Virginia TV Shooter Vester Flanagan Worked As A Male Escort In The '90s
Vester Flanagan, the disgruntled former local TV news anchor who committed suicide after murdering two of his former colleagues during a live broadcast yesterday morning, reportedly worked as an escort in the mid '90s.
Flanagan, who went by the name Bryce Williams on air, alleged in a 23-page manifesto he faxed to ABC News yesterday morning that he was the target of racist and anti-gay harassment during his tenure at WDBJ7 in Roanoke, Virginia, before he was fired in 2013. Internal WDBJ7 memos released in the last 24 hours have proven Flanagan's claims were unfounded and he was fired for poor work performance.
While briefly on the run, Flanagan tweeted several times between the murders and his apparent suicide. With global attention focused on his now-suspended Twitter account, his entire timeline was examined and sensationalized by some media outlets.
It was discovered that, in an August 19 tweet, Flanagan claimed he'd spent time working as "a high paid 'companion.'" "You wish u could too!! Lol," he wrote.
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In another tweet, Flanagan uploaded four pictures that appear to be shots he could have used to advertise his services.
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Speaking with sources once close with Flanagan, People confirmed yesterday that he did, in fact, work as a male escort out of necessity between 1995 and 1997. According to the magazine, he "frequented several America Online chat rooms geared towards casual hookups."
"In his profile, he had a lot of dollar signs, and that was a sign to the people he was chatting with that he was willing to hook up for money," said a family member. "He kept it a secret from his parents, but he did tell a few other family members in his generation who he thought might accept it. I won't say he was proud of it, but he wasn't ashamed, either."
"He couldn't tell everyone about it," the family member added, noting the family were devout Jehovah's Witnesses. "It was a secret that only a few people knew." While the sources didn't indicate whether he offered his services exclusively to men or women, or both, Flanagan was apparently openly gay to coworkers and close friends.
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It was a "dark period" in his life, according to childhood friend Shaun Barton, who said Flanagan had "a lot of dark periods in his life." "He said he did what he had to do."
According to Flanagan's manifesto, the murders of 24-year-old reporter Alison Parker and 27-year-old cameraman Adam Ward were racially motivated and inspired directly by the recent Charleston church shooting.
As of Wednesday evening, Flanagan's third victim, local tourism executive Vicki Gardner, was in stable condition and recovering from surgery due to a gunshot wound to her back.
