Teen who ‘felt like Dexter’ found guilty in murder of 13-year-old girl near Oregon hideout

An Oregon teenager obsessed with the crime drama TV show “Dexter” was found guilty of fatally strangling and raping a 13-year-old girl after luring her out into the woods.

Milana Li was found dead in a creek in Washington County, Ore. on May 10, 2022, according to the Beaverton Police Department.

Li’s mother had reported her daughter’s disappearance the day before, sparking a massive search. The search parties didn’t have to look very far, though, as she was found just under a mile away from her home and school, The Oregonian reported at the time.

Her death was ruled a homicide, and authorities discovered through cell phone data and security footage that she had last been seen with Daniel Gore, who was 16 years old at the time.

Gore was tracked down the same day Li’s body was recovered at a local library, according to The Oregonian. He made a run for it, but was captured following a 20-minute chase.

Authorities also found Gore’s tent that he had been living in not far from Li’s body. In a journal left in the tent, Gore detailed his love for violence.

He specifically noted that he “felt like Dexter,” referencing the popular TV show about a serial killer blood splatter analyst. He also had carved symbols relating to horrorcore rapper 7XVN into trees near his camp, according to The Oregonian.

The sadistic teenager had tried, and failed, to concoct his alibi after he killed Li, including stealing her phone and texting a handful of his friends, repeatedly claiming that he and Li had parted ways at a bus stop earlier that day.

Surveillance footage from the bus stop, however, showed that the two had walked off together towards Gore’s hideout in the woods.

Gore, now 18 years old, was tried as an adult and was convicted in less than 90 minutes on all four counts following the two-week trial. He was emotionless the entire time, and did not testify.

His charges include first-degree murder, rape, and sexual abuse, according to a press release from the Washington County District Attorney’s Office. He will serve a mandatory minimum of life in prison with the possibility of parole in 30 years.

He is set to be sentenced on Dec. 2.