This week, New Times pulls back the spattered porn curtain on one of the most bizarre and brutal stories in South Florida history. It's the tale of Miami's biggest male porn performer, his rise to smut-screen stardom, and his descent into murder.
But John Snavely -- better known as "Champ" from Bang Bros websites like Dancing Bear -- isn't the first South Florida porn star to be accused of killing someone. In fact, he's not even the only Dancing Bear actor charged with murder.
"What are the chances of that?" says one of the website's other performers. "Two murderers in one porno?"
When Snavely joined Dancing Bear sometime in 2010, he was a prized recruit. But he wasn't the only stud in the studio's stable.
Among the other porn stars -- paid $500 per day to dress up in a furry bear suit, strip off said suit, and have sex with whatever women they see -- was a 27-year-old bisexual British DJ named Jason Andrews. The competition made for a turgid atmosphere on set.
"Between the five of us, it could get kind of aggressive," says a performer we'll call Sam (He asked that New Times not use his real name).
One morning in May of 2010, Andrews didn't show up for work. It was only the next day that Snavely, Sam, and the other performers learned that Andrews had been arrested for murder.
Authorities accused Anthony and his porn star girlfriend Amanda Logue, AKA Sunny Dae, of plotting to kill a Tampa tattoo artist named Dennis 'Scooter' Abrahamsen.
Abrahamsen hired Logue for a sex party, during which Logue and Andrews exchanged text messages planning the attack. The two waited until the other guests at the party left. Logue got Abrahamsen to have sex with him, while Andrews waited outside.
"I'm so glad you're really commited (sic) to this take. Keep eyes for a knife, etc (sic) for me!" Andrews texted her.
"I'm fucking exited (sic) ... I want to fuck after we kill hum (sic)," replied Logue.
The day after the murder, Andrews was back on the Dancing Bear set as if nothing happened.
"We were doing our thing, about to get blowjobs from a room full of women," says Sam. "Man, [Andrews] came to work the next day and was joking with us just like usual. That dude's a stone-cold killer."
It was only later, when Andrews and Logue were arrested, that Sam discovered his co-star's dark secret.
But what strikes Sam is how Snavely also seemed shocked at Andrews' arrest. The two even shared a joke about it.
"I went to work the next day and said: 'You guys better not fuck with me, I'm Dancing Bear!" Sam remembers. "Champ was right in the room with us when we were talking about this guy being a stone cold killer."
Within four months, Snavely would also slay someone, according to the Broward Sheriff's Office, although it would be three years before he would be caught.
When Sam heard of Snavely's arrest this summer, he couldn't believe the sick coincidence.
"Another guy from same porno, convicted of murder, same type of killing, it's fucking crazy," he says. "Man, that guy is convicted of murder and I still have DVDs of us doing porn together. It's kinda weird."
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