Finding the right roommate can be hard. There's a lot to consider: Will you share similar hobbies? Do they have annoying habits? Will they murder you in your sleep?
Killer roommates aren't just the fodder for TV or movies - they can really happen. Roommates who murder are motivated by a variety of things from suffering a psychotic break and alleged sex games gone wrong to losing a video game.
Once you read about these killer roommates, you might consider living alone.
11 People Who Were Murdered by Their Roommates,
A Murder-Suicide at Harvard University
In 1995, Harvard University was rocked by the murder-suicide involving two female roommates. Harvard junior Sinedu Tadesse stabbed her roommate Trang Phuong Ho 45 times before hanging herself in the bathroom. One of Ho's friends who was staying at the dorm visiting, Thao Nguyen, was also stabbed and severely injured. Some speculated Tadesse was angry Ho didn't want to live with her during the next school year.
According to news reports, Tadesse had lived with Ho for two years before the murder. Tadesse, a mentally unstable woman with very few friends and poor grades, is said to have become obsessed with Ho - who was popular and smart. A week before the murder, Tadesse sent a photograph of herself anonymously to the school's newspaper the Harvard Crimson, telling editors that she would be involved in a very "juicy" story.
Nursing Home Murder
In Georgia, 66-year-old Janet Clements strangled her nursing home roommate Cynthia Weekly. The pair reportedly argued shortly before Clements attacked Weekly, and authorities were called in to find the 53-year-old victim unresponsive in her bed. Clements admitted to assaulting Weekly, and an autopsy proved she was strangled. Clements was arrested for the crime.
Facebook Post Prompts Revenge Killing
A 27-year friendship ended with murder when Josiah Clark murdered his roommate James McCullough. According to McCullough's family, the victim had learned some disturbing information about his friend Clark in days leading up to his death.
He posted the details to his Facebook account, and an enraged Clark killed him for the post. It's unclear the exact nature of the posting. Clark was on the run for almost a month before authorities arrested him. Three others were arrested with helping Clark hide from police.
Veterinary Student Shot in Head by Roommate
UC Davis student Whitney Joypauline Engler was fatally shot in the head by her roommate Joseph Hein in 2015. After killing Engler, Hein turned the gun on himself. Friends and family of the victim and shooter were unsure of the motive behind the murder-suicide.
The Red Power Ranger Samurai Sword Murder
Ricardo Medina, formerly known as the Red Wild Force Power Ranger in Power Rangers Wild Force and Power Rangers Samurai, attacked his roommate, Josh Sutter, with a Samurai sword. Initially Medina claimed he killed his roommate in self defense; however, Sutter had defensive wounds on his hands that led police to believe otherwise. Medina was arrested for the murder.
Sarah Jo Pender Kills Roommate with Boyfriend
In 2000, 21-year-old Sarah Jo Pender and her boyfriend, Richard Hull, killed their roommates Andrew Cataldi and Tricia Nordman. Cataldi and Nordman were reportedly selling drugs out of Pender's home, and the atmosphere was tense between the couples leading up to the murders. An argument ensued over money, which led Hull to shoot Cataldi in the chest with a shotgun. He then shot Nordman in the head.
The court argued that Pender manipulated her boyfriend into killing their roommates, and she even supplied him with the murder weapon. She was eventually found guilty and sent to prison, but she escaped in 2008. Police caught her again and she is currently in solitary confinement.
Zachary Penton Tweets About Murdering His Roommate
In June 2016, Zachary Penton called police confessing to the murder of his 41-year-old roommate Daniel Garofalo. When authorities investigated further, they uncovered Penton tweeted about the murder before it happened.
His tweet read, "I need to move out of my place before I viciously murder my roommates." Two days later he shot and killed Garofalo.
Roommate Killed Over League of Legends
When a 16-year-old Chinese student lost a game of League of Legends, he took his anger out on his roommate by stabbing him with a fruit knife. The victim's blood reportedly flowed out of the dorm room and into the hallway. Police had to break down the door to the dormitory, and found the suspect sitting in a pool of blood in the corner of the room.
19-Year-Old Kills Roommate and Burns Body
In May 2016, 19-year-old Dylan Gilbertson murdered his 20-year-old roommate Jaysen Greenwood and burned his body. Police found Gilbertson's body in a ditch with numerous stab wounds and blunt force trauma to his head. Another roommate told police that Gilbertson was upset with Greenwood for stealing from him, which led to the stabbing.
Florida Man Kills Roommate and Throws Her in a Trunk
A Tampa, FL, man stabbed his roommate to death and placed her body in the trunk of his car.
Police said Kydel Weldon killed Tina Ryan in May 2016. They were called to Ryan's house after receiving a 911 call from the residence. At the home they found a substantial amount of blood and soon started investigating Weldon. Ryan's body was found in the back of his car, and he was charged with murder.