He tried to kill, dismember gay man he met on Grindr before calling 911, feds say
A man admitted to trying to kill and dismember a gay man he met on the dating app Grindr before calling 911, federal prosecutors say.
Chance Seneca, 21, of Louisiana described Grindr as his “hunting ground” in an interview with investigators and acknowledged “he had planned to continue murdering until he was caught or killed,” court documents state.
When asked whether men were the target of his “homicidal urges,” Seneca replied, saying, “Yeah. I’ve never really wanted to hurt … women, But … it’s just mostly men,” according to court documents.
Seneca, of Lafayette, pleaded guilty to one count of kidnapping on Sept. 29 in connection with the alleged attempted killing of the man he met on Grindr on June 20, 2020, a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Louisiana states.
Court records show there are several pending counts against Seneca that are under review, including a hate crime with an attempt to kill charge.
McClatchy News contacted Seneca’s attorney for comment on Sept. 30 and was awaiting a response.
Ultimately, the victim survived the attack that left him comatose for three days and with permanent nerve damage, according to court documents.
The events of June 2020
A day before prosecutors say Seneca tried dismembering the man — and planned to “preserve” his body parts — on June 20, 2020, he targeted another Grindr user, according to his plea agreement.
Grindr is a dating app used by members of the LGBT community, including gay and bisexual men.
On June 19, 2020, Seneca, who had his own room in a house owned by his father, lured a different gay man to the Lafayette home after messaging on Grindr and Snapchat, court documents state.
However, ultimately, “he decided not to murder the man and let him go,” the documents say.
The next day, Seneca drove to pick up another gay man he met through Grindr and brought him to his father’s house, where he suggested engaging in sexual activities while his father was away, according to a complaint. There, Seneca “convinced” the man to put on handcuffs before the pair headed into the bathroom.
In an interview, Seneca told a detective that “the proposed meeting was a pretext and that he intended to kill and dismember” the man, the complaint states.
While in the bathroom, Seneca strangled the man with a belt until he was unconscious and put him in the bathtub, according to court documents.
Then, he hit the man’s head with a hammer before stabbing him in the neck and slitting his wrists to ensure he was not alive before starting the “dismemberment process,” investigators say.
“Seneca explained that he had hoped to remove and preserve White’s hands but that he could not finish his plan” while speaking with a detective, according to the complaint.
During the attack, he began crying and apologizing to his unconscious victim, saying, “I’m setting you free” before calling 911, the complaint states.
Investigators say Seneca’s act of calling the police was “a self-described effort to be put into a mental institution.”
While speaking with a 911 dispatcher, Seneca stated, in part, that “It’s my fault,” “I tried to control everything so good,” and “It was going so well,” according to the complaint.
After Lafayette police arrived at Seneca’s father’s home, they found Seneca smoking a cigarette outside and discovered the victim in the upstairs bathtub, the complaint states. In the bathroom, officers found a knife, ice pick, saw, and hammer.
Seneca was taken to the Lafayette police department, where he waived his Miranda rights and made several recorded statements to authorities, according to the complaint.
Meanwhile, Seneca’s victim was taken to a hospital, where he was in a coma for three days, investigators say.
The victim needed “extensive medical care” from the attack, which caused permanent nerve damage in his left hand, according to court documents. Additionally, he was left with scars.
“The facts surrounding the events that took place in this case are very disturbing,” U.S. Attorney Brandon B. Brown said in a statement. “It is nothing short of miraculous that the victims who endured the vicious attacks from (Seneca) survived. We will continue to fight to seek justice for victims who suffer at the hands of defendants such as this.”
Seneca’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for Jan. 25, and he faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
Lafayette is 135 miles west of New Orleans.
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