(WXYZ) — It was a stunning case of online danger resulting in real-life violence here in metro Detroit. Asking not to be identified, the mother of the 14-year-old girl critically stabbed last weekin Springfield Township is now sharing a warning about how her daughter was targeted.
RELATED: Local teen stabbed for allegedly refusing to have sex with Illinois man she met online
“He just said that he was interested, you know? Because it was about video games. In general, talking about interests and stuff like that," the victim's mother said on the phone.
She says 18-year-old Julian Pinedo traveled from Illinois to her home in Springfield Township and attempted to have sex with her daughter before stabbing her multiple times when she refused. The 14-year-old victim was home alone at the time.
Her mom says Pinedo, who is now facing criminal charges behind bars, pretended to be a 16-year-old and manipulated her daughter into sharing her home address.
RELATED: $2M bond for Illinois man who stabbed Michigan teen over sex
“All he did was say, 'Hey, if I’m ever in Michigan, I’ll come and look you up and we can hang out.' That was it. General friendly talking. Nothing to exploit about sexual encounters or any of that stuff," the 14-year-old's mom said.
Retired MSP inspector Ellis Stafford is urging parents to closely monitor apps and passwords being used by children. In this case, that includes gaming sites, apps, and apps to chat about gaming.
“Be nosy. If you have a child spending an inordinate amount of time on their phone, online gaming, that should raise a red flag,” Stafford said.
He adds that kids should never give out personal information like an address.
"Never go meet anybody and use real-life examples to show your kids how these incidents have ended in tragedy," Stafford said.
Experts also suggest setting video camera settings to blurred backgrounds. That way if a child is talking to a stranger, they won't be able to tell where they are or distinguish any landmarks.
Other crucial steps parents are urged to take according to the United States Department of Justice include:
- Educating your kids that people often are not who they say they are.
- Setting limits to only talking with people parents have met personally.
- Limiting new apps or technology predators use to avoid detection.
- Watching for mood changes indicating embarrassment or stress over activity.
- Looking at chats underage children are having and for any probing questions being asked.
“You can never be sure who you are talking to as a general rule,” Stafford said.
In the case of last Tuesday's vicious stabbing, prosecutors have secured a $2 million bond for the accused attacker who allegedly made contact only days before the assault.
“It was just friendly talking like friends would do, based upon what my daughter’s interests are as video games and anime," the victim's mom said.
The 14-year-old victim is now in stable condition and is continuing her recovery.
