.com for Murder

In Los Angeles, Sondra, Ben's wife, accesses the smart house computer Hal and discovers that Ben has been chatting on American Love Online. She realizes Ben's online persona is separate from his real life. This discovery sets the plot in motion as a late-night meeting is arranged.

Sondra takes control of Ben's online identity to chat with Lynn, an online friend, and they agree to meet that night. The plan introduces a dangerous double life that breaches the couple’s privacy. The sense of trust begins to unravel as Sondra steps deeper into the deception.

A hacker named Werther rudely joins the conversation and starts chatting in Ben's name, cutting Sondra out of the chat. He subtly escalates the deception, threatening the encounter’s secrecy. The online menace now mirrors a real-world threat.

Misty, Sondra’s sister, arrives to look after her sister who is injured, adding another layer of tension to the evening. The two women brace themselves as the online threat becomes a home-invasion scenario. Misty’s presence heightens the danger of what is about to unfold.

Werther kills Lynn in her own house and projects the live murder feed to Sondra and Misty. The killer's persona is revealed as a psychopath who loves Goethe and uses the name Lotte for his victims. The online murder becomes an immediate, terrifying reality inside the home.

Sondra and Misty call the police and eventually speak with FBI agent Matheson. They learn the murder file is encrypted, prompting them to seek someone who can decrypt it. The struggle shifts from online stalking to securing critical evidence under the threat of the killer still being at large.

Under Matheson's guidance, they invite a computer expert to decrypt the file. Werther phones in, pretending to be the arriving expert, creating confusion and misdirection. Believing the real expert is the killer, Sondra and Misty send him away.

Moments later, Werther shows up at the house in his disguise and completes the decrypting job before leaving. Misty steps after him to warn that the gate is jammed, raising the stakes for a potential pursuit. The disguised killer maintains control of the situation.

Misty follows Werther and is attacked: he cuts her left wrist slightly, buying her about twenty minutes to live. Sondra witnesses the assault through Hal, but cannot intervene directly in time. The breach of security pushes the plan toward a direct confrontation.

Werther tries to enter the house to kill Sondra, but she successfully locks the main entrance in time. He then tries to open the pool door, only to be electrocuted by Hal with 22,000 volts. The home defense system finally turns the tide in favor of the defenders.

Not dead, Werther drags Misty away, carrying a passive night-vision device that amplifies light. Sondra continues to watch from Hal as the killer lingers with Misty in his possession. A powerful lightning flash later stuns Werther, sending him tumbling from the second floor to his death.

Agent Matheson, his assistant Williams, and the police finally arrive at the scene, having been misdirected to the other end of town by Werther's electronic disinformation. The immediate danger has passed, and the survivors tend to Misty and Sondra. The confrontation ends with the killer defeated and authorities taking control of the scene.