Tinder Murder Suspect Danueal Drayton Said 'Voices' Told Him to Kill Nurse: 'She Had to Die'
A Connecticut murder suspect who allegedly targeted women he met through dating apps said “voices” made him do it, according to reports.
Danueal Drayton, 27, is accused of strangling 29-year-old Samantha Stewart in her Queens apartment. The pair met on Tinder before Stewart was found dead on July 17.
Drayton reportedly told the Daily News on Tuesday that he remembers strangling Stewart, who was a nurse, after they went on a date.
“I really liked her. I didn’t want to kill her,” he told the paper during a jailhouse interview. “They [the voices] told me she had to die.”
The murder suspect claimed he tried to resuscitate Stewart after strangling her and then used bleach to clean up the crime scene, the Daily News reported.
Drayton was arrested in North Hollywood, California, earlier this week after investigators tracked him to a California hotel, authorities said.
Inside, they found a woman he’d allegedly strangled and sexually assaulted during a two-day hostage ordeal. Drayton has also charged with attempting to kill that woman.
“I’m a passenger in my own body,” Drayton told the paper. “It’s mind control. They use direct-energy weapons on me to control my mind.”
Drayton is accused of using several dating websites to find his victims, and he allegedly told police he was involved in as many as seven other murders, including three in New York. Police said they are still investigating these claims. Drayton has no history of mental illness, officials said.
In a statement, Tinder said: “These heinous acts of violence are heartbreaking. Our thoughts are with the victims’ families and loved ones and we will continue to offer any assistance we can to law enforcement with its ongoing investigation.”
Drayton was previously arrested for attacking an ex-girlfriend in Inwood Park in Nassau County, Long Island, on June 16.
He was charged with criminal trespassing and strangulation, but released on his own recognizance.
“A judge has broad discretion when determining whether to set bail. Many factors are to be considered, including the views of other agencies involved within the process,” a spokesperson for the Nassau County courts said in a statement to WPIX-TV.
“I am a good person,” Drayton told the Daily News.
His bail has been set at $1.25 million in California. Drayton pleaded not guilty on Monday in Los Angeles County Superior Court to charges of attempted first-degree murder, forcible rape, penetration with a foreign object and false imprisonment by violence, the New York Times reported.
He is expected to be extradited to New York.
The NYPD has asked anyone who may have been victimized by Drayton to come forward and contact investigators immediately.
"Any individuals who are the victim of a sexual assault are urged to call the Rape Hotline 24/7 at 212-267-RAPE," officials said.
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