Where is Monica White now? ‘The Dating App Killer’ movie reveals how she escaped a serial killer
Monica White (Lela Rochon) was looking for love on dating apps, but ended up finding something much more sinister. Her brief dalliance with the charming Anthony Robinson (Jarod Joseph) is recounted in the Lifetime movie, 'The Dating App Killer: The Monica White Story.' Streaming on Netflix, the movie has brought renewed attention to the 'Shopping Cart Killer' and his survivor, Monica White. The high-stakes dynamic has been brought to life by Rochon and Joseph. The movie's plot kicks off when Monica feels lonely after her son moves away to attend military school. To seek companionship, she creates profiles on different dating sites. On one of these sites, she meets Anthony Robinson. Soon she finds herself in a whirlwind romance, close to her happily-ever-after. However, her bubble bursts when she begins noticing disturbing behavior.
In real life, Monica first interacted with Anthony in 2020. Anthony responded to her request, and they soon hit it off. In early 2021, Monica ended her relationship after witnessing his disturbing behavior towards her and her family. Anthony was arrested the same year for several killings in Virginia and the Washington, D.C. area. Anthony was dubbed the 'Shopping Cart Killer' in the media because he apparently moved the dead bodies of his victims through a shopping cart. Though the movie claims that being an empty nester encouraged Monica to seek love, in reality, her loneliness three years after her divorce pushed her towards the dating sites, according to PEOPLE. Anthony had claimed to Monica that he had a daughter and was currently working at waste management. After they met in January 2021, Monica began to notice several 'red flags.'
The first one was his attitude towards rejection. "'Please don't judge me straight off the bat. Let's get to know each other. I don't like when women reject me.' So that was a red flag right there," Monica recounted one of their conversations after the first meeting. He also displayed weird behavior when they got intimate. Despite being put off, she decided to give him another chance and invited him to her 54th birthday. He arrived a week early and began wreaking havoc. After being denied intimacy, he peed on the bed. He also began troubling the young boys in the house. This was the last straw, and she broke up with him. He kept hassling her, but she stuck to her ground and did not reconcile. Just some months later, he was arrested for allegedly killing 54-year-old Allene "Beth" Redmon and 39-year-old Tonita Smith.
The serial killer was also suspected in the murders of 29-year-old Cheyenne Brown and 48-year-old Stephanie Harrison. As the case went on, he was also suspected to be involved in the deaths of 40-year-old Sonya Champ and his former fiancée, 30-year-old Skye Allen. He was convicted of Redmon and Smith's murders in 2025. The next year, he was handed two life sentences and ten years by the court. He was also ordered to pay $205,000 in fines.
The movie covers several important moments of their relationship and the case overall. In the movie, Anthony shared with Monica that he once had a fiancée who died due to cardiac arrhythmia. In real life, his former fiancée, Skye Allen, was found barely breathing by her mother after she spent the night with Anthony. She was quickly taken to the hospital, where doctors declared her dead due to heart issues. Stacey Allen, the victim's mother, always believed that Anthony killed her daughter. The movie also alters certain details. It showcases Anthony killing the woman during his relationship with Monica. Authorities have not been able to prove any killings during that timeframe. All the convicted killings took place after the relationship ended.
Where Is Monica White Now? Inside Her Life After Dating Serial Killer Anthony Robinson https://t.co/pO1qb7Hwqd
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Monica believes that their breakup could have snapped something in him. "I had actually allowed this man into my home, allowed him to stay overnight in my home. Then to find out later on, you started killing people? He's an insane, weird, crazy person. Something snapped," she said. Elisabeth Röhm, who directed the feature, shared that she got inspired to make the movie after reading about Monica's experience with the 'Shopping Cart Killer.' She approached Monica, and the movie slowly started to come together.
"As producers reaching out to a victim, we take it very seriously," she explained on the Killer Thriller podcast. "They've been from, you know, through hell and back, and we want them to trust us and know that we're going to portray with so much integrity that they can feel safe that their story is safe. So we spend some time with her." Monica has not said anything about the movie. Until 2024, she lived in Mechanicsburg and had stopped going on dating sites. "I don't need to search for love. Love will find me. I'm patient now," Monica said to PEOPLE.
