Derrick Jones, 20, of Glenolden, pleaded guilty to more than a dozen charges in September 2018, admitting that while in high school, he posed as a girl named Haley online and convinced boys to send him nude photos and videos.
Months after he turned 18, Jones threatened some of those boys that he would make the photos public if they didn't send more.
At his sentencing, one of his victims testified he sent the photos to what he thought was girl when he was 14. But then several years later, after he refused to send more, Jones created an Instagram account with the victim's nude photos and sent an invite to hundreds of people, including the victim’s sister, aunt, and father, along with classmates and friends.
He said he was strong enough to survive — he even went to school the next day — but he looked at the defendant and said, "You could have killed me, Derrick."
The mother of another victim testified, saying her son is on the autism spectrum. She believes Jones targeted her son because of his social awkwardness.
But a defense expert testified Jones also has autism and was undiagnosed, which could explain the empathy he lacks for his victims. The expert told the judge he feared Jones would be unable to survive in prison because of the disorder, whether he would be hurt by someone else because an inability to read social cues or whether he would harm himself.