal attack.
According to the Sacramento News & Review, the female victim stated that she and Benson “matched” on Tinder and shared an interest in paganism and hiking. She claimed that Benson became abusive and forbade her from leaving him. She also began seeing the other victim around the same time, which led to Benson’s violent and deadly behavior.
Benson was charged with murder, aggravated mayhem, torture, felony criminal threats, false imprisonment by violence, and more. After a jury found him guilty of murder, torture, and mayhem in September 2023, he was sentenced to 71 years to life in the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. The Supervising Deputy District Attorney expressed that the verdict provides justice for the victim and their family and ensures that Benson will no longer pose a threat to the public.