Who Is Desiree Staperfene and Where is She Now?

Desiree Staperfene is a 29-year-old American who will forever be remembered as the sole survivor of the traumatic and tragic incident of a double homicide/suicide that happened over 10 years ago in Livonia, Michigan, United States of America in which her 19-year-old ex-boyfriend killed Desiree’s then-boyfriend before fatally shooting himself.

However, she left the state where the incident occurred, and the only clue to her whereabouts lies in her sporadic Facebook posts, including updating her profile and cover photo in 2021. The incident, a double homicide/suicide, was instigated by Desiree’s ex-boyfriend, a troubled then 19-year-old named Brian Douglas White.

He claimed the lives of Desiree’s mother, 46-year-old Kim Angela Staperfene, and Desiree’s then-boyfriend, 19-year-old Jake Burns. Let us quickly relieve Desiree’s sad and traumatic story that shows how quickly love can turn sour and the depth of havoc a troubled mind can cause.

Desiree Staperfene Was Born In The Mid 1990s

Desiree Staperfene was born Desiree Marie Staperfene in 1995. Her exact date of birth is unknown, but her year of birth was deduced based on the fact that she was 17 years old at the time of the tragic incident in 2012. Until 2012, Desiree spent most of her life in Livonia, Michigan, so it might not be too much of a stretch to assume she was born there.

Desiree is an American citizen and belongs to the Caucasian ethnic group. Desiree Staperfene is the daughter of David Staperfene, and her mother is one of the victims of the incident that occurred in 2012. Her name was Angela Kim Staperfene, and she was 46 years old when she was brutally murdered.

Besides her parents’ identities, there is no way to determine if she has any siblings, as there was no mention of them in the aftermath of the incident. There aren’t sufficient details of Desiree Staperfene’s formal education background online. There isn’t much to doubt that she spent most of her formative years in Livonia, Michigan.

But no information clearly states where she went to school for her elementary and middle school formal education. Several sources have pointed out that she was a student at Stevenson High School. She continued her formal education at the high school until she got to her senior year in high school, and that was when things went south for Desiree and her entire family.

The Desiree Staperfene’s Story

The United States of America is a country that has witnessed a bizarre number of inexplicable violent incidents, and there are areas in the country that are notorious for hosting the sort of terrible tragedy that Desiree Staperfene bore witness to. However, where Desiree lived at the time, Livonia, Michigan, was not one of those areas prone to violent acts.

As a matter of fact, before the tragic 2012 incident, Livonia was a very serene community with no history of violence. In April 2012, the trajectory of Desiree Staperfene’s life changed forever. This change resulted from the actions of her ex-boyfriend, 19-year-old Brian Douglas White, who prematurely and brutally ended the lives of our subject’s mother, 46-year-old Angela Kim Staperfene, and her then-boyfriend, 19-year-old Jake Burns.

Brian then proceeded to take his own life before the cops arrived. Before this tragic incident, a then 17-year-old Desiree Staperfene had ended her relationship with Brian White because he was too controlling and obsessive. She then began a romantic relationship with one of the victims named Jake Burns, who was described as friendly and had a great smile by his father and brothers after the incident.

Brian, however, didn’t take too kindly to Desiree’s decision to end their relationship and even less kindly to the fact that she had found happiness in someone’s arms soon afterward. Reports showed that he was pretty obsessed with horror movies that had violent content and that he was especially enamored by one, in particular, a 2000 horror movie titled American Psycho.

Brian Made a Facebook Post a Week Before the Incident

Before carrying out his heinous crimes, White’s Facebook page was splattered with posts and images that perfectly captured his state of mind and his intent on revenge for Desiree’s rejection. These posts were there as early as March 27, 2012, one week before the sad event.

It has become quite apparent that no one paid attention to Brian’s early warning signs of borderline insanity because on the morning of the massacre, he left his house with an ax and a gun and proceeded to Desiree’s home. He arrived around 7:30 am, and his first victim was Desiree’s mother, Angela Kim Staperfene, who answered the door.

He then proceeded to Desiree’s room, where she was with her boyfriend, Jake Burns. Brian made short work of Jake with the same ax that killed Desiree’s mother, and she was forced to watch in horror while her ex-boyfriend brutally ended her boyfriend’s life at the time.

Desiree then became Brian’s hostage for a while before escaping with bruises and injuries to alert the authorities about the gruesome crime she had just witnessed. It’s important to note that at the time she made the 911 call, she was not yet aware that Brian had also murdered her mother.

So you can imagine that the trauma of watching her boyfriend hacked to death was doubled when she saw her mother’s equally ax-hacked corpse later on. Evidently, seeing that there was no way for him to escape the consequences of his gruesome actions, Brian White pointed the gun at his head. He took his own life before the police could arrive at the scene of the incident, which was the first of its kind in Livonia, Michigan.

Desiree Staperfene Was Traumatized After The Incident

As previously mentioned, Desiree Staperfene sustained some bruises and injuries but ultimately escaped with her life. However, the physical injuries were the least of her worries. In the immediate aftermath of the horror show she had just witnessed, Desiree was fortunate to have the support of her father, David Staperfene.

He, fortunately, had left for work before all hell was let loose on his wife of 21 years and his daughter and her boyfriend. He expressed how relieved he was to see that aside from the bruises and injuries treated, later on, his daughter was alive.

For Desiree, years of therapy and counseling followed to help her get over the effects and the impact which that particular dark day had had on her. It is not clear if she went back to school after that incident.

Where Is Desiree Staperfene Now?

Over ten years on from that dark day, it would appear that Desiree Staperfene has overcome the challenges that came with the traumatic effects of that horrendous incident and picked up the pieces of her life. Several reports suggest that she is married and has a daughter. However, since she left Livonia, Michigan, after the traumatic incident, her exact location in the United States is currently unknown at the moment.

Key Facts About the Desiree Staperfene Story

1. What happened in the Desiree Staperfene story? In 2012, Brian White, the ex-boyfriend of 17-year-old Desiree Staperfene, murdered her current boyfriend with an ax and then held her hostage before taking his own life.
2. Why did Brian White kill Desiree’s boyfriend and himself? Brian was obsessed with Desiree and couldn’t bear the thought of her being with someone else.
3. Did Brian White’s obsession with American Psycho have anything to do with the murders?While there were rumors that Brian was influenced by the movie American Psycho, it has not been confirmed.
4. Why did Desiree break up with Brian? Desiree broke up with Brian because of his controlling behavior.
5. How did Desiree escape from Brian? It is not clear how Desiree escaped from Brian, but she called 911 to report the incident five hours after the murders.
6. Did Desiree know that her mother had been killed before she called 911? No, Desiree found out that her mother had been killed after escaping from Brian.
7. Is there any information about Brian White’s parents? The identity of Brian’s parents has not been made public for confidentiality and security reasons.
8. Did Brian White have a criminal record prior to the incident? There is no information about Brian’s criminal record prior to the incident.
9. What lessons can we learn from the Desiree Staperfene story? We should not ignore red flags in toxic relationships and watch out for signs of mental instability in people we associate with.
10. What was the reaction of Desiree’s family to the incident? Desiree’s family released a statement expressing their gratitude that she survived the tragedy.