Porn Performer and Rapper Used Dating App to Rob, Kill Gay Man

Wayne County prosecutors charged an amateur porn performer and rapper with the first-degree murder of a Detroit man he specifically targeted using a dating app. According to prosecutors, Diabolique Paris Johnson, 34, murdered Joshua J. Smelser, 39, on September 5 of last year after using a dating app to meet in the victim's home. The charges are the first brought with help of the Fair Michigan Justice Project, a collaborative effort with the Wayne County's Prosecutor's office to focus on homicides and other capital crimes committed against the LGBTQ+ community.

"I'm proud to stand with Prosecutor Worthy and the Fair Michigan Justice Project to announce these charges today," Attorney General Dana Nessel said in a statement announcing the charges. "It's my hope that this case marks the beginning of a long partnership focused on providing justice to some of our most vulnerable communities."

According to prosecutors, Johnson murdered Smelser during an armed robbery on September 5 after using a dating app to target the victim. Neighbors and family told WDIV-TVSmelser had moved to Detroit only six months earlier. They said they heard multiple gunshots and then saw a person leaving Smelser's home with a backpack which prosecutors alleged contained the dead man's laptop, phone, and credit cards. Smelser's neighbors gave chase but lost the man in the dark. Police say multiple cameras captured video and audio of the murder.

Prosecutors had earlier charged Johnson with a September 1 robbery in Detroit after again using a dating app to find his victim. They said Johnson specifically targeted members of the LGBTQ+ community, and prosecutors promised more evidence will be placed on the record at a later hearing.

"It is troubling that the perpetrator of these vicious acts apparently used online dating apps to locate and target his victims," Alanna Maguire, president of the Fair Michigan Justice Project, said in a statement. "Michigan's LGBTQ communities know that the Fair Michigan Justice Project, along with Michigan's county prosecutors and law enforcement officials, stand ready to aggressively investigate and prosecute these brutal crimes."

Johnson raps using the name Chuck Da MF Buck while he is known as Chuck Da Dollasign while performing in adult films either solo or with women.

Friends and family remember Smelser as a "loving son, brother, and pet parent" and set up a GoFundMe page to help with related expenses, with any additional funds going to fund various local causes relating to his love of animals and music.

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