Dana Martin, a convicted sex offender currently serving two life sentences for the 2000 rape and murder of 15-year-old DeAndra Florucci, developed a horrifying plan. He had visions of kidnapping dreamboat pop sensation Justin Bieber. Unfortunately, Martin’s fixation on the young star inspired a sickening storyline. He concocted a horrific plot to castrate and kill Bieber, demonstrating the depths at which he was willing to sink in order to act on his warped fantasies.
Martin, incarcerated in a Las Cruces, New Mexico jail, became infatuated with Bieber. In a lavish twist, the Broadway actor caught the full strain of the “Bieber fever” that afflicts die-hard fans. So he started sending letters to the then-18-year-old music prodigy but was deeply discouraged when his letters weren’t answered. This perceived neglect incited Martin’s dark intentions, leading him to orchestrate a plot that would ultimately involve two accomplices: Mark Staake and Tanner Ruane.
Martin orchestrated this monstrous crime by giving Staake and Ruane a hit list. He didn’t just entice them — he provided the crime tools they needed to commit the criminal enterprise. Among these items, hand-held hedge clippers, used for performing castrations. Martin’s plan was no mere pipe dream. Then he carefully filed it away, dead certain that it was the route to the stardom he craved.
On November 19th 2012, U.S. Border Patrol caught Staake and Ruane. They had been attempting to get back to Vermont after taking a wrong turn and unwittingly crossing into Canada. While they were detaining them, law enforcement was able to find the equipment that was meant to be used in the kidnapping and murder. Sergeant Edgar Pinon, of the New Mexico Department of Corrections, discussed conducting vehicle stops. During that search, they discovered the shears and neckties.
Martin’s passion for Bieber went beyond just fandom. According to Pinon, “One morning, he wanted to talk to me personally, in private. Right away, he started talking about his tattoo of Justin Bieber.” Martin frequently expressed his desire to make contact with the pop star, expressing a need for recognition: “I’m a nobody in prison. I want Justin Bieber to know who I am. It’s crazy, isn’t it?”
In extended interviews with police investigators, Martin was honest about what he was trying to do. He stated, “There’s these people I wanted to get killed,” explaining that his ultimate goal was kidnapping Bieber. He elaborated on his motivations: “What we wanted to do for possible notoriety… I was going on the hope that, ‘Oh, they’re just going to go up there and kill a couple people in Vermont, so they can probably head out to wherever Bieber is.’”
In 2014, Ruane was found guilty of conspiracy to commit murder from the evidence that was gathered in the course of their arrest. Meanwhile, Martin boasted about his failed plot, claiming, “I completely got away with putting a hit on Justin Bieber.” Statements like these only fueled fears not just about his mental health, but the dangerous nature that his obsession took.
In response to these incidents, in 2013 prison authorities moved Martin to the state’s maximum security New Mexico State Penitentiary. He’s still incarcerated there today. His case is revealing the darker side of celebrity culture. It features a cautionary tale of what happens when someone takes their obsession with public figures to the horror movie level.
