SUMMARY
- Shelly Chartier was an unknown name to the world until 2012 when she catfished former NBA player Chris 'Birdman' Andersen.
- In May 2012, the matter became public as the former NBA star was investigated for possessing child p*rnography.
Chris ‘Birdman’ Andersen is a former professional basketball player who was a part of the NBA for fifteen seasons representing five different teams. His name was dragged into one of the biggest controversies and high-profile cases. This happened more than a decade ago and yet continues to pique the curiosity of countless people who want to know about Shelly Chartier, the woman who is the mastermind behind the controversy.
Notably, Chartier was an unknown name to the world until 2012. She was living an isolated life and relied heavily on the internet for her source of entertainment and connection. Chartier allegedly made several fake accounts of popular personalities apart from playing Xbox. However, she took the matter too far when she came across a comment on Andersen’s Facebook page.
The comment was made by Paris Dunn who was an aspiring model and wanted to get attention from Andersen who was playing for the Denver Nuggets at the time. Dunn probably made the biggest mistake of her life by leaving her phone number in the comment. Chartier took advantage of this and made a fake account of Andersen to talk to Dunn who was 17-year-old at that time.
Shelly Chartier and Chris Andersen controversy explained
Shelly Chartier somehow found the former NBA star’s number and created another fake profile posing to be Dunn. Over the next couple of weeks, Andersen and Dunn had several conversations. They shared n*de images while being unaware that they were being catfished by Chartier. In addition to making their fake profiles, Chartier made another profile by the name of Tom Taylor claiming to be Andersen’s friend.
Additionally, Chartier planned a meeting between the two over the weekend in December 2011. During this, Dunn and the former basketball player allegedly got intimated. The teen model later confessed that something seemed out of place as their online conversations didn’t feel aligned. After this, Chartier texted Dunn through Taylor’s profile.
@CatfishMTV This is one of my top favorite episodes of #Catfish The Investigation Of Shelly Chartier. I still feel bad that @Paris5503 about going through this and is still being used for other Catfishes to this day but I’m happy she’s happier now with life now. pic.twitter.com/uYDa7nM1R0
— Danny Quinn (@DQ_the_Man) January 3, 2018
Things escalated as she blackmailed Dunn by threatening to leak the n*de photos. On the other hand, posed as her mother to threaten Andersen to ruin his life. In May 2012, the matter became public as the former NBA star was investigated for possessing child p*rnography. After this, the police were able to conclude that all the conversations were through fake accounts and Chartier was arrested in January 2013.
Shelly Chartier dropped out of school after completing sixth grade
Shelly Chartier was born in the early 80s and is a native of the Chemawawin Cree Nation in Manitoba. Growing up, she had a difficult life as she was isolated from the outer world. Chartier was taking care of her bedridden mother. After being bullied at the school, the Canadian woman dropped out of school after completing her sixth grade.
During an Interview, Chartier revealed, “I went through a period where I didn’t leave my house for 11 years.” Her story has prompted numerous people to write research papers, documentaries, movies, books, etc. She has become known as ‘The Ghost of Easterville’ and continues to remain one of the most searched personalities on the internet.
Furthermore, she is living a private life currently and is married to Rob Marku. The two met through online gaming shortly after Chartier’s arrest and met in person for the first time in November 2014. Chartier was released on bail and had restrictions due to which Marku came to Easterville to meet her. Their connection was instant and despite Chartier’s ugly history, they walked down the aisle on Christmas of 2014.