In July 2002, about a month after the sentencing of Byron Case, a student newspaper of a local community college ran an article about the murder trial,¹ using Case's mother as its sole source; it checked no other sources, sought no opposing viewpoint, and repeated unverifiable slander against Kelly Moffett, the trial's prime eyewitness. One of the central points of the story is this statement:

"Friends of Case and Moffett say she was very bitter over the break-up. They heard her say she was going to make Case's life a 'living hell.' Case would tell you from where he sits, behind bars and sentenced to life in prison without parole, that in that, she succeeded."

On the witness stand at his trial, Case made a number of completely unverified and unverifiable statements about his accuser being his "traditional psychotic ex-girlfriend",² but made no claims and presented no evidence at any time during the trial that she had ever threatened him in any such a manner, nor did he produce any witness to such a threat.

In fact, it is highly unlikely that these "friends" who were alledged to have heard the "threat" ever existed. Other than Justin Bruton, who introduced Case to Moffett, and Anastasia, who also became friends with her, none of Case's friends could testify that they knew Moffett at all. Case and Moffett had no close mutual friends beyond Justin and Anastasia, as he apparently kept their relationship compartmentalized from the rest of his life. When challenged to produce these alleged witnesses, Case's web site instead rewrote the accusation to the effect that he had been threatened directly by Moffett in private, never even attempting to explain why they cited witnesses and then made the accusaion first person, and therefore unverifiable.

The truth is that Case always made a point of holding his girlfriend apart from his other friends and acquaintances, and told them unverifiable stories about her when she was not present; he told his mother (among others) that her father was a violent alcoholic who beat her,² but never once had her confirm the story. Anastasia reported in her diary that she had been told by Case when she first met his girlfriend that he had said she was a "smack whore" at 13 and that he was trying to "rescue" her; Anastasia quickly came to disbelieve that story.

In short, no, no such threat was ever made by Moffett against Case. The claim that there was ever such a threat made was entirely Case's own creation, a lie pure and simple, believed and promulgated only by his most evangelical supporters and followers. The claim was first after the killer's conviction, claiming that mutual friends of his and his accuser informed him of the "threat" after the trial. Later, when unable to produce or even name any such mutual friends, he then claimed that the threat had been made directly to him, though he has never adequately explained why he failed to bring it up during his trial. The only conclusion that can be drawn is that Case fabricated Moffett's "motive" out of whole cloth.