The Virginia man was charged with two counts of murder after fatally shooting and killing a teenager who was filming a Tiktok prank known as “Ding Dong Ditch” with two friends around 3am Saturday, according to court records and local government.
The Spotsylvania Sheriff's Office responded to reports of a resident's shooting shot during the robbery and found two teenagers with gunshot wounds, the office said in a statement. One of the teenagers, Michael Bosworth Jr., 18, later died of wounds. The second person was treated for minor injuries and a third party in the group was unharmed, the sheriff's office said. Both of his friends with Mr. Bosworth were under the age of 18.
The teenager was in the neighborhood to make a video of Tiktok, one of them told investigators of an affidavit filed in Spotsylvania Circuit Court. The “Ding Dong Ditch” pranks include ringing the doorbell or knocking on the front door of the house before running away, making it a popular feed on social media videos.
“The boy advised that's what people do to wear tiktoks,” the affidavit said.
The group was knocking on several doors in the area, one teenager told the detective, adding that he was unfamiliar with the neighborhood. They had fled the residence when they were shot, according to the affidavit. According to the affidavit, there is at least one video showing that a prank teenager is still on one of his friend's phones.
Authorities arrested Tyler Chase Butler, 27, of Spotsylvania County on Tuesday on charges of second-degree murder, malicious injuries and firearm use on a felony committee on Tuesday, the sheriff's office said. He was not held at Rappahannock Regional Jail, it said.
Mr. Bosworth was a senior at Massaponax High School in Fredericksburg, Virginia. The high school is scheduled to hold seniors' graduations on May 13th, sending a message to the school community that counselors will be available to help students with their grief.
A spokesman for the Spotsylvania Sheriff's Office, who was contacted by telephone, declined to comment further. Butler's attorneys did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Spotsylvania County federal lawyer G. Ryan Mehaffey declined to comment, but said a preliminary hearing was scheduled for June 18th.
This style of mischief has led to tragedy in the past. In 2020, a California man crashed into the car of six teenagers and killed three after making similar pranks on him. He was sentenced to life in prison in 2023.
On Tuesday they gathered at Massaponax High School's soccer field to remember their classmates, according to a video shared by an Instagram account run by the school's students. They shared memories of Mr. Bosworth, wrote a message to Balloons, and then released them at sunset.
Jonathan Wolf and Michael Levenson contributed to the report. Susan C. Beech contributed to the research.
