Killer Secret

Ashley Benson’s stepmother, Jodie, recalls what her stepdaughter was like growing up. Jodie remembers Ashley being an outdoorsy, fun-loving and bubbly girl who could always manage to put a smile on her face. Nowadays, however, even Jodie’s positive memories about her stepdaughter are bittersweet in the wake of her horrific murder.

A ‘Romeo pimp’ is a type of sex trafficker who typically pretends to be in a legit relationship with a young, vulnerable woman, but is actually using this façade of shared intimacy in order to “groom” her for sex work. In Ashley Benson’s case, a man named Marcus Giles was thought to be acting as the Romeo pimp behind her escort activities.

Following her murder, Ashley Benson’s family characterized her as an outgoing, gregarious girl who mostly did right by herself but occasionally “lost her way.” But for Portland Police Department Detective Michele Michaels, Benson’s murder has made her wonder what it means for somebody to “lose their way” — especially when that means ending up on Backpage and getting mixed up in a world as murky, lawless and dangerous as the illicit sex industry.

Ashley Benson was found dead in the stairwell of a Portland hotel. The evidence ultimately led back to Tae Bum "Chris" Yoon, an extremely possessive client. 

"From my perspective, I have no idea what Ashley saw in Marcus,” Jodie Benson said of her stepdaughter's beau, claiming he was both violent and controlling.