Meeting someone through a dating app has become routine for millions, but for Monica White, an online connection turned into a terrifying brush with a convicted serial killer. Her chilling survival story is the focus of The Dating App Killer: The Monica White Story, which chronicles her relationship with Anthony Robinson—the man investigators later dubbed the "Shopping Cart Killer."

An Online Connection and Early Red Flags

White, a recent divorcee seeking companionship rather than a serious relationship, first connected with Robinson on the dating app Tagged in late 2020. After regular messaging and video calls, Robinson appeared normal, prompting the pair to arrange an in-person meeting.

In January 2021, Robinson traveled from Harrisonburg, Virginia, to visit White in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. However, warning signs emerged quickly. White recalled that Robinson told her outright that he did not like being rejected by women. The situation turned alarming when Robinson allegedly attempted to restrain her during an intimate encounter by pulling her arms behind her back and grabbing her neck. When he proposed moving in together shortly after meeting, White firmly declined, telling him: “No. You're moving too fast, man.”

Escalating Behavior and a Narrow Escape

Robinson returned for a second visit the following month, shortly before White’s 54th birthday. During this trip, his behavior grew increasingly erratic. After White informed him that she no longer wished to be intimate and asked him to pack his belongings, she recalled that he "started snapping."

Robinson relocated to a motel in Harrisburg and subsequently offered White $500 to visit him, an offer she refused. When White later drove past the motel, she saw him outside and noted a chilling transformation: “He looked like a totally different man. Something snapped in him.”

Arrest and Life Sentence

The full extent of Robinson's danger became clear in November 2021, when law enforcement arrested him in connection with the murders of Allene "Beth" Redmon and Tonita Smith in Virginia. Authorities revealed that Robinson met victims via dating platforms and used motels before transporting their remains using shopping carts, earning him the moniker "Shopping Cart Killer."

White discovered Robinson’s true identity when a relative showed her his mugshot. In 2025, Robinson was convicted in connection with the deaths of Redmon and Smith, receiving a life sentence alongside additional prison terms while authorities continued looking into potential links to other unsolved cases.