Sharon Lopatka
Encyclopedia
Sharon Rina Lopatka was an Internet
entrepreneur
in Hampstead, Maryland
, United States
, who was killed in a case of apparent consensual homicide
. Lopatka was torture
d and strangled to death on October 16, 1996, by Robert Frederick Glass, a computer analyst from North Carolina
. The apparent purpose was mutual sexual gratification
. The case became the earliest widely publicized example of a consensual homicide mediated through the use of the Internet.
home. She was the daughter of Abraham Denburg, formerly the cantor
of Beth Tfiloh Congregation
. When she was 29, she married Victor Lopatka, an Ellicott City, Maryland
native and a practising Catholic
, in an act she considered to be a rebellion
against her Jewish upbringing.
Lopatka started an internet-based business from a kit she purchased from an Arizona
-based company. This enabled her to profit from the use of 1-900-numbers
by giving psychic reading
s.
related to unusual sexual fetishes, Lopatka searched for a man who would torture
and kill her. After contacting several people who turned out not to be serious, she finally found someone willing to fulfill her request. Glass and Lopatka exchanged many e-mail
s until they met in North Carolina, where Glass strangled Lopatka using a nylon cord after torturing her for several days.
On January 27, 2000, Glass pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter
, as well as six counts of second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor. The latter charges resulted from child pornography
found on his computer. He was sentenced to 36 to 53 months in prison for manslaughter and 21 to 26 months for possession of child pornography. On February 20, 2002, two weeks before his release, Glass suffered a heart attack and died.
The case shows some similarities to the Internet-mediated cannibalistic
killing of Bernd Jürgen Armando Brandes by Armin Meiwes
in March 2001 in Germany
.
The case inspired a 2008 film, Downloading Nancy
, which premiered at Sundance Film Festival and had a wider release in 2009. Interviews with screenwriter Lee Ross indicate he was aware of the Lopatka case and found it 'dark, horrible... and intriguing.'
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
entrepreneur
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
in Hampstead, Maryland
Hampstead, Maryland
Hampstead is a town in Carroll County in the U.S. state of Maryland. The population was 5,060 at the 2000 census. Hampstead School was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.-Geography:Hampstead is located at ....
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, who was killed in a case of apparent consensual homicide
Consensual homicide
Consensual homicide refers to a case when one person kills another, with the consent of the victim.-Euthanasia:The more common form is assisted suicide, in which terminally ill people seek assistance from their doctors to alleviate their suffering by ending their lives...
. Lopatka was torture
Torture
Torture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
d and strangled to death on October 16, 1996, by Robert Frederick Glass, a computer analyst from North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
. The apparent purpose was mutual sexual gratification
Paraphilia
Paraphilia is a biomedical term used to describe sexual arousal to objects, situations, or individuals that are not part of normative stimulation and that may cause distress or serious problems for the paraphiliac or persons associated with him or her...
. The case became the earliest widely publicized example of a consensual homicide mediated through the use of the Internet.
Lopatka's life
Lopatka, formerly Sharon Denburg, grew up in the suburbs of Baltimore, Maryland in an Orthodox JewishOrthodox Judaism
Orthodox Judaism , is the approach to Judaism which adheres to the traditional interpretation and application of the laws and ethics of the Torah as legislated in the Talmudic texts by the Sanhedrin and subsequently developed and applied by the later authorities known as the Gaonim, Rishonim, and...
home. She was the daughter of Abraham Denburg, formerly the cantor
Hazzan
A hazzan or chazzan is a Jewish cantor, a musician trained in the vocal arts who helps lead the congregation in songful prayer.There are many rules relating to how a cantor should lead services, but the idea of a cantor as a paid professional does not exist in classical rabbinic sources...
of Beth Tfiloh Congregation
Beth Tfiloh Congregation
Beth Tfiloh Congregation is an Orthodox congregation in Pikesville, Maryland. With over 1400 members, is the largest Modern Orthodox synagogue in North America.-History:...
. When she was 29, she married Victor Lopatka, an Ellicott City, Maryland
Ellicott City, Maryland
Ellicott City is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Howard County, Maryland, United States. It is part of the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area. The population was 65,834 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Howard County...
native and a practising Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
, in an act she considered to be a rebellion
Rebellion
Rebellion, uprising or insurrection, is a refusal of obedience or order. It may, therefore, be seen as encompassing a range of behaviors aimed at destroying or replacing an established authority such as a government or a head of state...
against her Jewish upbringing.
Lopatka started an internet-based business from a kit she purchased from an Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
-based company. This enabled her to profit from the use of 1-900-numbers
Premium-rate telephone number
Premium-rate telephone numbers are telephone numbers for telephone calls during which certain services are provided, and for which prices higher than normal are charged. Unlike a normal call, part of the call charge is paid to the service provider, thus enabling businesses to be funded via the calls...
by giving psychic reading
Psychic reading
A psychic reading is a specific attempt to discern information with clairvoyance and the resulting statements made during such an attempt. The term is commonly associated with paranormal-based consultation given for a fee in such settings as over the phone, in a home, or at psychic fairs...
s.
The killing
Using the Internet, where she also advertised pornographyPornography
Pornography or porn is the explicit portrayal of sexual subject matter for the purposes of sexual arousal and erotic satisfaction.Pornography may use any of a variety of media, ranging from books, magazines, postcards, photos, sculpture, drawing, painting, animation, sound recording, film, video,...
related to unusual sexual fetishes, Lopatka searched for a man who would torture
Torture
Torture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
and kill her. After contacting several people who turned out not to be serious, she finally found someone willing to fulfill her request. Glass and Lopatka exchanged many e-mail
E-mail
Electronic mail, commonly known as email or e-mail, is a method of exchanging digital messages from an author to one or more recipients. Modern email operates across the Internet or other computer networks. Some early email systems required that the author and the recipient both be online at the...
s until they met in North Carolina, where Glass strangled Lopatka using a nylon cord after torturing her for several days.
On January 27, 2000, Glass pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter
Voluntary Manslaughter
Voluntary manslaughter is the killing of a human being in which the offender had no prior intent to kill and acted during "the heat of passion," under circumstances that would cause a reasonable person to become emotionally or mentally disturbed. In the Uniform Crime Reports prepared by the...
, as well as six counts of second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor. The latter charges resulted from child pornography
Child pornography
Child pornography refers to images or films and, in some cases, writings depicting sexually explicit activities involving a child...
found on his computer. He was sentenced to 36 to 53 months in prison for manslaughter and 21 to 26 months for possession of child pornography. On February 20, 2002, two weeks before his release, Glass suffered a heart attack and died.
The case shows some similarities to the Internet-mediated cannibalistic
Cannibalism
Cannibalism is the act or practice of humans eating the flesh of other human beings. It is also called anthropophagy...
killing of Bernd Jürgen Armando Brandes by Armin Meiwes
Armin Meiwes
Armin Meiwes is a German man who achieved international notoriety for killing and eating a voluntary victim whom he had found via the Internet. After Meiwes and the victim jointly attempted to eat the victim's severed penis, Meiwes killed his victim and proceeded to eat a large amount of his flesh...
in March 2001 in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
The case inspired a 2008 film, Downloading Nancy
Downloading Nancy
Downloading Nancy is a 2008 drama film directed by Johan Renck, starring Maria Bello and Jason Patric. The film premiered at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival, where it was nominated for a Grand Jury Prize.-Plot:From the press release:...
, which premiered at Sundance Film Festival and had a wider release in 2009. Interviews with screenwriter Lee Ross indicate he was aware of the Lopatka case and found it 'dark, horrible... and intriguing.'