'Worst Roommate Ever': Money disappeared everywhere psychopath Khater went
Netflix's upcoming documentary, 'Worst Roommate Ever' showcases Youssef Khater, an international con-artist of Lebanese descent. He claims to have served in the Danish military, having been a youth team football trainer, and an athlete as well. The man is a world-renowned scammer who takes advantage of his athletic skills and charisma to deceive and defraud people. Most of his victims are women and athletes in various countries, in and around Latin America, and in Denmark.
The Federación Palestina de Chile, representing the Palestinian population in the country, sponsored him on his quest to set a world record in running an extreme marathon in Chile. This was after he successfully passed himself off as a Palestinian athlete. His roommate at the time, Callie Quinn, admitted that Youssef indeed did have a certain magnetism to his advantage; he seemed to have a big heart and was charming to boot with lengthy, neverending stories of what he had to offer. Sounds too good to be true? How did someone who seemed like a gentleman turn out to be a wanted criminal? The following events are based on a true story, as is the 4-part documentary that profiles him as one of the world's "worst roommates". Read on to know more.
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“The Talented Mr. Khater", an unabridged true-crime podcast available on Audible, is about a charismatic marathon runner of Danish descent, and the events involved in him burying 23-year-old Callie Quinn alive in Chile, in 2011. They were roommates. Luckily, Quinn escaped a horrific death, and Khater was incarcerated in the Chilean capital of Santiago for attempted murder. After serving his time in prison, Khater was released, after which he fled to Costa Rica. Little did Quinn know that she'd someday read about the man who tried to kill her and learn more about his long, dark past.
Journalist Francesca Mari reported in December 2015 about how “Callie discovered that her attacker, Youssef Khater, had befriended and conned sportspeople and expats around the world - in Denmark, Brazil, and Chile. He had nearly clobbered a London runner to death. And in his home country, he’d even convinced some 50 people to wire him thousands of dollars, telling them that they were booking tickets for a trip to a ‘sports city’ in Dubai owned by a prince. He also seduced many kind, generous, and smart women along the way".
Callie Quinn happened to meet Youssef Khater, among others, after her college graduation, when she desired to live and work in Chile. He was someone she thought was arrogant at first but would eventually befriend. That trust proved to be a drastic move; she was soon conned, attacked, and buried alive by this seemingly generous man. Although she survived and he was imprisoned for a brief period of time, Quinn was lucky to have made it out alive.
Chilean psychologists who spent hours observing him came to a chilling conclusion. Yousef Khater possessed all the traits of a psychopath. Even though he was convicted for the attempted murder of Quinn, he served a relatively short sentence of 18 months in 2012, according to Texas Monthly. He was then jailed again in Denmark, where he had been wanted for his previous crimes.
His cons in Denmark have been covered extensively in the newspaper called Hvidovre Avis. Although he was identified as “YK” and his face was blurred in accordance with the Danish law, his body type and the circular tribal tattoos wrapping around his biceps were unmistakable. During the fall of 2009, he'd been arrested for several schemes, but failed to appear for his trial in January 2011. He became a wanted man for crimes like arson, embezzlement, forgery, as well as fraud.
When he fled to Costa Rica, after serving his time, Khater resumed his thrilling con life, under the pseudonym “Joseph Carter". He allegedly stole $3,500 from a Texan expat, and an additional $18,000 (approximately) from a Canadian woman he was dating at the time. He met the Canadian woman called Marie Taylor at a local race in the town of Quepos before striking up a romantic relationship. When she discovered his identity, he tried smothering her with a pillow, lifting it at the very last second. The Organismo de Investigación Judicial said that it was one foreigner's word against another, and therefore all charges were dropped. He had reportedly also defrauded a second foreign athlete, for thousands of dollars more.
The international con artist and diagnosed psychopath had mastered tricking sports enthusiasts and unsuspecting women to drain out their bank accounts. Khater was eventually a prime suspect in committing massive fraud in Costa Rica, where he had been staying since 2014. He was placed in preventive custody in Limón, as soon as the suspicions arose. Khater, who is reportedly in his late 30s now, has been sought in both northern Jutland and Copenhagen previously, in relation to alleged fraud, arson, embezzlement, and forgery, according to reports from the Danish English-language paper, CPH Post Online. Today, Khater continues to live in Costa Rica, as a fugitive for commiting fraud.
'Worst Roommate Ever' releases on March 1, 2022, on Netflix