Damon Allen Benson tortured his female victim by carving a Swastika into the Jewish woman's back after tying her to his ceiling with a rope, according to a spokesperson for the Placer County District Attorney’s Office.
The "Tinder Killer" who brutally tortured a woman he met on the popular dating app and then murdered her lover appeared in a California courtroom on Tuesday for sentencing.
Judge Jeffrey Penney sentenced Damon Allen Benson, 31, to 71 years to life in the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation following his conviction for the love triangle murder plot.
Benson's initial arrest occurred back in August 2021 after investigations by the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office and Rocklin Police Department found that he not only murdered a man but had also tortured a woman to get information.
That torture included carving a Swastika into the Jewish woman's back after Benson tied her to his ceiling with a rope, according to a spokesperson for the Placer County District Attorney’s Office (PCDAO).
Benson was initially arrested for the murder, but three weeks after being booked into the Sacramento County Jail, he was again arrested by the Rocklin Police Department because he "tortured his victim to ultimately get the address to murder her other lover."
That other lover was Cameron Gabriel, 49, whose body had been discovered on July 25, 2021. Gabriel had been shot dead and left in an alleyway, according to authorities.
The investigation found that Benson ambushed the man at his home and killed him in his room before fleeing the scene.
Benson initially tried to argue that his actions were in self-defense, but surveillance footage showed gunfire occurring immediately after he ran into Gabriel's home in the middle of the night, said the PCDAO.
After firing the gun, Benson could be heard saying "That’s right, [expletive]," prosecutors said during the trial.
Jurors convicted Benson on counts including murder, aggravated mayhem, torture, felony criminal threats, false imprisonment by violence back in September.
"This is a day for justice for the victim and the victim’s family," said Supervising Deputy District Attorney Jeffery Moore. "We recognize this verdict will not bring [the victim] back and that we cannot undo what this defendant has done to their family. We are humbled to provide justice for this horrific crime to the greatest extent our laws allow. The defendant shows a clear danger to the public and a callous disregard for human life. Removing Benson from society is the only way to ensure he doesn’t victimize anyone again."
Benson's lawyer did not respond to a request for comment.
