'Disturbed' fan 'plots death' of popular YouTube star, breaks into couple's home
A "disturbed fan" armed with a gun entered the home of a celebrity YouTube couple before firing at least one shot, police said.
Christopher Eric Giles, 24, entered the home of Megan Turney, 30, and Gavin Free, 29, at around 3am on January 26 after driving 11 hours from New Mexico to Austin, Texas, Fox 7 Austin reported.
Court documents said Turney, a YouTube personality with over 300,000 subscribers, and Free, the face of The Slow Mo Guys, woke up following the sound of gunshots and shattered glass before calling police over the intrusion as they hid in their closet.
When Austin Police Officers arrived at the address, they saw a dark colored Lincoln sedan back out of the driveway before a shot was fired from inside.
According to police, one officer returned fire. Moments later, police said they found Giles dead.
Giles was described by police as a “single, lonely and disturbed” individual who had "developed a fondness" for Turney but had great distain for Free.
Police said they discovered recorded threatening thoughts from Giles on his mobile phone, in which he said he wanted Free to die without any children.
"I want Gavin Free to die alone, with no children," a recording said, according to KVUE.
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Police determined that it was "apparent that Giles' sole intent was to cause harm to someone who resides there."
Police say an official ruling into how Giles died is still under review. They also said nothing had been stolen from the property.
The pair, who combined have over 10.6 million YouTube followers, addressed the incident via Twitter on Tuesday thanking those who had left messages of support while offering special thanks to the Austin Police force for their efforts on January 26.