April 26, 2024
Desiree Stapefene story

In April 2012, a double murder-suicide shook a suburb in Michigan. It was not just how the killings were made that made the news; it was also because American Psycho massively influenced Brian Douglas White. How do you explain someone killing the mother of your ex-girlfriend and the boyfriend just because of a turndown? Unfortunately, the Desiree Staperfene story is sad, and we intend to explore all the details surrounding it. 

In pop culture, many people are influenced by what they see, and one of the chief propagators of visuals and action is Hollywood. Perhaps if Brian Douglas White hadn’t seen the American Psycho, a movie that explored the life of a psychopath who was on a killing spree, we wouldn’t be talking about these gruesome murders. You could not discard those young people influenced heavily daily by these notions, even if they were meant for conversations and not actions. It is a worrying trend, considering that we looked at a teen who perpetrated these murders. In the Desirée Staperfene story, a lot is unpacked as we try to see any justification for these murders. 

Who is Brian Douglas White, the Murderer?

Brian Douglas White was a teen who was troubled. We believe the breakup with Desiree had a harmful effect on him. But there was also a reason Desiree called it quit with him, as he was said to be “controlling.” Nobody wants to be under the total control of anybody. As humans, there is this longing for freedom. A look at his Facebook posts showed that he talked about dark things, making reverence to the American Psycho movie. There was not too much about him before the homicide-suicide incident. Even the identity of his parents has not made it to the media as they would prefer to remain private. 

The Desiree Staperfene Story: How Did Brian Douglas White Murder Staperfene’s Boyfriend and Mother?

The whole incident happened in April 2012 when White broke into the apartment of Staperfene located in Livonia. Livonia is a suburb of Detroit that had before then not had any cases of violent crimes. Apparently, White had planned to carry out the disastrous act without causing any fuss to the community. So, he proceeded and was able to break in at around 7:30 am. Then, with an ax, he attacked Desiree’s mother and hacked her to death. The 46-year-old was the only one of the parents at home as David Staperfene, the husband and father to Desiree, were at work. 

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White, 17 at the time, was obsessed with Desiree and couldn’t imagine her being with another person. So after successfully killing the mother, he marched to Desiree’s room, where she was with her boyfriend, Jake Bruns. Bruns was 19 at the time of the murder. White made his ex-girlfriend watch as he hacked Bruns to death. In a statement, he said, “He killed my current boyfriend and then he held me hostage and then he just shot himself in the head,” Staperfene said frantically to the 911 operator. 

 Somehow, Desiree was able to escape. But, she found out that after White killed her boyfriend, he shot himself in the head. 

Desiree Staperfene Found Out Later That Her Mother Was Dead

The trauma of a 17-year-old witnessing the live killing of a lover would have sent her to the darkest place in her life. But finding out that White had already killed her mother was another low in her life. Somehow, Staperfene was able to call 911 some five hours after the killings to report the murders. It must have been a traumatic experience for her. 

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In a statement by Staperfene’s family, they were happy that Desiree didn’t lose her life. However, this would have been a double tragedy for the father. In a statement, Desiree’s family released a statement where they stated that they were grateful that Desiree survived the sad events. 

Desiree Staperfene Story: Who Are Brian White Parents?

No parent would hear of what White did if he was their son and wouldn’t go into a meltdown of theirs. For confidentiality and security sake, the identity of Brian White’s family is not made public. But, no doubt, they were heartbroken when they heard of their teenage son’s killing spree. 

Where is Desiree Staperfene Now?

It must have been tough for Desiree Staperfene to move on, but she had no choice but to move on. It surely would be a lesson for her to avoid people who have mental issues. So, where is Desiree Staperfene now? The truth is, the last we checked, Staperfene had a Twitter account that was last active in 2014. The account doesn’t seem to be active. But recently, a picture surfaced on her Facebook page that suggested that she may have had a child. The picture showed her hands, and a baby’s hands joined together. 

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We do not know who she is in a relationship with, but it is evident that she had moved on and left the past where it should be – past. We hope that the murder and suicide cases do not have a lasting effect on her. That would be tragic. 

Desiree often says via her tweets that she tries to stay happy and enjoy life to the fullest. We agree with her to enjoy life because life is a precious gift. 

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Conclusion

The Desiree Staperfene story is a chilling one but also one with lessons. We are happy that Desiree survived, and now that she is 26 years, she has many more reasons to be alive.