Trey Sesler Went by Mr. Anime on YouTube, but the Fun Ended When His Family Was Killed
In the months leading up to the murders, Trey Sesler's YouTube videos shifted from funny to frightening.
Jun. 24 2024, Published 5:25 p.m. ET
Before Trey Sesler's name would be synonymous with violence and paranoia, Texas Monthly says he spent his time reviewing Japanese animation on YouTube under the username Mr. Anime. On his since deactivated account, the Waller, Texas native would review anime films, discuss characters, and even fake interviews that involved Sesler cutting back and forth to said characters on screen. Sesler was upbeat and goofy on the channel he started in 2005 when YouTube was still in its infancy.
Six years into his hobby, Sesler began to change. His videos strayed further and further away from the anime he adored, and veered into dangerous and paranoid territory. Then in March 2012, things took an extremely harrowing turn which resulted in the deaths of three people. Where is Trey Sesler now? Here's what we know.
Where is Trey Sesler now? He's in prison and will be for the rest of his life.
According to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Sesler is currently incarcerated at the Charles T. Terrell Unit in Rosharon, Texas. On Aug. 3, 2012, he pled guilty to the murders of his mother, father, and brother which he carried out five months prior, per ABC 7.
He was immediately sentenced to life without the possibility of parole but it wasn't what the small community was hoping would happen. The outlet spoke with several Waller residents who were not afraid to share their frustration. "People are going to be happy that justice is served, but they're not going to be happy with how it's served," said one man. Another man by the name of Logan Peavy thinks Sesler should have gotten the death penalty because what he did was clearly premeditated.
Waller Police Chief Phil Rehak told KHOU-11 that he believed the dissatisfied people of Waller might at least feel some sort of closure. "Is there justice in a case like this?" he asked. "I don't know."
What did Trey Sesler do?
Sesler was definitely someone who stood out in a town with a population of less than 3,000 in 2012. He was tall, gangly, a bit odd, but wasn't a lone wolf. Tara Sandoval went to high school with Sesler, and she told the Houston Chronicle that while he wasn't the most popular kid in school, he had a small group of friends who were into movies and animation.
By all accounts, Sesler came from a normal, loving family. His father, Lawton Sesler, was a fifth-grade teacher in the Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District while his mother Rhonda worked at The Waller Times. Sesler's older brother Mark, 26, often made cameos in his younger brother's films. The only thing that really gave people pause when it came to Sesler's behavior was his love of guns.
Sesler spent a great deal of time at his grandparent's home in Hempstead. Charles Scroggins, one of their neighbors, told the Houston Chronicle that Sesler would frequently show off his guns. He once motioned Scroggins over and said, "With this rifle here I could shoot a person way off yonder, a thousand yards." Scroggins later told his wife he thought Sesler was going to kill someone someday, but could never have predicted it would be his entire family.
That day came on March 30, 2012, when Sesler shot and killed his brother as well as his parents. The first police to arrive on the scene said it looked as if they had been trying to run. Sesler had used a black marker to write haunting messages on the walls such as, "Why did I do this?" and "I love my mom, dad and brother."
After going through all of Sesler's things, they discovered that he was obsessed with the 1999 Columbine shooting and the 2007 shooting at Virginia Tech. He also wrote about serial killers and even went as far as ranking eight of them. While being interrogated, Sesler changed his motive numerous times. At one point he said he killed his family in order to spare them from a larger massacre that was coming. Investigators also uncovered plots to kill other people.
As with all shocking stories, many people claim they always knew there was something wrong with the person who carried them out. This was certainly true for Sesler who was described as strange. However, Sandoval was one of his defenders. "It just hurts to see what everyone is writing about him," she told the Houston Chronicle. "It's just like when people commit suicide, you have no idea sometimes what is going on inside of someone."
