Teenage TikTok star Ava Majury, 15, whose ex-cop father shot and killed an 18-year-old stalker who showed up at their Naples, Florida home last July with a shotgun and blew a hole through their front door, is scheduled to appear in court next Monday to testify against another stalker, a juvenile from Naples.
“She is genuinely afraid for her safety,” Lanny Davis, one of Ava’s attorneys stated. “It is a shame that it too often seems it takes a tragedy for everyone to ask: Why didn’t we act sooner?”
“Social media can connect people of all walks of life and create a sense of community,” a statement from Ava said. “But I’m telling my story so that young people and parents are also aware of the dangers of social media,” Fox News reported.
Ava also said, “I could never have imagined my innocent posts would result in a stranger showing up at my front door with a shotgun…I urge young people and parents to immediately report any threat or signal of violence, and not wait until it’s too late.”
Ava, whose videos showed her singing, dancing or pulling pranks, noticed in early 2020 that one of her followers, Eric Rohan Justin, 18, of Ellicott City, Md., was becoming obsessed with her, messaging her in Snapchat and on Instagram, and even joining online games she played with her brothers, The New York Times reported in a lengthy piece about the story. Ava initially responded to Justin as she did with other fans, but learned he was buying her personal information, including her cellphone number, from her friends in New Jersey and Florida. He then would call or text her.
“Ava’s parents allowed her to sell Mr. Justin a couple of selfies that she had already posted to Snapchat,” The Times noted, continuing:
After that, Mr. Justin messaged Ava on Venmo with a breakdown of what he would pay for “booty pics” and photos of her feet, “stuff that a 14-year-old shouldn’t be sending,” she said. She blocked him on all her accounts. In Venmo messages viewed by The Times, Mr. Justin pleaded with her to unblock him, sending $159.18, then $100, and finally $368.50 with the message, “sorry this is all I have left i’m broke.” Mr. Majury said he texted Mr. Justin’s cellphone, told him that Ava was a minor, and demanded that he stop contacting her.
On July 10, 2020, Justin came to the Majury’s home in Naples, Florida, armed with a shotgun, which he used to blow open the front door before the shotgun jammed. That prompted Ava’s father, Rob Majury, a retired police lieutenant, to give chase but he fell, gashing his knee, as Justin fled. But later Justin returned and when he pointed the gun at Majury, Rob Majury shot and killed him. Rom Majury was not charged under Florida’s Stand Your Ground Law.
The New York Times reported last week, “The boy who received Mr. Justin’s messages about his plans to attack Ava still attends high school with her. In December, Ava told her parents that he was following and watching her. The family visited the high school to report the matter. Last month, another classmate sent her a video the boy had made of himself firing a gun at a shooting range, her mother said.”
A spokesman for Ava, who is seeking an injunction for protection so she can return to school, said, “The hearing was delayed, and initially they wouldn’t let Ava testify, but she is testifying at this hearing.”
“We’re hoping that’s a big development that could help her in getting the injunction,” the spokesman added.
Ava’s parents, Rob and Kim Majury, issued a statement: “As parents, all that we’ve ever wanted is the best for Ava…While becoming social media famous was not in the plan, we support our daughter’s endeavors entirely. Never in our wildest dreams did we think a fun pastime could lead to a near-death experience.”
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