British Man Convicted of Attempted Murder After Posing as Bring Me the Horizon Frontman

British McDonald's worker David Russell, 20, pretended to be lead singer Oliver Sykes of UK metal band Bring Me the Horizon in order to meet an American woman whom he repeatedly stabbed and slit her throat.

Russell has been sent to prison for life for attempted murder and calculated kidnapping of Maricar Benedicto, 19, from California, according to the Daily Mail.

Prosecutor Christopher Donnellan told the court of the horrific account between Russell and Benedicto. "He asked her to sit down on a fallen tree trunk and said he was going to blindfold her and said she would get a surprise or a present. He stood behind her, blindfolded her, asked her to put her head back, and her arms up. She did so with her palms up, entirely trusting him. Although she did not see any implement because of the blindfold, the next thing she felt was her neck being sliced."

Donnellan continues, "He turned to run away but he caught up and stabbed her in the back. The victim was then stabbed three more times, hit in the face with a log, and headbutted. She said she gave his name and address to immigration upon arrival. It was true and it worked."

Russell's Defense Lawyer stated, "Tragic above all for the victim and tragic for Mr. Russell who for 19 years until this offense led a blameless and hard-working life. He is a troubled young man, very young, who committed an act in bizarre circumstances, never to be repeated."

Russell will serve a minimum of 17 and a half years in prison after being sentenced yesterday (Oct. 5) at Northampton Crown Court.

The real Oliver Sykes commented on the tragedy by saying, "I woke up to the news in L.A., and didn't really believe it at first. It's very unsettling. I'm aware that people have used my identity for pranks and whatever, which has always been something that's been uncomfortable for me, but for something like this to happen is terrifying."

The Bring Me the Horizon frontman continues, "My heart goes out to Maricar and hope she recovers soon. I would also urge anyone using social networking sites about a really great foundation called the Carly Ryan Foundation (carlyryanfoundation.com). Carly suffered a fate worse even worse than this case but the story isn't worlds apart. The foundation was set up to raise awareness and educate people on the risks of meeting people online."