A Normal Afternoon Turns Dark
On July 27, 2019, at approximately 3:30 PM, 22-year-old college student Nicole logged into her gaming computer from her bedroom in North Carolina. She had spent the morning and early afternoon studying, but now it was time to relax and play her favorite game—Perfect World, an online multiplayer combat game inspired by Chinese mythology.
Perfect World was a niche game with a small but dedicated community. Nicole had been playing it daily for years, forming friendships with about a dozen other players from around the world. They stayed connected outside of the game via Discord, where they discussed strategies, shared experiences, and bonded over their mutual love for the game.
The Return of a Notorious Troll
Upon logging in, Nicole noticed that several of her friends were already active in the Discord server, engaged in a conversation about a user named Menhaz. Known as a notorious troll, Menhaz frequently made offensive remarks just to get reactions from others. Because of his behavior, he had previously been banned from both the game and the Discord server. However, each time, he managed to convince the moderators to let him back in with promises of better behavior.
On this particular day, Nicole scrolled through the chat and saw that Menhaz was discussing a so-called “brilliant” four-step plan that he claimed would change his life forever. His statements were outlandish and seemingly impossible, even by his trolling standards. Most members dismissed it as yet another one of his jokes. Nicole, too, rolled her eyes, ignored him, and went back to playing Perfect World.
A Disturbing Turn of Events
An hour later, Nicole noticed a surge of new notifications on Discord. Curious, she reopened the chat and saw that Menhaz had posted a picture, claiming it was proof that he had completed the first step of his plan. The image was shocking, but most members, including Nicole, assumed it was fake—perhaps an AI-generated image or something he had pulled from the internet.
Then came the second image, marking the completion of step two. Now, skepticism began to turn into unease. Nicole decided to reverse image search both photos, expecting to find them sourced from an obscure website. However, to her horror, nothing came up. This suggested that the images were real and possibly taken by Menhaz himself.
A Community Takes Action
By this point, the Discord server was divided—half of the members believed Menhaz was still trolling, while the other half feared that he was actually executing his sinister plan. Realizing the severity of the situation, one member contacted their local police, but without concrete details such as Menhaz’s real identity or location, authorities could do little.
Determined to uncover the truth, Nicole and a few other members started an investigation of their own. They combed through old chat logs, searching for clues. They discovered that Menhaz had once mentioned that his real first name was indeed Menhaz. Additionally, he often referenced Eastern Standard Time when planning his gaming sessions, suggesting that he lived in a region covered by that time zone, including the East Coast of the U.S. and parts of Canada.
Using their collective skills, the group managed to track Menhaz’s IP address to Toronto, Canada. However, the realization came too late—Menhaz had already posted a third image, seemingly confirming the completion of step three of his plan.
A Race Against Time
Panic set in as the community debated whether to alert the Toronto police. One member pointed out that tracking an IP address wasn’t foolproof, as VPNs could easily mask locations. With no concrete address, law enforcement would be unable to take immediate action. Meanwhile, Menhaz continued to escalate the situation, warning that he would complete step four within 30 minutes.
Desperation filled the chat as members begged him to stop. They pleaded, argued, and tried to reason with him. But Menhaz remained resolute.
Thirty minutes later, he sent the final image, confirming that his four-step plan was complete.
The Grim Reality
The next day, on July 28, 2019, at approximately 3:30 PM, police officers arrived at a home in Markham, a small town just north of Toronto. When they knocked, Menhaz calmly answered the door, his expression neutral. When asked what was going on, he simply replied, “You’ll see.”
As officers entered the home, they discovered a horrific scene. Menhaz had not been trolling—his posts were real. Over the course of a single day, he had methodically murdered his entire family: his mother, grandmother, sister, and father. His weapon of choice was a crowbar, followed by a knife to their throats. He had killed them to prevent them from discovering the truth—that he had been lying about his education for four years. Instead of attending university, he spent his days at the mall and his nights immersed in Perfect World.
Justice Served
Menhaz Zaman was arrested and later pleaded guilty to four counts of first-degree murder. He was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 40 years.
A Haunting Lesson
This case serves as a chilling reminder of the dark realities that can lurk behind online personas. While internet communities can provide support and camaraderie, they can also serve as platforms for deception and, in rare cases, horrific crimes.
Nicole and the other members of the Discord server were left grappling with the horrifying realization that they had unwittingly witnessed a murderer documenting his crime in real-time. They had tried to act, but without enough information, they were powerless to stop it.
The story of Menhaz Zaman is a tragic cautionary tale about the consequences of unchecked deception, the importance of vigilance in online spaces, and the eerie ways in which digital lives can intersect with real-world horror.