A New York City man whose Facebook profile includes references to “drinking human blood” and “human sacrifice” was charged today with sending harassing and frightening text messages and voicemails to a 25-year-old fitness instructor he met at a downtown Boston bar.
Christopher Cori, 21, of Queens, N.Y., pleaded not guilty in Brighton District Court to charges including criminal harassment and making threats to kill. He was ordered held on $100,000 bail and sent to Bridgewater State Hospital for mental health evaluation.
The woman told police that she met Cori at a Faneuil Hall bar earlier this month and gave him her business card when he said he was interested in fitness lessons. She initially became concerned when Cori began playing with a knife and gave her a bronze pocket watch, according to a police report.
Those concerns turned into fear for her life when she began receiving threatening voicemails and text messages from two phones that police traced to Cori and a relative.
One of the text messages said “How would you like to find out what it’s like to be burned alive,” according to a police report.
The woman then went to police to report the messages.
“This is a serious case. The victim is in very significant fear for her life,” said Assistant District Attorney Luke Goldworm.
Cori’s attorney, Patrick Sheehan, did not argue the amount of bail and reserved the right to do so at a later hearing. He would not comment to a reporter as he left the courthouse.
Prosecutors said Cori has a minor police record in New York that included drug charges.
Cori’s Facebook profile includes multiple references to Satan worshiping. A status update contains only the number “666.” In his activities he lists “psychic vampirism” and his interests includes “deflowering virgins.” He is also a member of a Meetup.com group called “NYC Satanists, Luciferians, Dark Pagans, and LHP Occultists.”
Police said they tried to contact and he eventually called a detective back. He told them that he spends weekends at a Cambridge hotel.
The woman attended the arraignment with her father.
Cori is due back in court next month.
