A missing underscore sent innocent man to prison for 18 months
Points and comments are a snapshot, not live.
A one-underscore typo in a Skyrim username sent an innocent man to prison.
In 2018, Wisconsin police investigating a child-luring case subpoenaed Kik for the username "fus_ro_dah" (one underscore) instead of the actual perpetrator's "fus__ro_dah" (two underscores). The error led them to Canadian Brandon Klayme. Despite finding no evidence on his devices, he was arrested, convicted in 2023, and served 18 months. The mistake was only discovered during his appeal. The Nova Scotia Court of Appeal overturned the conviction, ruling Klayme factually innocent. The real suspect appears to be a man named Jay in California.
What commenters are saying
Commenters express shock and anger at the case, focusing on how Klayme could be convicted with zero evidence linking him to the crime. Many question the quality of his legal defense and the Canadian justice system's reliance on technical evidence without expert review. A split emerges: some blame the defense lawyer for failing to check the username; others argue the system failed by not having technical experts in court. Several note that the conviction was by a judge, not a jury, which many find alarming.