How Dangerous is Scarfing in Virginia?
This is the question I wonder this afternoon as I read the Richmond Times-Dispatch article about Benjamin Fawley. He is charged with murder in the death of Taylor Behl, last October’s missing college co-ed of the month.
I ask this as scarfing is what Ms. Behl died of. See, she and Mr. Fawley were into scarfing, or erotic asphyxiation, consentual scarfing that is. To quote the Times-Dispatch:
He told police Behl died accidentally Sept. 6 during a consensual sexual encounter when he restricted her breathing.
Tomorrow we’ll learn if the plea agreement for Mr. Fawley to plead guilty to second-degree murder will be about scarfing, their consensual sex act, or his post-choke cover-up.
If scarfing, which I expect, Virginia will be on its usual pseudo-religious crusade to ban anything but straight vanilla sex. Kinky people, time to flee. Gays already have.
If the post-choke cover-up, which included burying her body in duct tape and plastic, then there might just be some sanity left in the Commonwealth after all. He should’ve called 911 when she stopped responding, not dumped her body in the woods.
More Times-Dispatch coverage of the Taylor Marie Behl case
Erotic Asphyxiation is dangerous *no matter where you do it*, Wayan. If he did nothing while she died, he deserves jail, no matter the jurisdiction.
uh, yeah, Tom, that’s what I said. While I don’t agree with scarfing, its not my thing, I do not think that consensual kinky sex gone wrong should be murder. Manslaughter, maybe, but not murder.
Covering up the accident – a guilty conscious maybe? – is an issue. Not sure the legal ramifications of it, but yes Tom, if he did nothing while she died, he does deserve jail, no matter the jurisdiction.
It’s the depraved indifference clause for murder, wayan, he acted with depraved indifference during her death, thus justifying the murder charge, as opposed to the manslaughter charge.
Plus, it’s part of a plea deal that gets him off federal charges for kiddy porn, I’d expect there to be some sacrifice.
From today’s Times-Dispatch:
“Richmonder Benjamin Fawley is expected to receive a 30-year prison sentence today as part of a plea agreement in the death of Virginia Commonwealth University freshman Taylor Behl, sources told The Times-Dispatch.
Fawley, a 39-year-old amateur photographer, signed the agreement to plead to second-degree murder yesterday in the Middle Peninsula Regional Jail in Saluda. It is expected to be finalized at a hearing this afternoon in Mathews County Circuit Court.”