Accused killer, 12, linked to goth site

By Richard Reynolds in Toronto
April 28, 2006
CANADIAN police appear baffled by the alleged murder by a 12-year-old "goth" girl of three members of her family in a small prairie town.

The girl was charged on Monday with first-degree murder along with a 23-year-old man, Jeremy Allan Steinke, reportedly her boyfriend. She cannot be named because of her age.

Police said on Wednesday they may lay further charges. Media commentators assumed these will include charges against Steinke of having sexual relations with a minor.

The bodies of the girl's parents and her eight-year-old brother were discovered in Medicine Hat, Alberta, at the weekend. At first police issued an alert for the girl, fearing she was also a victim of the killer.
Media are focusing on the fact the girl was involved in goth culture. Friends of the charged pair told a Calgary television station the girl met Steinke online at a website that caters to "gothic industrial culture".

VampireFreaks.com claims to have more than 500,000 members. The site features blogs and online journals by people with user names such as SuicideOfLove and RottingNails. Messages often focus on the despair and anger that members feel.

Reports indicate that in the recent weeks the schoolgirl had abandoned a more conventional style for a darker, goth look complete with heavy eyeliner and make-up. One of her former teachers told the Calgary Herald she was "shocked" by the rapid transformation.

The girl had posted several dark messages on the website with subject lines such as "WelcomeToMy TragicEnd" and "Are you stalking me? cuz that would be super". The latter is a quote from the dialogue in the 2002 comedy National Lampoon's Van Wilder.

The girl's profile included pictures of her in dark goth make-up and described her as being 15.

Local media are having trouble deciding how to deal with the case. Initial reports about the murders were the lead story in many outlets, but once it became apparent that the young daughter in the family was possibly the murderer, the story was played down.