Man beats roommate to death over beer

Justin Vankirk (Photo Source: ALLEGHENY COUNTY POLICE)
Justin Vankirk (Photo Source: ALLEGHENY COUNTY POLICE)

Having a roommate can lead to a confrontation over sharing. For one man, it led to a vicious murder. Police in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania say Justin Vankirk, 34, became enraged that his roommate Charles Parker drank some of the beer he purchased. A heated argument ensued and Vankirk punched and kicked his roommate to death. After he killed the man, Vankirk took pictures of his roommate’s body on his cellphone before dragging the body into a bedroom in the apartment.

Vankirk called the police the next day and stated that his roommate had died. When police arrived and found the body, they began to question Vankirk about what happened. Vankirk changed his story multiple times before finally confessing that he killed his roommate after the man drank his beer without permission. He told police that he dragged his roommate’s body into the bedroom “because he did not want any blood to get on the carpet.” At the time of his arrest, Vankirk had his victim’s blood splattered on the shoes he was wearing. Investigators searched Vankirk’s cellphone and found a photo on it of Parker lying lifeless on the dining room floor.


Vankirk now faces murder charges over his actions. In a bizarre twist, a Facebook post by Vankirk included an article titled “Website can tell you if anyone died in your home” from October 29, 2016. Vankirk killed his roommate two days later on Halloween.

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