'Worst Roommate Ever': How house guest Jamison Bachman turned a living nightmare
Jamison Bachman, who went by the name Jed Creek, was a serial squatter, known for torturing and driving out roommates one after the other, from their own homes! Netflix's 'Worst Roommate Ever' talks about four true crime incidents, one of them being Bachman's terrifying story.
Here the thing, Bachman wasn’t a typical squatter. He wasn't one to be interested in living rent-free, although he often took maximum advantage on this front. His prime goal, it seems, was to relish the anguish of a potential roommate who would soon be pulled into a terrifying battle for their own houses.
In addition, nothing that they did could satisfy him, solely because the main objective here for Bachman wasn't materialistic; it was the sadistic pleasure of watching his roommates squirm with fear as he displaced them.
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Having said that, all these roommates’ stories have a pattern; starting off with Bachman's rather desperate arrival. He used the excuse of an emergency in some cases; wherein Bachman and his 2 cats wouldn't have a place to spend the night. In Melissa Frost's case, it was the hurricane, and for Alex Miller, a sickly relative who was in dire need of Bachman’s help.
In Frost's case, she let him in out of pity but soon lost her own house in the process. In a very expensive and frightening ordeal that dragged on for months together, Bachman used his knowledge of tenancy laws to slowly claim her house as his. For this, he scuffed up the floors, kicked down doors, and even clogged the toilets with cat litter, something he had a habit of doing in the case of several other roommates. Frost said, “He went from being this cordial, polite person who understood he was a guest in my house to someone who was approaching me aggressively and flat-out saying, "This is my house now".
In Miller's case, Bachman first refused to pay his share of the utility bills, saying the amount was due before he moved in. When she insisted, he brought "settling this in court" into the picture, before Miller backed down. Soon after, strange things occurred around the house; Bachman would use the bulbs in the hall for his own room, used the dining chairs as a makeshift desk, and even loitered around the property's premises all day (even though he claimed he's a lawyer and would have to go in to work). When Bachman found a cigarette butt in the toilet, he told Miller that he would not be paying the following month’s rent. He texted her, “you should know about the warranty of habitability". So much for knowing the law.
Overconfident, to say the least, Bachman would walk into their homes, and look around in awe. While making small talk, he'd talk at length about his educational qualifications; from both Georgetown University (a master’s in history) and the University of Miami (where he got his law degree), thereby describing how he makes a living “doing litigation” and tutoring “youngsters” online.
Bachman further sets forth a good impression, stating that he's pretty organized, and only wants a quiet room with a fast internet connection. That seems doable and harmless. But is this too good to be true? The man was quite smart, as is obvious. When a target pointed out Bachman’s tendency to clog his roommates’ toilets with cat litter, he elicited in a statement, “Correct me if I’m wrong, as I only have two graduate degrees, but my understanding was that the proper place for shit is in a toilet".
Jamison killed his brother Harry, stole his sister-in-law Caroline’s car as well as her American Express card, and drove miles to rent a room as a hideout.
When the police found him, he surrendered and was charged with first and third-degree murder.
For the life-threatening experiences caused, those who knew of Bachman wished for him to suffer, Unfortunately, he hung himself in December of 2017, in his cell at the Montgomery County Correctional Facility, before his trial.
Season 1 of 'Worst Roommate Ever' was released on March 1, 2022, on Netflix.