User:Ccc/jamesbrock
| James Brock | |
|---|---|
| Personal information | |
| Born | April 5, 1993 |
| Died | June 21, 2017 (aged 24) Franklin, New Hampshire, U.S. |
| YouTube information | |
| Also known as | thegrudge58, weatherdude441, Brock's Sketchbook, Magnolia State Elevators |
| Channels |
|
| Years active | 2007–2017 |
| Genre |
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| Subscribers |
(February 2025) |
| Total views |
(February 2025) |
James Brock (April 5, 1993 – June 21, 2017)[1][2] was a member of The Weather Channel fan community based out of Jackson, Mississippi, who had been a member of the community since at least late 2008. Brock, who was also active in the online elevator fan community, was known for his YouTube channels, Brock's Sketchbook (previously Magnolia State Elevators and thegrudge58), where he uploaded Weather Star XL simulation videos in addition to his more common elevator-related content; he also owned the YouTube channel weatherdude441, which was more wholly devoted to Weather Channel content.
On June 21, 2017, at the age of 24, Brock was shot and killed by his partner, Richard R. Tripaldi, II, who was charged and convicted for his murder. The case was met with great shock and mourning in the TWC fan community, many members of whom knew Brock personally for years at that time.
Early life
Brock was born on April 5, 1993. He was adopted only a few days after birth by James and Betty Brock of the Jackson, Mississippi, area, and remained an only child.[3]
Community involvement
Brock established his primary YouTube channel, originally thegrudge58, on October 15, 2007.[4] While most of his uploads on this channel would be elevator-related content, he would upload two videos documenting tornado warnings on January 10 and April 19, 2008.[5][6] These would be the only weather-related videos on the channel for just over eight years.
A few months later, Brock joined the Taiganet forums on July 7, 2008, and later joined the TWC Today forums on December 6, 2008; both were under the same username as his YouTube channel at the time. It would be just over two months later before Brock made his first known post to the Taiganet forums; his first known post to TWC Today would take just under the same amount of time after registration. Brock's involvement on the forums was sporadic, perhaps owing to his much greater involvement in the elevator community. Nonetheless, his involvement in the Weather Channel community at the time was at least somewhat established outside of forum activity–Brock and ehatt493, another longtime member of the community, had a web show together around this time.[7] In these early years of his involvement, Brock and many other members of the community also held group chats together via Skype.[8]
A record of Brock's weather-related activity was much more documented on his YouTube channel, weatherdude441, which was created on March 21, 2009.[9]
In late 2015, as a result of admitted loss of interest in elevator content, Brock rebranded his main channel as Brock's Sketchbook, uploading more general content in addition to backlogged elevator videos.[4] A very slow and sparse introduction of weather content to the main channel began at this time. Brock uploaded a video of record cold temperatures' impact on his car battery in December 2015.[10] Then, in late March 2016, in collaboration with another member of the Weather Channel fandom, he created a Weather Star XL simulation, uploading it on April 1.[11] He would again upload an XL simulation as a gift for a friend's birthday months later on October 10, 2016, which was his second-to-last video on the channel.[12][4] Sometime roughly between April and May 2017, Brock's remaining communication with members of the Weather Channel fan community went silent.[13]
Murder and aftermath
In the weeks prior to late June 2017, Brock had begun a relationship with a resident of Franklin, New Hampshire, Richard R. Tripaldi, II.[3] One friend of Brock's stated that she last had seen him during the nearby city of Laconia's Motorcycle Week bike rally from June 10 to 17. After the festivities, the pair went to a remote campground on the border of the Great Gains Memorial Forest just outside of Franklin, where the two had been living in a tent for an unknown period of time.[3] The mood between the two had been soured in the previous weeks by otherwise unknown circumstances to the point that by the time they had arrived at the campground, Tripaldi had become angry with Brock and had begun telling his family in the time leading up to their arrival at the campground that he had plans to kill Brock and steal his car and any money on his body. At the time, one of Tripaldi's sisters admitted that she did not take the comments seriously.[3] According to Senior Assistant Attorney General Jeffery Strelzin, Tripaldi later stated that he could not identify a clear motive for his actions on June 21, 2017.[3] On that day,[2] as Brock was kneeling near a fire pit on the campground, Tripaldi shot him in the head using a revolver, taking his body nearly a quarter mile into the forest and burying him.[3] Tripaldi then stole Brock's car and continued his life for around a week and a half until around August 1, when he confessed to his actions to one of his sisters. Another of his sisters sought police intervention following the confession and led them to the campground, where she knew Tripaldi and Brock had been living.[3] Brock's remains were discovered on the morning of August 2, after which Tripaldi was arrested.[3]
As news of the murder and subsequent arrest of the suspect began to surface on August 3, 2017, the news was posted the same day to the TWC Today forums, where it was met with shock, sadness, and reflection by many who knew Brock.[13] Tripaldi was indicted for Brock's murder on September --, 2017, being charged with two counts of second-degree murder–one for the murder itself and another for indifference to human life–and a count of theft in connection with Tripaldi's theft of Brock's car.
External links
References
- ↑ Brock, James (April 4, 2015). "A birthday unboxing from EthanS Elevators and Konekss370". YouTube. Retrieved February 26, 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Plea and sentencing in connection with the June 21, 2017 murder of James Brock in Franklin, New Hampshire (State v. Richard Tripaldi)". New Hampshire Department of Justice. April 25, 2018. Retrieved February 26, 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 Dandrea, Alyssa (April 26, 2018). "Franklin man pleads guilty to shooting boyfriend in head, waiting for him to die in woods". Athol Daily News. Retrieved February 25, 2025.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Brock, James (October 15, 2007). "Brock's Sketchbook - YouTube". YouTube. Retrieved February 26, 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ Brock, James (January 10, 2008). "a tornado warning in Jackson Mississippi". YouTube. Retrieved February 26, 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ Brock, James (April 19, 2008). "Tornado warning in Jackson MS (new video)". YouTube. Retrieved February 26, 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ Evan2015 (December 10, 2008). "Re: The Pot Belly Stove". TWC Today. Retrieved February 26, 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ curtjr4 (August 3, 2017). "Re: Death of One of our own Members". TWC Today. Retrieved February 26, 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ Brock, James (March 21, 2009). "weatherdude441 - YouTube". YouTube. Retrieved February 26, 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ Brock, James (February 19, 2016). "A record breaking cold start for my Impala...Battery craps out!". YouTube. Retrieved February 26, 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ Brock, James (April 1, 2016). "Local forecast simulation for Roanoke, VA Sunday March, 27 2016". YouTube. Retrieved February 26, 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ Brock, James (October 10, 2016). "Weatherstar XL V2 Simulation: Happy Birthday TJS468". YouTube. Retrieved February 26, 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 13.0 13.1 Raymond, Michael (August 3, 2017). "Death of One of our own Members". TWC Today. Retrieved February 26, 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)