Nationwide — Tyler Butler, an African American man from Spotsylvania County, Virginia, has been convicted in the 2025 shooting death of 18-year-old Michael Bosworth, a Massaponax High School senior who was taking part in a TikTok “ding dong ditch” prank when he was killed. A jury found Butler guilty of second-degree murder and several other charges related to the shooting.
Butler had been jailed since the May 2025 incident, when Bosworth and two other teenagers went to Butler’s home around 3 a.m. to record the social media challenge. Authorities said the teens were outside the house knocking and banging on the back door. One of the teenagers was also shot and wounded, while the third was not injured. The teens later told investigators they were filming a prank and were not trying to break into the home.
Butler had maintained that he believed the teenagers were attempting to enter his house. His father previously said Butler thought a break-in was taking place and believed he was defending his home. Butler was arrested after the shooting and remained in jail while the case moved through the court system.
According to Fox 5 DC, the jury ultimately rejected his defense at trial and convicted him of second-degree murder, attempted second-degree murder, and malicious wounding. He was also found guilty of three counts of using a firearm in the commission of a felony.
Two additional convictions involved unlawfully shooting into an occupied dwelling. Prosecutors had also pursued charges of maliciously shooting into an occupied dwelling, but the jury found Butler guilty of the lesser-included offenses. The charges involving the wounded teenager were also part of the case.
Bosworth’s death brought an end to what the teenagers had described as a social media prank and led to a criminal case that remained in court for more than a year. Butler’s conviction now sets the stage for the next phase of the case. He is scheduled to be sentenced on October 30, 2026, when a judge will determine his punishment.