When Bullying Goes too Far - Seph Lawless

What were the concerns?
The media ran with the stories including a man named Benjamin Albright from Nova, Ohio who shot and
killed his son by accident and then went on to kill himself. The problem is that no death certificate can
be found under that name, nor any records for Benjamin Albright.
In another of Melendez’ stories, a sheriff named Donald Caters killed himself after his Buffalo, New York
house went into foreclosure in 1968. Buffalo residents were quick to point out they’d never seen this
house. The Huffington Post which ran the story, later clarified the details by reporting that “several of
the houses are not where the caption says they are located, and that he (Lawless) did this to “protect”
the locations.” Unfortunately dozens of news agencies carried the story without any fact checking (7).
Then there was the Oliver Family Mansion located in Chester, PA. The Oliver family went missing in
1898, a mystery that baffled investigators. They were never found but locals say they can sometimes see
the Olivers in the windows of the mansion. This might be frightening were it not for the fact that the
house was actually located at 626 Market Street in McKeesport, PA.
How about the Haught Mansion located in Michigan where dead bodies were found in the cellar of the
mansion? The bodies marked with what appeared to be a circle on their chest area. That mansion was
actually a dilapidated house located at 229 Edmund Place in Detroit.
The Huffington Post article was ammended with the following statement, “The photographs and
Lawless’ captions have been left below for their artistic, rather than their historical, value.”(7)
Based on actual events you said? The media swallowed this book hook, line and sinker.
What’s in a name?
Is misinformation a common part of Mr. Lawless’ social media strategy? The answer may surprise you
when it comes to something as simple as his full name.