Dominic Luis Magdaleno Accused of Violent Social Media Stalking


A 25-year-old La Habra man is suspected of having stalked more than 15 women on various social media platforms and threatening violence against them, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.

Dominic Luis Magdaleno was due in court Monday after being booked and held in lieu of half a million dollars for suspected felony stalking, felony witness intimidation and felony criminal threats.

Sheriff’s investigators in Dana Point were alerted to Magdaleno by a 19-year-old woman who alleged he had been harassing her on Instagram. That led to a six month investigation “that showed the suspect using Twitter, Instagram and Tumblr to stalk, harass and threaten multiple female victims,” reads a statement from OCSD Public Affairs Manager Jaimee Blashaw. “In some cases, the suspect threatened to sexually assault, rape and even kill the victims.”

Magdaleno allegedy sent  text messages and emails to multiple women who initially ignored “the bizarre behavior, but as it escalated, one female victim felt the suspect’s threats were credible and reported it to law enforcement,” states the OCSD.

He was confronted and arrested without incident Thursday, Dec. 7, at the La Habra Public Library.

Sheriff’s investigators fear there may be more victims and ask anyone with helpful information to contact the Orange County Sheriff’s Department at 714.647.7000. Anonymous tips may be left with Orange County Crime Stoppers at 1-855-TIP-OCCS.

In light of this case, the OCSD also released the following:

Some teens and young adults are participating in a growing trend on social media to leave their accounts public in an attempt to become “influencers”–a designation determined, in part, by the number of followers an account has. While this practice is becoming more common, it has the potential to be unsafe. The Orange County Sheriff’s Department offers these tips to ensure safe online practices:

* It is best to keep all social media accounts private and only accept friend and follow requests from people you know.

* If an account is public, do not post any personal identifying information such as your full name, phone number, address, city of residence or school.

* Do not tag your current location in photos you post online. This increases your vulnerability and the potential for being the victim of a crime.

* Keep it vague. Avoid oversharing personal details of your everyday life and routines.

* Monitor comments and messages daily and immediately report any threats of violence.

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