Teen Who 'Felt Like Dexter' Lured Girl, 13, into Woods Before Raping, Killing Her to Fulfill 'Fantasy'

An Oregon teenager obsessed with the eponymous serial killer from the TV series Dexter lured a 13-year-old girl into the woods before he raped and killed her in 2022, a jury has found. 

Milana Li, 13, was found dead on May 10, 2022, in a stream in Washington County, Ore., the Beaverton Police Department said at the time.

Daniel R. Gore, 19, is now convicted of raping, sexually assaulting and killing her, the Washington County District Attorney’s Office announced in a statement last week. 

During the two-week-long trial, a jury heard that Gore, who was 16-years-old at the time of the killing, took advantage of Milana’s trust, according to the DA’s office’s Friday, Nov. 22, statement. 

Gore reportedly lured the child into the woods on May 8, 2022, prosecutors said. He murdered her near a tent where he was living at the time. 

On May 9, Milana was reported missing from her Beaverton home, per police. A massive search effort ensued, per The Oregonian, and led investigators to the sixth grader’s body the following day. 

Investigators determined, through cell phone data and security footage, that Milana was last seen alive with Gore on May 8, according to the DA’s office. 

As they investigated the killer further, they learned of his obsession with violence, per The Oregonian.

In a journal discovered in Gore’s tent, detectives found an entry that read: “I feel like Dexter,” referencing the serial killer on the TV series.

“It was his choice to take a vulnerable girl who trusted him and followed him into the woods … and act out his fantasy,” Senior Deputy District Attorney John Gerhard told the jury, per the The Oregonian.

Detectives also found photos of violent sexual acts on Gore’s phone.

In a GoFundMe that was set up following her killing, Milana was remembered as “a light, a true friend who opened up her warm heart to everyone and truly listened. She was a wonderful daughter, her parents (Assel and Andrey) could trust and depend on her.”

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Gore, who was tried as an adult, faces a mandatory minimum of life in prison with the possibility of parole in 30 years, The Oregonian reported.

His sentencing has been scheduled for Dec. 2, per the outlet.

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.