Some dating app encounters can lead to love, others to heartbreak—but for two men in San Antonio, their fateful meetings with a man they met on Grindr turned into something far more sinister. Enter Jer Auntey Bernard Pleasant, a 25-year-old whose dating history has led him down a dark path. With chilling precision, Pleasant used the very thing that many of us turn to for companionship—dating apps (especially Grindr)—only to lure victims into deadly encounters.
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The First Murder: A Lethal Meeting on Grindr
In March 2022, Pleasant’s first victim was lured under the guise of a promising connection. What should have been a casual meet-up turned deadly when Pleasant, posing as “Derek,” shot and killed his victim during an attempted robbery. Authorities say the victim met Pleasant through Grindr, but sadly, that would be the last “match” the victim would ever make.
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A Pattern of Death: Two Murders in Two Days
Fast forward to April 2023, when Pleasant, showing no remorse, repeated his deadly pattern by murdering two men in just two days. These were no ordinary killings, though. Police quickly made connections between the murders—thanks to some very telling evidence. What stood out most were the fingerprints left on condom wrappers, a detail that, in any other case, might seem irrelevant but here played a pivotal role. Pleasant’s fingerprints were found at both crime scenes, and ballistics confirmed the same weapon was used in each murder. Turns out, condoms aren’t just for safe sex—sometimes, they’re the clue that helps put away a killer.
Justice Served, But the Trauma Lingers
Pleasant’s victims, Joseph Quinton West, 22, and 54-year-old Larry Wilson, were both active on Grindr and met Pleasant under the alias “Derek.” The timeline of events is hauntingly similar: one victim shot and killed while sitting in his car, and the other murdered in his apartment, both after being promised a date with the man behind the screen. The terrifyingly methodical nature of Pleasant’s crimes suggested that this wasn’t a case of a crime of passion. No, this was a cold-blooded killer using the internet as his hunting ground.
Ultimately, on March 6, 2026, Jer Auntey Pleasant was convicted and sentenced to four concurrent 50-year sentences. That’s 200 years of separation from the community, and while that may seem like justice, it’s cold comfort to the families who lost loved ones to this senseless violence. This case serves as a chilling reminder that not all connections online are as innocent as they seem—and sometimes, the risks behind a “hook-up” are far deadlier than we could ever imagine.
While this case is both tragic and appalling, it also underscores the importance of caution in online dating. In a world where social apps like Grindr, Tinder, and others are used daily, a healthy dose of skepticism isn’t paranoia—it’s survival. If only these victims had known what we all now do: not everyone you meet online is looking for love. Some, like Jer Auntey Pleasant, are only looking for their next victim.
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Source: Law & Crime and News4 San Antonio