A newlywed D.C. lawyer who lived a double life as a down-low gay man was stabbed to death by a lesbian pretending to be a man answering a Craigslist ad for gay sex.
On Feb. 9, David Messerschmitt, 30, posted an ad on Craigslist looking for gay sex under the username “dcguy456.” Police say 21-year-old Jamyra Gallmon — posing as a gay man — answered the ad under the username “chrissanchez0906.”
The two agreed to meet at the upscale Donovan Hotel on 14th Street in WAshington, D.C., not far from the White House.
After leaving the prominent D.C. law firm where he worked, Messerschmitt checked into the Donovan hotel.
At about 7:45 p.m., the newlywed texted his wife to tell her he would be home late, according to police.
Surveillance video shows Gallmon entering the hotel lobby, wearing a black outfit and black combat boots. She wore a black hooded jacket with the hood pulled over her head.
The prosecutor’s office contends that Gallmon intended to rob Messerschmitt when she began communicating with him by email earlier that day.
Gallmon later told police that Messerschmitt left the hotel room door open.
Once she entered the room, Gallmon and Messerschmitt struggled. She allegedly pulled a knife out of her sweatpants and attacked Messerschmitt, stabbing him repeatedly until he fell to the floor where she stabbed him several more times, according to the Washington Blade.
The next day, Messerschmitt’s body was found on the floor of his hotel room. He apparently died from a penetrating wound to his heart. The victim suffered multiple stab wounds to his groin, abdomen and back. He also had numerous defensive wounds on his hands.
His fingers were bound with interlocking, rainbow-colored plastic zip ties. “The zip ties appeared to be affixed together into makeshift handcuffs,” according to the affidavit obtained by the Washington Blade.
Police recovered Messerschmit’s wallet and its contents strewn about the hotel room floor.
Police also found Messerschmitt’s “computer, lubricant, condoms, cellphone and enema kit.”
Messerschmit’s wife, Kim Vuong, reported him missing at 1 a.m.
In the weeks following Messerschmitt’s murder, police and the victim’s widow pleaded with the public to help identify the shadowy figure seen in the surveillance video.
A forensics search of Messerschmit’s computer turned up the emails exchanged by Messerschmitt and “chrissanchez0906” on Craigslist.
Police served a subpoena on Craiglist, which turned over the contact information for Gallmon, including her address.
Police searched Gallmon’s apartment and recovered black clothing similar to the items worn by the killer in the hotel surveillance video. A switchblade knife and a bag of plastic rainbow-colored zip ties were also found in her apartment.
Gallmon was arrested and charged with first-degree murder. She is being held without bond.
After waiving her rights to an attorney, Gallmon claimed she “blacked out” and stabbed Messerschmit in “self defense” after he “trapped” her in the hotel room and wouldn’t allow her to leave.
It isn’t clear how Gallmon was able to overpower the larger man. She was an athlete who played on the woman’s basketball team at the Forestville Military Academy High School in Maryland, where she received training in hand-to-hand combat before graduating.
She also worked as a security guard for MVP Protective Services.
Melvin Key, chief executive officer of MVP Protective Services, told the Washington Blade, “She was an exemplary employee. It doesn’t seem like the same person we knew.”
For years, LGBT groups have warned promiscuous gay men to beware of falling victim to criminals on Craigslist and other platforms used by gays to solicit random sex.
The majority of victims never report the crimes, since many of them are married or have girlfriends.
This is believed to be the first ever case of a lesbian specifically targeting a gay man for robbery on Craigslist.
