US Murder Case Shows Why Anonymous App Kik Poses a Threat To Children

A teenager and his girlfriend are facing 90 years in jail for the abduction and murder of 13-year-old Nicole Lovell in the United States. Sputnik looks at why an anonymous app at the heart of the case is the cause of rising concern among parents in Europe and North America.

On Friday, September 21, a jury recommended Natalie Keepers, 19, be jailed for 40 years after she was convicted of being an accessory before the fact in Nicole's murder.

The schoolgirl sneaked out of her bedroom window in Blacksburg, Virginia in January 2016 to go and meet a mystery man she had met through the instant messaging app Kik.

​She was murdered and her naked body dumped over the state line in North Carolina.

Killer Jailed for Half a Century

David Eisenhauer, 18, pleaded no contest to murder and kidnapping and was jailed for 50 years.

Keepers had denied any involvement but her trial heard they had discussed on Kik how he would kill Nicole

A forensic scientist points to blood spots on Nicole Lovell's Minions blanket which was found in Natalie Keepers' gym bag

The case has raised concerns in the United States about the vulnerability of children — especially teenage girls, like Nicole.

Kik which was founded in Canada in 2009, has 300 million users worldwide.

In September 2017 former Congressman Anthony Weiner was jailed for 21 months in prison after pleading guilty to sexting a 15-year-old girl using Kik.

​At last week's sentencing hearing Nicole's mother gave an emotional victim impact statement to the jury.

"A couple of years from now, a couple of months from now, ya'll will all forget about this, but this will forever haunt my family," said Tammy Weeks-Doody.

Keepers will be formally sentenced in November.