Anyone have experience with vague death threats from co-workers?

[readmoreoften]

Long story short: My girlfriend and I make (queer) movies. A movie of ours from 2005 has a MySpace page. The movie page is not linked to any personal MySpace pages but my girlfriend's name does appear as director. Someone on staff at my girlfriend's temp job, who recently moved to the state from California, sent the page an insane message that said (to paraphrase):

I'm not homophobic or anything, but if any gay or lesbo acted this way towards me, I'd kill them just like I killed two guys from California. This movie is violent and violence breeds violence. I'm about peace. Gays will never fight anyone because they're all cowards.

We have no idea if this lunatic knows my girlfriend is the director of the movie or if it's just a coincidence. She is never in danger of being alone with this person. If my girlfriend tells her manager and it WAS just a coincidence, then, well then he would know where to find her. The co-worker is a born again with enormous pro-Jesus tribal face and neck tattoos.

I doubt the police will help. I'm in Texas. On the other hand, he is admitting to killing two people...Although, for all I know, he might've done his time.

Any advice on this absurdity?

[donco6]

1. It's a death threat - not veiled.

I would file a report with the police.

[mikelgb]

2. quit job, contact police

tomorrow

[readmoreoften]

4. Job only lasts for another week. We desperately need the money.

In fact she's somehow working 36 hours in a row at her 2 jobs.

But y'all're convincing me that maybe we should file a report with the police.

[Warpy]

3. Definitely forward it to the cops and the FBI

If there is an as yet unsolved double homicide in California, they'll find out.

Since it contains a murder confession, you do need to pass it on.

If it turns out to be something, let the cops handle it, not her employer. Her employer might be more leery of someone who makes gay films than of some crank who writes crackpot emails to gay film sites.

[readmoreoften]

6. Other disclosure: our film is an avant-garde satire with the word "terrorist" in the title.

It's been at film festivals around the world, but I don't trust the FBI to get satire. Maybe they're more sophisticated than I think, though? :shrug: I guess being on a watch list is better than being dead.

[barbtries]

5. how did you find out it was him?

if i left such a message i don't think i would leave my name...i think your girlfriend shouldn't say anything at work and that perhaps some way you can find out whether this guy has really killed someone. i don't know. use your best judgment. i have never been in such a situation. stay safe.

[readmoreoften]

7. It's his myspace page. Pictures of him all over it. Considering he as extensive facial tattoos,

I'd say it's damn conclusive that it's not a case of mistaken identity.

[barbtries]

11. okay

that's him all right. i'd like to know a lot more about his boasts of having killed two people.

keep us posted please...

[readmoreoften]

8. Okay, y'all are convincing me that maybe we should file a report with the police.

I've done it before for thefts and they're pretty good about protecting identities. We should probably do that and bypass the boss.

[Cleita]

9. I would contact authorities definitely on this one.

If the local police aren't helpful, the DA or FBI might be. Don't give up. I used to get threatened by drunks when I was a bartender and usually it was hot air, but there is always the one who will go through with their threats. It's best to get the authorities in on it because they are the ones who can act on it. They can also scare the perpetrators into stopping it by some well placed warnings if it is only hot air.

[NorthCarolina]

10. Based on the language used

"gay or lesbo...I'd kill them just like I killed two guys from California.... I'm about Peace." Sounds like your typical fundamentalist Republican to me.

[dsc]

12. I concur with calling the police

that is a decided threat.

[LostinVA]

13. File a police report right now

[La Lioness Priyanka]

14. file a police report.

why did you move to texas again?

[Tektonik]

15. police, now

[galledgoblin]

16. definitely call the cops.

if your local guys won't help, go to the State Police with it. since the poster admits to violence in CA, it's probably already an interstate matter anyway.

[readmoreoften]

17. Weird update. The guy either has MPD or his roommates' boyfriend made the threat under his name.

The guy wrote my girlfriend back on the MySpace page (she wrote the threat-maker and confronted him) and said "I left my computer on when I went to work and someone must've used my computer and wrote this. I find these anti-gay comments offensive and disgusting and I am so sorry. I just moved from California and blah, blah, blah..."

So both the mysterious "someone" who wrote the death threat and the guy are from California. We researched him and it seems like either his female roommate's boyfriend used his profile to write the babbling threat or he's got multiple personality disorder. My SO says he's super nice at work now and not in anyway homophobic (many gay people work with her.)

Completely bizarre.