A TikTok user named Phoenix recently sparked concern after revealing her engagement to Blaec Lammers, a man who served 13 years in prison for planning attacks on a Walmart and movie theater. The couple has known each other for only six weeks.
In 2012, Lammers was arrested after his mother discovered receipts for two AR-15 r*fles and contacted authorities.
According to Phoenix’s videos, he had planned to carry out his attack during the opening weekend of the Twilight movie premiere because it was “the biggest premiere at the time,” meaning larger crowds. He had purchased weapons and engaged in target practice before being apprehended.
The pair met on Tinder shortly after his release from prison. Within six weeks, they became engaged and moved in together. Phoenix has since posted multiple videos defending her fiancé, arguing that he shouldn’t feel significant regret because no one was physically harmed.
“I’m not sure exactly how much regret you can have when no one got hurt,” Phoenix said in one video. “I think we’ve all thought bad things at one point or another.”
She claims the United States was going through a difficult period in 2012, the same year as the Sandy Hook tragedy, and authorities wanted to make an example of him. Phoenix insists Lammers didn’t actually have a concrete plan, despite his weapons purchase and practice sessions.
“When you make a plan, you have steps towards a goal. He did not even have those,” she explained.
Critics online have expressed serious concerns about the relationship’s rapid progression and Phoenix’s dismissal of the red flags. The situation took another turn when Phoenix revealed that Lammers immediately asked whether she would be compensated for her viral videos and requested she reach 10,000 followers. He also expressed interest in starting his own podcast.
Phoenix acknowledged having personal experience with online harassment, including receiving threatening messages from a previous viral video that caused her to have “a complete mental breakdown.” Despite this, she initially thought sharing Blaec’s story would receive positive attention and help launch his podcast aspirations.
After facing intense scrutiny and having personal information shared during an online session, Phoenix defended staying in the relationship, claiming Blake is “the sweetest, respectful, softest man” she has been with. She maintains that had people actually been harmed, her perspective would be different, but believes he didn’t deserve his 13-year sentence.
