Kingpin: How One Hacker Took Over the Billion Dollar Cyber Crime Underground Read Free Page B

administrators. But then Max started poking at the defenses of other Internet systems, earning him a brief ban from the BSU computer. When his access was restored, he was back on TinyMUD, fighting with Amy.
    The sheriff called BSU’s network administrator at two in the morning to tell him about the murder-suicide threat. The police wanted a copy of Max’s computer files to examine for evidence—a request that raised difficult privacy issues for the college. After some discussion with the university’s lawyer, administrators decided not to voluntarily hand over anything. Instead, they’d preserve Max’s files on a computer tape and lock Max out of the computer at once.
    Amy worried about what Max might do next, even as she pressed through the slow process of breaking up with him. She still cared about Max, she’d later testify, and was afraid he’d really hurt himself.
    Max continued to call her after the TinyMUD incident, and the conversations followed a predictable pattern. Max would start off nice—showing the friendly, caring side that his friends and family knew well. Then he’d escalate into self-pity and threats before hanging up in anger.
    On October 30, Max told Amy he wanted to talk to her in person. Still hoping to end the relationship amicably—she was bound to see Max on campus, and she didn’t want him hating her—Amy agreed to come over.
    Max had just moved back to his mother’s home in Meridian, a ranchstyle house on a quiet street a block from his old high school. He met Amy at the door, and after reassuring her that he wouldn’t do anything crazy, she followed him to his bedroom at the back of his house. His mother was out, and his fourteen-year-old sister was watching TV.
    His bed was still disassembled, so they sat together on the mattress on the floor and began discussing their feelings. Amy admitted that she’d met another boy in TinyMUD. His name was Chad, and he lived in North Carolina. The relationship had moved beyond the keyboard; they’d sent each other photos in the mail, and she’d been calling him on the phone.
    Max struggled to control his feelings, holding back tears. He felt betrayed, he said. At the same time, he couldn’t quite believe what he was hearing. He asked her for Chad’s phone number, produced a calling card, and dialed his online rival.
    A strained three-way conversation followed; Max introduced himself to Chad and then let Amy take over. She told Chad how she felt. Then Chad asked Amy for her phone number. She gave it to him, and the conversation drifted into an idle banter that only added to Max’s agitation. He grabbed at the phone and hung it up.
    Amy watched Max carefully as his breathing intensified and his eyes darted around the room.
    “I’m going to kill you,” he finally said. “I’m going to—you’re going to die now.”
    She told Max that she didn’t feel like she’d betrayed him, and she wouldn’t apologize. Max began trembling. Then his hands were around her throat and he was pushing her down onto the mattress.
    “Fine,” she said. “Why don’t you just kill me then?”
    Once Max regained his self-control, he wanted Amy out of his sight. He pulled her from the mattress, pushed her out of his bedroom, and shuffled her through the house and out the front door.
    “Go, now,” he said. “Just get out, because I don’t want to kill you. But I might change my mind.” Amy jumped into her car and took off fast.
    As she headed back to Boise, she replayed the events in her mind. Lost in thought, she didn’t see the other car until she was slamming into it with a jolt and the crunch of metal against metal.
    Both cars were totaled, but no one was seriously hurt. When Amy’s parents learned about the confrontation at Max’s house, though, they began to fear for her life. A week after the accident, Amy went to the police, and Max was arrested.
    Max told his friends that Amy was exaggerating the incident. In Amy’s version of events, Max