TikTok star Ava Majury’s stalking case against schoolmate dismissed after dad shot another alleged stalker

NAPLES, Fla. – A Florida choose on Monday dismissed a stalking case TikTok star Ava Majury introduced towards her juvenile schoolmate.

The 15-year-old lady testified in a Collier County, Florida, courtroom towards a boy from her highschool in a felony stalking case.

Her father, Rob Majury, filed the stalking grievance in January towards the juvenile from Naples, who was accused of intimidating and following Ava beginning in 2021 after a separate stalking incident.

Ava alleged that regardless of her college’s 2,300-student inhabitants, the juvenile “was at all times behind” her or in her basic neighborhood in school, “it doesn’t matter what,” through the fall 2022 semester. She accused the boy of going out of his method to comply with her round college for months and exhibiting as much as an October assembly for the ladies’ soccer workforce on which she performed regardless of not enjoying sports activities or having a connection to the workforce. 

“I used to be terrified. I took myself out of many issues that I really like. … I took myself out of soccer once we have been headed to state mid-season,” Ava stated in her Monday testimony, including that she has “nightmares about every part” and feels “scared at evening.”

Ava has since been pulled out of college.

The case follows a separate stalking incident that led to chaos in July 2021 when an alleged 18-year-old stalker named Eric Rohan Justin from Maryland confirmed as much as her Florida house with a shotgun. Her father – a former New Jersey police officer — shot and killed Justin, who had been following Ava for months on social media and hounding her for footage.

FLORIDA TIKTOK STAR WHOSE DAD GUNNED DOWN ARMED HOME INVADER TO TESTIFY AGAINST ANOTHER ALLEGED STALKER

Majury and her attorneys argued that the accused juvenile had been in communication with Justin who, in Ava’s phrases, “tried to homicide” her household.

Ava says she had blocked Justin in response to inappropriate requests for “specific content material” and that he was harassing her and her pals. She additionally blocked the accused juvenile stalker, whom she stated started to comply with her in class after the taking pictures incident in her Monday testimony. 

Ava Majury testifies in a Collier County courtroom on March 28, 2022. (Credit score: Fox Information/ Audrey Conklin)

Regardless of blocking the juvenile, she turned to him often for details about Justin as a result of she knew the 2 had been involved with one another. The juvenile despatched Ava photographs of his Snapchat conversations with Justin at her request. In a single such dialog, Justin despatched the juvenile a grape emoji with the phrase, “I wish to [grape emoji] her, bro,” which Ava defined throughout her testimony meant “rape.” Snapchat can detect written the phrase “rape” however not the grape emoji.

The boy took photographs of conversations with Justin on his telephone utilizing an iPad as a result of he did not wish to screenshot the conversations. When one Snapchat person screenshots a dialog, different customers concerned in that dialog get an alert notifying them of the screenshot. 

The juvenile’s legal professional argued that he was voluntarily sending Ava details about Justin in an try to assist her and that Ava’s testimony didn’t represent the definition of stalking.

The choose deliberated for about 10 minutes after the hour-and-a-half-long listening to, finally deciding to dismiss the case. 

Ava Majury in a Collier County courtroom on March 28, 2022. (Credit score: Fox Information/ Audrey Conklin)

The social media star stated in a February assertion posted to her Instagram that she and her household have suffered because the incident. She deleted her fundamental TikTok account, although her Instagram web page continues to be reside however inactive.

“I’m not going to let one damaging factor…cease me from doing what I really like,” she stated Monday.

The case has highlighted the hazards of social media stardom and the way it can take a toll on not solely youth psychological well being however bodily safety. 

Rob Majury and Kim Majury stated all they’ve “ever wished is one of the best for Ava.”

Ava Majury in a Collier County courtroom on March 28, 2022. (Credit score: Fox Information/ Audrey Conklin)

 “Whereas changing into social media well-known was not within the plan, we assist our daughter’s endeavors fully,” the pair stated in a February assertion. “By no means in our wildest desires did we predict a enjoyable pastime might result in a near-death expertise.”

They continued: “We implore native authorities to take this horrifying ordeal significantly and oldsters to encourage their youngsters to report suspect exercise on social media and never be complacent or, worse, complicit in threatening habits that too usually results in tragedy.”

Majury downloaded TikTok when she was 13 and started posting movies of herself dancing. By the following 12 months, she had amassed 1,000,000 followers — three quarters of them male, in line with The New York Instances. Majury instructed the outlet that she was making upwards of $1,000 for a single promotional video because of her massive following.

In 2020, more than 30% of U.S. TikTok customers are between the ages of 10 and 29, in line with Taylor Cohen, international trade strategist for TikTok US. SEO (web optimization) professional Brian Dean marked the next quantity — 47.7% of U.S. customers between the ages of 10 and 29 — in a February weblog publish.

Eight attorneys basic are investigating TikTok’s impression on youth psychological well being as Congress cracks down on the damaging results of social media on youngsters.

Fox Information’ Michael Ruiz contributed to this report.