A Missing Underscore in a Skyrim-Inspired Username Put an Innocent Man in Prison for 18 Months
Brandon Klayme served 18 months in a Canadian prison because investigators requested the wrong Kik username by one underscore, and Nova Scotia's Attorney General is now asking how that happened.
What Happened
In 2018, investigators in Madison, Wisconsin opened a child luring case tied to a Kik account, "fus__ro_dah," a username referencing Skyrim's Fus Ro Dah shout. The subpoena sent to Kik requested a different account instead, "fus_ro_dah," missing one underscore. That account belonged to Brandon Klayme, a man in Halifax, Nova Scotia with no connection to the case.
The Case Against Him Was Built on the Typo
Kik handed over Klayme's account information, and investigators traced him to Nova Scotia. Police searched his home in February 2020 and seized his phones and laptops. They found nothing connecting him to the victim or the conversations at the center of the case, and couldn't even confirm he'd used Kik during the relevant period. He was convicted anyway, on three charges including luring a minor and possession of child sexual abuse material, and served his full 18-month sentence.
Nobody Caught It Until the Appeal
The mismatch sat in the case file through the arrest, the seizure, and the entire trial. Klayme's own defense team missed it too, only finding the discrepancy while preparing his appeal. He later said the error "went completely unnoticed at the trial," never reaching the judge who sentenced him.
The Ruling
The Nova Scotia Court of Appeal overturned all three convictions on July 23. The panel found Klayme innocent outright, not merely unproven, and said he "should never have been charged, let alone convicted."
The Gaming Detail That Made This Possible
Both usernames trace back to the same source: Skyrim's Fus Ro Dah Dragon Shout, referenced often enough that two unrelated people independently built usernames around it. That overlap, ordinary and coincidental on its own, is what let one missing character cost a stranger 18 months.
What's Being Investigated Now
As Dexerto reported, Nova Scotia Attorney General Scott Armstrong has asked the Public Prosecution Service for a full briefing on the case. Armstrong said he wants to understand "how something like this can happen within the system" before deciding on next steps. No timeline has been given for that review.
