Sharing your living space can be a great way to save money and build friendships. Many people find lifelong pals in their roommates. But what happens when your housemate turns into a nightmare? Sometimes, the person you share your home with can make life unbearable, or even dangerous. Get ready to lock your doors, because these ten stories of roommates from hell will make you seriously consider the joys of living alone. From shocking betrayals to outright horror, these tales are not for the faint of heart.
10. The Boarding House of Unspeakable Horrors
Dorothea Puente appeared to be a caring landlady in Sacramento, California, known for taking in elderly and disabled tenants. In 1988, 52-year-old Alvaro Montoya, who struggled with mental health, became one of her boarders. He was different from her other tenants; he had an outreach counselor, Judy Moise.
When Montoya suddenly vanished, Puente claimed he’d gone on vacation. Moise, however, felt something was terribly wrong and contacted the police. An initial search of Puente’s boarding house revealed nothing. When officers asked to dig in the yard, Puente agreed, then casually asked if she could go buy coffee. Permission granted, she fled.
The digging soon unearthed a grim discovery: the bodies of seven tenants. Puente was apprehended five days later. It was revealed she had been drugging her vulnerable tenants with sleeping pills, suffocating them, and then paying convicts to bury their bodies in her yard. In 1993, Puente was convicted and received multiple life sentences, dying in prison in 2011 at age 82.
9. Deadly Disapproval: When Drink Becomes a Death Warrant
Thomas Holifield, 59, and his roommate Pamela Keltz, 64, were once best friends. However, their friendship soured due to frequent arguments over Holifield’s heavy drinking, a habit Keltz, a non-drinker, disapproved of.
The tension escalated tragically when Holifield allegedly decided to kill Keltz over her objections to his drinking. He reportedly found windshield washer fluid in Keltz’s bedroom and used it to poison her soda. Keltz was hospitalized but returned home, only for Holifield to allegedly continue poisoning her drinks.
On May 30, 2021, Holifield reportedly called the police to confess while Keltz was in intensive care. Despite doctors’ efforts after learning of the poisoning, Keltz was declared brain-dead on June 1 and taken off life support. Holifield was scheduled for a court appearance in January 2022, but further details of the case remain private.
8. Music Volume Dispute Turns Fatal in the Bronx
An argument over noise levels in a Bronx apartment in March 2022 had devastating consequences. Jonathon Hutcherson, 29, asked his roommates, Meana Torigoe, 20, and her boyfriend John Delgado, 21, to lower their music. When they ignored him, Hutcherson retaliated by turning up his own music.
This angered the couple, who allegedly burst into Hutcherson’s room. Torigoe reportedly attacked him with mace, while Delgado punched him with brass knuckles. The confrontation spilled into the living room, where Hutcherson was fatally stabbed in the chest and neck. First responders found him deceased at the scene. Both Torigoe and Delgado now face murder, manslaughter, and weapons charges.
7. Missing Food Stamps Lead to a Fiery End
In Tulsa, Oklahoma, Tracy Russell had allowed Jessica McBride, 30, and her boyfriend to live with her. However, in March 2019, Russell asked them to move out for reasons not publicly known.
When McBride returned to collect her belongings, she accused Russell of stealing her purse and food stamps. An argument ensued, during which McBride put Russell in a chokehold, killing her. McBride then left, taking her possessions.
Later, McBride asked a friend to help her set Russell’s house on fire. The friend, however, contacted the authorities. An undercover officer was involved in a sting operation. On March 20, 2019, as McBride, the friend, and the undercover officer arrived at Russell’s home, McBride was caught carrying lighter fluid and gas camp fuel. She entered the house through a window, intending to start a fire, but was arrested. She faces up to 15 years in federal prison.
6. A Mother Killed During a Twisted Prayer
In November 2021, Gloria Farmer was living with her daughter, Gloria Ann Jordan, and another roommate. The situation took a bizarre and fatal turn when Jordan approached her mother, who was sitting in an office chair. Muttering a prayer, Jordan placed her hand on Farmer’s forehead and pushed until the chair tipped over backward.
Jordan, weighing 170 pounds, then sat on her mother’s chest in a prayer position. Despite Farmer’s and the other roommate’s attempts to move her, Jordan remained on her mother until Farmer stopped breathing. The cause of death was determined to be mechanical asphyxiation.
Police initially thought Farmer’s death resulted from medical issues. However, a concerned friend prompted a re-interview of the other roommate, who then revealed what truly happened, admitting she was initially too scared of Jordan to speak out. Farmer’s death was ruled a homicide, and Jordan was charged with assault causing bodily injury in a domestic incident.
5. Student Roommate Quarrel Escalates to Murder
Alexis Crawford, a student at Clark Atlanta University in 2019, shared a room with Jordyn Jones. Their relationship became strained after Crawford reported to police on October 26, 2019, that she had been sexually assaulted by Jones’s boyfriend, Barron Brantley, after a night of drinking.
Despite the tension, on October 30, Crawford asked Jones to accompany her to a liquor store. Two days later, Crawford’s family reported her missing. It emerged that after their late-night liquor run, Crawford and Jones had a physical fight in their apartment. Brantley intervened and choked Crawford until she died. Jones and Brantley then placed Crawford’s body in a plastic bin and disposed of it in a park. A week later, both were arrested and charged with felony murder. Despite confessing, no trial date has been set.
4. Ex-Power Ranger’s Argument Turns Deadly
Ricardo Medina Jr., known for his role in the Power Rangers TV series, found himself in a real-life tragedy in 2015. An argument with his roommate, 38-year-old Joshua Sutter, over Medina’s girlfriend at their Los Angeles home escalated violently.
The dispute intensified, prompting Medina and his girlfriend to retreat to his bedroom and lock the door. However, Sutter forced the door open. Medina then grabbed a sword and fatally stabbed Sutter. Initially charged with murder, Medina claimed self-defense. In March 2017, he pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and was sentenced to six years in prison.
3. Sleepwalking Defense in a Brutal Roommate Slaying
Randy Herman Jr. and his best friend, Brooke Preston, lived together in West Palm Beach. Their arrangement soured after Herman quit his job and relapsed into heavy drinking and drug use. Preston eventually moved to New York to live with her boyfriend.
In March 2017, Preston met up with Herman. He became heavily intoxicated and aggressive, causing Preston to leave for the night. The next morning, she returned to Herman’s home to retrieve a T-shirt. He pointed to his dresser and went back to sleep. Less than half an hour later, Herman awoke to find himself holding a hunting knife, with Preston dead on the floor, stabbed over 20 times and her throat slashed.
Herman called 911, confessing to killing his friend. He was arrested and charged with first-degree murder. He pleaded not guilty, claiming he was sleepwalking during the attack. This defense was rejected, and in May 2019, Herman was sentenced to life in prison.
2. The Serial Squatter Who Terrorized His Way to Tragedy
Jamison Bachman was a gifted student who attended prestigious universities but failed his bar exam. He then used his legal knowledge to con and torment numerous roommates. His pattern involved moving in, refusing to pay rent or bills, and making life miserable for his housemates, sometimes even trying to get them evicted.
In 2017, Alex Miller advertised for a roommate on Craigslist and Bachman, using the alias Jed Creek, responded. Initially, things were fine, but soon Bachman started withholding payments and stealing Miller’s belongings. Miller discovered his true identity and his history of similar offenses, then contacted the police and demanded he leave. The next morning, Bachman attacked Miller, stabbing her. She called the police, and he was arrested. His brother, Harry, bailed him out.
In a shocking escalation, Bachman then murdered his brother Harry by beating him to death, stole his credit card, and fled in his sister-in-law’s car. He was later found by police and charged with first and third-degree murder. Before he could stand trial, Jamison Bachman committed suicide by hanging himself in his jail cell.
1. Famous Actor’s Ex-Boyfriend’s Violent Downfall
Johnny Lewis was a promising actor, known for his role in Sons of Anarchy and for dating pop star Katy Perry. He left Sons of Anarchy in 2009 due to concerns about the show’s violent storylines. In April 2009, he moved into “The Writer’s Villa” in Los Angeles, a residence for creative individuals run by 81-year-old Kathy Davis, with whom Lewis initially had a good relationship.
However, a serious motorcycle accident led to increasingly erratic and strange behavior. Lewis was arrested multiple times and spent time in a psychiatric unit. After a period living with his parents, Lewis decided to move back into The Writer’s Villa.
On September 26, 2012, tragedy struck. Lewis brutally murdered his landlady, Kathy Davis, by beating and strangling her. He then climbed to the roof or a high patio and fell to his death. It’s unclear if he jumped or slipped, but his death was ruled accidental. Though drug use was suspected, toxicology reports were negative. Some theorize an undiagnosed brain injury from his motorcycle crash contributed to his violent behavior. The Writer’s Villa is still maintained by Davis’s daughter but is no longer rented out.
These ten accounts are a chilling reminder that not all roommate situations end in friendship. While sharing a home can have its benefits, these stories certainly make a strong case for the peace and security of living alone. Sometimes, your own space is truly the safest space.
What’s your worst roommate story, or do these tales make you glad you live alone? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below!
