A male feminist YouTuber in the skeptic community has been arrested for murdering his female co-host. https://t.co/OsyNfMmK7A— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) May 16, 2017
Heat Street News
written by Ian Miles Cheong
Monday May 15, 2017
Update: Aleksandr Kolpakov is now facing the possibility of a first-degree murder charge following a court hearing at Mesas County Court this Monday, per the Grand Junction Sentinel.
According to Assistant District Attorney Rich Tuttle, investigators are taking a “hard look” at the higher charge. The suspect was previously charged for second-degree murder for the death of Heather Anable.
In most US states, first-degree murder is defined as both willful and premeditated, meaning it was committed after planning or “lying in wait” for the victim. Here’s what it means in Colorado.
The original report follows.
A member of YouTube’s skeptic community has been arrested in the fatal shooting of a woman, who has since been identified as his female YouTube co-host. Better known as “RDP” or Skeptic Feminist on social media, 29-year-old Aleksandr Kolpakov was arrested by police and is currently being held in Mesa County, Colorado jail on suspicion of second-degree murder.
The Colorado-based YouTuber, who published numerous rants against critics of feminism, and long-winded response videos towards YouTubers on the other side of the political spectrum, always stood beneath the shadow of more prominent male feminists in the community.
At one point, he even shared his two cents on the GamerGate controversy in 2015 to denounce gamers for “misogyny,” but the series of tweets—like most of his videos, failed to pick up steam.
According to police, the shooting happened at around 9:30pm on Saturday night in Clifton, where police were called after neighbors reported hearing several gunshots. Police arrived to discover the woman dead outside of a home. Kolpakov was arrested on the spot.
The victim was identified this Monday afternoon as 31-year-old Heather Anable, a co-streamer in Kolpakov’s videos who viewers knew as “Ivy.” The coroner’s office ruled her death a homicide. Anable was shot multiple times in the neck and chest.
“The family has asked our office to relay a message to the media to please respect their privacy in their time of grief,” said the Mesa County Coroner’s Office in a statement to the press.
Police have not yet released a motive for the killing and court documents remained sealed for now. Police spokesman Henry Stoffel told the press (via Denver Post) that the investigation is ongoing, and that the department is not looking for any other suspects.
Ian Miles Cheong is a journalist and outspoken media critic. You can reach him through social media at @stillgray on Twitter and on Facebook.
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