Sartaj Singh
Directed by Alicia Coppola, ‘He Slid Into Her DMs’ narrates the story of a social media influencer who is stalked by one of her fans, leading to a deadly outcome. Benri, a popular 17-year-old with a growing social media following, faces struggles in every aspect of her life. Wanting to help her mother financially, the high schooler desperately tries to increase her reach on social media. Her efforts leave her spending most of her time on the phone, leading to her boyfriend to break up with her. Growing desperate, she decides to start sharing explicit pictures for greater returns. Unbeknownst to her, an obsessive online fan tracks her down and begins stalking her. The Lifetime thriller film echoes contemporary trends of content creation and explores some of the dangers that may come with it.
He Slid Into Her DMs is Inspired by the Case of Ava Majury
Written by Lydia Genner, Christina Kelly Holmes, and Erica Lane, ‘He Slid Into Her DMs’ is an original Lifetime movie that is very likely inspired by the true story of social media influencer Ava Majury. Making her TikTok account during the COVID-19 lockdown at the age of 13, Ava began posting videos of herself dancing and lipsyncing. The experiment started as an interesting way to stay in touch with her friends, but she soon started garnering a much larger audience. Her predominantly male following began appreciating her content from across the country, and she started interacting with them through the comment section.
Ava Majury’s parents noticed her increasing commitment to content creation and encouraged her interest. As her following grew rapidly, the high schooler dreamt of becoming a model and Hollywood star. One of her fans seemed to be especially persistent in getting her attention at every opportunity. Later identified as Eric Rohan Justin, the fan would message the budding influencer on every platform and even join the online games she played with her brothers. Ava responded politely to Justin whenever he reached out, but his obsession continued to grow. The 18-year-old asked Ava to take selfies for him in return for payment, and she obliged, thinking it might soothe his infatuation. Instead, he began requesting explicit pictures, causing Ava’s parents to step in.
Ava’s father, Rob Majury, messaged Justin, informing him that she was a minor and that he should stop contacting her. After being blocked by Ava, the obsessed fan turned into an online stalker. He reached out to the teen’s classmates and gathered personal information about her by offering them money. After he had gathered everything ranging from her address to her phone number, he sent troubling messages to one of her male classmates, talking about entering her house and assaulting her. Ava was shocked when her peers made her aware of the situation, and she informed her parents.
The Stalker Drove Over to the Influencer’s Home With Sinister Intentions
Eric Rohan Justin lived in Ellicott City, Maryland, over a thousand miles from the Majurys’ home in Naples, Florida. Ava’s parents were convinced that Justin’s threats were merely those of an internet troll and unlikely to be carried out. However, on July 10, 2020, the obsessive stalker drove the distance, stood in front of their home, and fired his shotgun through the front door. Ava’s room was just beyond the door, which now had a gaping hole. Thankfully, she was unharmed and scrambled into her brother’s room for safety. Rob Majury, a retired police lieutenant, ran out onto the foyer and saw the lanky form of Justin wearing a blue Walmart vest, earplugs, and protective glasses.
When the attacker’s shotgun jammed, he fled the scene. Mr. Majury attempted to chase him but stumbled, instead retrieving his handgun while Mrs. Majury dialed 911. As Mr. Majury stood guard at the front door with his weapon drawn, Justin returned, brandishing his shotgun. The retired cop shouted at him to drop the weapon, but the teen instead took aim at him. A deafening gunshot resonated, and Justin’s gangly form fell to the ground. When police arrived, they found thousands of pictures of Ava on two of his phones. Despite being shaken by the incident, Ava’s family continued to support her influencer career, adamant that they wouldn’t let antisocial elements dictate her life choices. Under Florida’s Stand-your-ground law, Rob Majury was considered well within his rights to shoot and kill Justin to defend his home.
‘He Slid Into Her DMs’ has a lot in common with the case of Ava Majury being stalked and attacked by Justin in her home. In both stories, the stalker first requests personal pictures, followed by more explicit content. When the influencer refuses, he arrives at her doorstep with a gun. Although likely inspired by Ava Majury’s story, the Lifetime movie is an original and fictional work that introduces new plot elements to focus on differing themes.
Read More: Lifetime’s Taken in Plain Sight: Is the Movie Based on a True Story?
