A 60-year-old Tennessee man died after he was “swatted” by people who wanted him to give up his Twitter handle.
The incident happened in April 2020 after the swatter called police to report a fake murder at Mark Herring’s Sumner County home. Law enforcement swarmed Herring’s property with their guns drawn, his family said Thursday.
Herring, who was shocked and confused, had a massive heart attack and died.
“I believe he was scared to death,” his daughter Corinna Herring Fitch said in a phone interview. “I believe from the adrenaline and the guns in his face … a heart attack happened.”
One of the swatters involved, Shane Sonderman, was sentenced Wednesday to five years in prison. Authorities said Sonderman was a minor at the time of Herring’s death but turned 18 after his arrest. He was charged as an adult with wire fraud/conspiracy, interstate communication of threats, false information and hoaxes, and conspiracy.
In March, he agreed to plead guilty to the conspiracy charge in exchange for the other charges being dropped.
His co-conspirator is a minor from the United Kingdom, according to court documents, which do not name the person. The co-conspirator was not extradited to the U.S. for charges.
Bryan Huffman, an attorney for Sonderman, said his client’s sentence was fair “in light of Shane’s culpability.” Huffman said although Sonderman found the victim’s address, it was the co-conspirator who placed the call to police.
“Mr. Sonderman has expressed his remorse on multiple occasions. He has expressed his regret regarding Mr. Herring’s death. He further was able to convey his sincere remorse to the other victims as well,” Huffman said via email.
