'Breaking Bad' Influenced Teen To Kill Drug Dealer, Attempted To Melt Body With Acid

Trying to copy the protagonists of the show "Breaking Bad," 19-year-old George Knights tried to melt his victim’s body in acid.

The teen is accused of killing a drug dealer, Stephen Chapman, in October 2020. He then proceeded to take a cue from the show and try to dissolve the man’s body in a garbage bin with sulfuric acid. At Maidstone Crown Court the resident of Rochester, Kent, United Kingdom, claimed that he acted in self-defense.

On Oct. 23, 2020, Knights met with Chapman in his family home. The teen was alone at home when he met the 38-year-old drug dealer to buy cocaine. After the two met, their interaction turned violent. Knights ended up stabbing the older man in the head with his father’s double-edged Royal Marine dagger.

The court on Wednesday, June 2 heard Knights recall the events of the day. He said that the older man had threatened him by saying that one phone call could teach the teen a lesson. Fearing for his life, the then 18-year-old armed himself with the dagger, The Mirror reported. He claims that the older man attacked him first. He punched him and tried to stab him after finding the dagger. However, the teen claims that he managed to overpower him and stab him in the head.

When asked why he did not call the police after the incident, he claimed he was scared. He said he was worried Chapman’s associates would attack him and his family.

Deciding to cover up his crime, he reconstructed the body disposal method used by the fictional character Walter White in "Breaking Bad." After searching up the kind of plastic that would withstand sulfuric acid, he used a wheelie bin. He dumped the body in the bid and poured sulfuric acid.

The teen claims that he was in a state of panic so he did not even put on a gas mask before starting his disposal efforts. He told the court that he had been trying to make amphetamines in his home. He claims he did not get the idea from the show. He already had the sulfuric acid at home, which he was using in his efforts to make drugs, Kent Online reported.

On Oct. 25, 2020, days after Chapman had been reported missing by his family, his body was found. The decomposing body was found in the wheelie bin with the dagger lodged in the skull.

The teenager admitted to selling and buying drugs. He also said that after the murder he binged on alcohol and drugs to cope with the incident. The trial continues.