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[Music] our episodes deal with serious and often distressing incidents if you feel at
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anytime you need support please contact your local crisis center for suggested phone numbers for confidential support
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please see the show notes for this episode on your app or on our website in nineteen eighty six young actress
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Rebecca Schaeffer landed her dream job beating out thousands of Hollywood hopefuls Rebecca was offered the second
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lead in a new Hollywood sitcom which was the air weekly on the CBS television network in a primetime slot to the
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outside world Rebecca was a complete unknown thrust into sudden stardom but even though she
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was barely an adult she had packed a lot into her 18 years of life so far born November 6 1967 - father Benson a
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psychologist and mother Dana a writer and teacher Rebecca Schaeffer was a much-loved only child she grew up in new
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Jean Oregon enjoying a comfortable childhood her formative years were filled with horses poetry books the
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outdoors and the unconditional love of her parents when Rebecca was age 13 her family moved
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100 miles north to Laurelhurst an affluent suburb of vintage homes and winding tree-lined streets in Portland
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Oregon there Rebecca enrolled in the elite Lincoln High School the same school Simpsons
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creator Matt Groening had attended a decade earlier she excelled at school where she joined the talented and gifted
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program and was elected a student officer by age 14 Rebecca was often complimented for her wholesome
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girl-next-door natural beauty she strove to do well at school and was deeply committed to her Jewish faith
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Rebecca considered pursuing a career as a rabbi when she was older she also contemplated careers as either a doctor
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or a lawyer but it was a changed conversation with her hometown hairdresser who tended to her thick mop
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of dark coals that landed her first break seeing the potential in Rebecca's perfect features the hairdresser
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facilitated a meeting with another of his clients local talent agent Nanette trailmen Nanette wasted no time in
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signing Rebecca ran as a client of the treatment agency and soon rebecca schaeffer sweet smile radiated from
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department store catalogs and TV commercials convincing parents to spend up big on back-to-school items although
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she had taken part in an occasional school play Rebecca hadn't given any consideration to a career in acting but
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her agent found her some extra work on some local TV shows suddenly a whole new world was opening up to her into the
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idea of becoming a doctor lawyer or rabbi was losing its Aloha when compared to the glamorous world of
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modeling and performing in 1984 16-year old Rebecca landed a summer internship at Elite Model
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Management which meant traveling to the other side of the country to spend three
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months in New York City she welcomed all the challenges the Big Apple threw at her and soon felt at home so at home in
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fact that she decided she wanted to stay to see if she could make it there as a model
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Rebecca's parents weren't convinced of the idea despite Rebecca promising she would say out her final year of high
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school at an academy for aspiring actors while she was working she made impassioned pleas and wore them
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down with sound arguments supported by the agency which wanted the fresh young Rebecca on their books Dana and Benson
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had to admit their daughter had inherited their own adventurous spirits and the risk-taking attitude that had
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seen her father put his career on hold some years earlier to study adesh Theatre in New York not wanting to stand
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in the way of her dreams the Schafer's relented and gave their daughter their blessing Rebecca wasted no time and by
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August 1984 she was sharing a two-bedroom apartment in Manhattan with five other aspiring models she called
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her parents regularly to let them know how she was doing one day not long after she had turned to seventeen years old
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Rebecca was in the subway heading to an audition as she sat on a bench on the platform she noticed a man pacing back
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and forth slapping a sharpened screwdriver against his hand Rebecca was wary but she noticed another
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young woman in front of the man who was clearly terrified she marched over to the young woman a total stranger and
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said oh it's nice to see you come on let's go get a coffee Rebecca took the woman by the hand and
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pulled her up the stairs away from the troubled man upon hearing this story Rebecca's mother Donna felt proud of her
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daughter's bravery and quick thinking she felt that a boated wou for survival in this crazy world
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[Music] in New York competition in the modeling industry was fierce Rebecca Schaeffer
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was one among an oversupply of young women struggling to find jobs at far foot seven inches she was at
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least 2 inches below the minimum height to model high fashion as clothes sung so
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much better on the girls who were taller she also began obsessing over her perfectly normal weight
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comparing herself to the girls that graced of the pages of the fashion magazines
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at anytime Rebecca could have cut her losses packed her bags and returned to the loving embrace of her parents but
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Rebecca's youthful optimism saw her determined to make the most of the opportunities she had
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she took up acting class five hours a day three days a week in a class of twenty students and found a theatrical
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agent willing to take on a fresh young face with a strong work ethic aiming for work in film or theatrical
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productions perhaps eventually getting to Broadway Rebecca audition for a small part in
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sci-fi movie the Manhattan Project but didn't get the role instead she landed a small but ongoing role as any Barnes on
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the long-running ABC daytime soap opera One Life to Live Rebecca was grateful for the work but never took data on soap
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seriously as a career choice seeing the six-month role as a way to earn money while looking for modeling jobs she
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wanted to join the ranks at the bright young models on teen magazine Madonna on the cover of Tiger Beat or when she was
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really dreaming Brooke Shields on the cover of seventeen when her agency suggested that there might be a stronger
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market for someone of her heart in Tokyo where her pale skin and Breann curls would be considered episodic once again
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the ambitious teen didn't hesitate her parents couldn't believe that their only daughter was traveling even further away
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to foreign lands but Rebecca reassured them that she would be alright Rebecca told them no matter where we are
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in the world we are like a three-legged stool the Seine became her family's mantra' Rebecca made the move to Japan
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in 1985 but still she struggled to find work within a year she returned to the United States and once back in New York
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her agent gave her the tough truth that she was unlikely to make it big as a model in America
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however she had earned herself a good reputation as reliable and hardworking on One Life to Live so her agent advised
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Rebecca to pursue acting instead Rebecca began the grueling job of auditioning and facing rejection after
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rejection as she entered a world that was arguably even more competitive and difficult to crack than modeling she
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never let the rejections get her down believing that it was a numbers game and she would eventually pick up some work
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her optimism was rewarded when a casting director remembered her from the audition for the Manhattan Project and
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it was impressed enough to ask her to audition for Woody Allen's new film Radio days Rebecca got the part which
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was to mourn her for her character to be given a name other than simply communists daughter
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work on the sharp satirical film was fun and rewarding and soon after Rebecca landed another small part on the Steven
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Spielberg Twilight Zone esque television series Amazing Stories her role was as a
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magazine model come to life in the episode miscalculation despite these minor successes Rebekah
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missed out on the vast majority of the parts she auditioned for and her modelling work was sporadic at best she
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tried to remain upbeat and hopeful but the bills were mounting and her phone was cut off she was just starting to
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contemplate waitressing when in the winter of 1986 she came home to a note stuck on her door it was from her agent
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asking her to urgently get in touch about testing for a new Warner Brothers television series called my sister Sam
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the series was the best starring vehicle for Pam Dawber an actress who weren't Hollywood stardom thanks to her
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long-running role as Mindy to Robin Williams Mork in the cult series Mork and Mindy in my
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sister Sam Pam Dawber would be playing the title role of Sam and the studio was on the hunt for someone to be given
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second billing to the more established actress playing Sam's assignee little sister Patty the television producers
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had seen some of Rebecca Schafer's auditions and thought she would fit the bill as patty perfectly Rebecca jumped
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on a plane and was tested for the part the next day Rebecca certainly looked the part of the
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flawed eating character she easily passed for a 16 year old even though it was nearly three years younger than her
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actual age the studio executives loved her and to the chemistry she had with Pam Dawber and so it came to be that
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serious hard-working indian vicious rebecca was cast to play flaky impulsive patty on my sister Sam Robert John Bardo
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liked to write letters he would scroll them in a ballpoint pen on pages ripped from notebooks sitting
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in whichever corner of his parents house allowed him some respite from the scorching Arizona Heat
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sometimes he would send the letters other times the raw emotion was too personal and he would file them away
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instead the youngest of seven children Robert Bardo had a tough upbringing the family would move frequently sometimes
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due to his father's job as a noncommissioned officer in the United States Air Force but other times because
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trouble seemed to follow the dysfunctional family eventually in 1983 the Bardo settled into a single-story
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house in Tucson Arizona when Robert was 13 Tucson had a high crime rate but low cost of living and was hot all year
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round temperatures soared over 100 degrees fahrenheit in summer and stayed there for months on end
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hunting and fishing were the most popular pastimes with plenty of nearby places to do so in high school
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Robert was a bright student but he was also a loner with no friends although he had no trouble achieving high marks
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sometimes he would write disturbing and threatening letters to his teachers in junior high he wrote one teacher up to
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three letters a day in which he spoke about ending his own life and hinted at killing the teacher he saw into the
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letters with the names of tough-guy movie characters Scarface Dirty Harry or James Bond the school contacted his
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parents but they refused to enroll him in counseling claiming there was nothing wrong with him although generally
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well-spoken and polite there was something odd about Robert Bardo that made him incapable of
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maintaining a relationship with anyone neighbors often saw him hanging from the eaves of his parents single-story house
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swinging into the windows sometimes they saw him charging into a concrete wall in
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his backyard over and over as if help bent on self-destruction other times he seemed
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to be playing hide-and-seek with imaginary friends with nobody to play with Robert spent much of his time
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watching television and movies where he could escape into a fantasy world he was
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fascinated by actors musicians and anyone else who lived their lives in the spotlight desperately unhappy in school
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and at home Robert yearned to be one of the rich and famous the type of boy that the girls in
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the magazines and on the TV screen would fall in love with sometimes he would practice guitar in the hopes of
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furthering his dream of becoming a rock star when he was 13 years old a new type
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of girl celebrity appeared on Roberts TV screen this time in the news and on talk
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shows instead of acting or singing the young girl by the name of Samantha Reed Smith seemed to be everywhere the media
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was calling her America's youngest ambassador the precocious Samantha had written to Soviet leader Yuri and drop
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off to implore him not to let Russia go to war with the United States she asked him to reconsider hostilities because
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quote God made the world for us to live together in peace and not to fight the letter was published in a Soviet
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newspaper into the sweet simple words of a little girl resonated with the public
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in both countries Samantha received a response from Andrew of inviting her and her family to visit in Russia and from
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there the little girl became a celebrity who everyone wanted to win a view Robert
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became infatuated with Samantha Reed Smith and decided to do what he did best he write her a letter the letter was
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polite and heartfelt praising her work and telling her how much he admired her Robert was thrilled to receive a
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postcard from Samantha in response the Smith family's phone number was still listed in directories Robert soon found
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it and began calling to speak to his new crush one time he got lucky when Samantha answered the phone and they had
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a chat mostly on Roberts side as he rambled trying to keep the conversation going after that Samantha's relatives
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always answered the phone and when they realized that was Robert on the line they asked him to stop calling they
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recalled the boy to be persistent but never rude just difficult to get off the phone as Samantha star continued to rise
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Robert felt that the two of them had a real connection he understood that she was busier than ever as she had parlayed
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her fame into hosting her own Disney shows and writing a book but he still tried his luck by calling again and
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again Samantha's family denied him from speaking with her every time the more Robert was blocked from contacting
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Samantha the more obsessed he became in Roberts mind he and Samantha had a relationship that other people were
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trying to spoil frustrated by his inability to get in contact with her 14 year-old Robert stole one hundred and
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forty dollars from his mother's purse and set off on the 2800 mile journey to Maine the trip took several days and by
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the time he arrived his parents had figured out what he planned to do they contacted the Maine authorities and
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Robert was taken into custody about two blocks from Samantha's home noting that he carried no weapons and if there was
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no indication he planned to harm the girl the police wrote him off as just another lovesick teen and returned him
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home to his parents Robert was later diagnosed with depression following what he claimed was a sustained period of
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abuse by one of his siblings Robert threatened to end his life and was subsequently placed in foster care
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for a month then in August 1995 Samantha Reed Smith died in a light plane crash at age 13
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Robert was overcome with grief at the loss of his celebrity crush and spiraled further into depression believing he had
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somehow been responsible for her death at age 15 he was briefly institutionalized due to his emotional
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problems this led Robert to drop out of high school in the ninth grade despite achieving consistently good marks he
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began working as a janitor at a fast-food joint jack-in-the-box the work was boring and
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even more isolating with its 5:00 a.m. starts and a little contact with people his retreat into the fantasy world where
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he could pretend to be part of the glamorous lives of the people he saw on the television screen became even more
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intense in the summer of 1986 Roberts saw a commercial for a new television series which was due to starred in the
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fall he watched the cute curly-haired teenage girl talking cheekily to the actress he
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recognized there's Mindy from Mork and Mindy as the teenage girl spoke to the audience from the glowing television
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screen Robert felt she was speaking directly to him he was instantly infatuated by her
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quirkiness and beauty and he couldn't wait for the new show my sister Sam to start as soon as she had confirmation
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that she had landed the role in my sister Sam 19 year old Rebecca Schaeffer once again packed her bags and moved
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across the country this time to Hollywood Rebecca's grandfather lived in West Los
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Angeles so her parents were relieved as she had family nearby and she was now closer to home to make visiting much
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easier Rebecca and the show star Pam Dawber hit it off immediately once they started filming p.m. invited Rebecca to
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come and live with her or interact her husband Mark Harmon an invitation Rebecca gratefully accepted Rebecca had
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not fallen in love with Los Angeles as instantly as she had with New York in New York everything she needed had been
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on her doorstep but she felt that LA was too spread out Rebecca lamented to her mother that she
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missed being able to order Chinese food at 3:00 a.m. however her new job kept her busy and everyone on set took being
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experienced a teenager under their wing the cast became Rebecca's second family and she
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would fall out crew around the set when she wasn't required asking intelligent questions curious to know what they were
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doing she liked to know how everyone fit in and who wanted to understand all the
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jobs that went into making a television show the pilot of my sister Sam went to air on October 6 1986 in the plum
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timeslot of Monday's at 8:30 p.m. scheduled between two of the most popular shows on the CBS liner Kate now
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had eight and a new heart at 9:00 the show was typical sitcom Fair p.m. dauber played an ambitious uptight photographer
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who was living an orderly life in San Francisco when out of the blue her free-spirited tie-dye wearing youngest
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sister Patty landed on her doorstep patty had been living with her aunt and uncle in Oregon since the death of her
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parents but when they tried to make her trade her electric guitar for a clarinet
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and some Benny Goodman records she tracked to be on her sister in the big city navigating this new relationship
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the chalk and cheese duo proceeded to turn each other's lives upside down whilst giving each other valuable life
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lessons the sisters were joined by the usual cast of wacky and stereotypical sitcom sidekicks
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despite lukewarm reviews in the press the cheesy sweet-natured sitcom of generation gap humor struck a chord with
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the American viewing public Rebecca and Pam had great chemistry and Rebecca played her character with such charm and
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infectious sweet-natured goofiness the many viewers assumed that the actress was much the same way
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Rebecca's Patty was a wannabe rock star with good intentions but who was always getting into scrapes much to the
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annoyance of the uptight and sensible Sam by the end of each half-hour episode everything would get resolved and bring
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the sisters closer together it was a quintessential 80s sitcom full of big poems choice fashion
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and wisecracking characters the popularity of the show revived PM daubers career and shot rebecca
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schaeffer in to be less celebrity Fame she was interviewed for stories about my sister Sam and her pitcher would pop up
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in a different celebrity magazine every week CBS put Rebecca to work across promoting
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and in November she rubbed up and braved the Toronto winter to co-host the Canadian part of the 1986 all-american
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Thanksgiving Parade she charmed her co-hosts and proved her versatility and ability to ad-lib whilst dutifully
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promoting the various sponsors of the network once my sister Sam had been on air for a few weeks
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Rebecca discovered another aspect of stardom fan mail started trickling in passed on to her by Warner Brothers or
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her agent the letters were sweet and gushing mostly from young girls who aspired to be like her Rebecca was
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determined to read and respond to every single one sixteen-year-old Robert Bardo waited
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eagerly for my sister Sam to start and to his ready with his video tape recorder firts debut on October 6 1996
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entranced by Rebecca Schafer's sweet smile into the same personality of her character Robert was immediately smitten
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by the youngest star Rebecca was beautiful wholesome modest and in Roberts mind attainable after he watched
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the premiere episode life he watched it again on tape he then looked up the TV Guide to find out when repeats were
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scheduled and he watched those two with interviewing Robertson chairman with Rebecca Schaeffer grew he went to the
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store and flipped through magazines looking for articles about her and took in every detail he decided he would
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write Rebecca a letter and let her know how he felt about her nothing too intense just telling her how pretty and
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nice she was and how happy it made him to watch her Robert wrote one letter then another and another there were long
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rambling letters in blue ball point where he poured his heart out to her he loved how she was so fresh and
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innocent a sweet girl next door type rather than one of the starlets that used to sex appeal to get attention he
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believed her they could be friends he family they could meet Robert felt that Rebecca's character paddy was somebody
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who would really understand him paddy was 16 the same age as him and played guitar just like he did he was sure that
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Rebecca was much the same as the character she played as he wrote to Rebecca Robert felt himself beginning to fall in
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love with her he was careful not to overstep the line in his letters though because he didn't want to scare her off
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his letters were gushing and adoring designed to make her feel good the ones that went a bit too far he put to one
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side without sending keeping them for himself to read when he was lonely after the success of my sister Sam Los
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Angeles had suddenly become a far more exciting place for Rebecca Schaeffer her star status meant she was invited to
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premieres and parties snapped by paparazzi and showered with gifts by brands who hoped she would be
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photographed wearing their clothes or using their products most of Rebecca's time was spent at the Burbank studios
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where her co-stars and the crew on the set became her closest friends in between takes she would stretch out on a
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Warner the Warner Brothers a lot known as the ranch she treated everyone with the same warmth EEMA and respect from
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the head of the studio to the latest production assistant when it came to her work she was the ultimate professional
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although she loved living with her co-star Pam Dawber Rebecca's independent spirit led her to
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crave a home of her own she moved into a small apartment in the Hollywood Hills where she was free to dance around the
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kitchen and practice yoga any time of day or night and began to expand her social circle in early 1987 a friend set
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her up on a blind date with an emerging young screenwriter and director it was Brad Silberling is very last day of film
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school and he was distracted when he agreed to go on a date with the actress for years his junior for the date Brad
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escorted Rebecca to a screening of his student thesis he was berating himself her agreeing to the set up at a time
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when things were so hectic but that all dissolved away when he opened at the door to the beautiful brunette Brad it
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was immediately smitten with Rebecca and soon fell for the wicked sense of humor
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that tempered her serious saw it he understood and supported Rebecca's commitment to her work and her maturity
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meant that the 4-year age gap was barely noticeable Brad it was Rebecca's first real boyfriend but she
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wouldn't allow out the new romance to get in the way of her work as she spent so much time on set Brad would often
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visit and sit with Pam Dawber husband mark where the two would watch the women perform in March 1987 a long-held dream
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of Rebecca's was realized when she was chosen to be the cover girl for Seventeen magazine the leading magazine
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for teenage girls in America it was one of the most coveted modeling gigs in the
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country and meant recognition that Rebecca was somebody to watch although she was now a television star
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Rebecca was not one for the stereotypical Hollywood lifestyle she maintained her adherence to her Jewish
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faith and there was never snapped by the paparazzi in compromising photographs preferring quiet nights at home and
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simpler outdoor trips on the weekends or visits home to Oregon my sister Sam continued to rate well into the cast
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were elated to be told that the show had been need for a second season Robert barro
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videotaped the Thanksgiving Day Parade in which Rebecca Schaeffer gets presented along with every episode of my
00:30:13
sister Sam he also tracked her down Rebecca's appearance in the television series Amazing Stories and added that to
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his video collection he scoured magazines and newspapers for any mention of Rebecca and if he couldn't steal them
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he would use his make a paycheck to buy them and cut out the articles and pitches he even got a copy of Seventeen
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magazine which was targeted to girls because Rebecca was on the cover he read so much about Rebecca that he
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felt like he knew her too Robert Rebecca was not a stranger and he felt it in his
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soul that one day that would be together unsure of the best address to reach her
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Robert sent letters to the studio a lot of Warner Brothers and to Rebecca's agents in New York and to Los Angeles he
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did receive responses glossy photos of the starlet sometimes with her signature on them then he received a photograph of
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Rebecca with a peace symbol and a heart that said with love from Rebecca the photo became Robert's most treasured
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possession proved to him that their attraction was mutual the day he received it he wrote in his diary quote
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I would like to become famous to impress her Robert taped Rebecca's photographs to
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the walls of his room along with pictures of her he carefully cut from magazines he kept the articles neatly
00:31:46
tucked away in paper folders that he stored safely in a drawer soon his room became a shrine to Rebecca with barely a
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spot on his wall left uncovered in his heartfelt letters Robert would quote John Lennon and also write song
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lyrics of his own he told Rebecca how sensitive he was assuring her in one letter quote on harmless you could hurt
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me he told her how one episode of my sister Sam in which her character yearned for the life of a celebrity
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particularly resonated with him I know what you mean he wrote to her his letters were filled with hope of a
00:32:30
friendship and hinted that he was interested in more Robert waited patiently for Rebecca to respond to him
00:32:42
after a brief vacation when the first season of my sister Sam wrote rebecca schaeffer returned to the studio and
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continued to spend all of her time on set her work remained her top priority and her relationship with boyfriend Brad
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Silberling suffered as a result eventually the pair decided to split though things between the two remained
00:33:04
amicable Rebecca's fan mail was now delivered to her in Saks forwarded to her after the
00:33:13
office weeded out any that were rude or offensive Rebecca still wanted to respond personally to h1 but it was
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becoming difficult and she had to enlist the help of a Hollywood fan mail service
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to ensure that each letter got some sort of reply usually a mass produced photo with her printed autograph Rebecca still
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received every piece and would try to respond to personally whenever she could she had a number of stock phrases that
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she would scroll across the post card sized publicity shots and sometimes she would draw hearts or peace symbols she
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responded to one rambling letter with quote yours is one of the nicest letters I've received a standard response she
00:33:57
wrote to fans who took the time to write long letters even though she didn't have
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time to read them properly Rebecca had become used to people recognizing her and occasionally
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stopping her in the street for a chat or an autograph sometimes fans would try and visit her on the set but the
00:34:16
security guards nearly always turned to them away and the studio usually didn't bother her with the details
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although Rebecca dated occasionally she was mostly a loner who would just as soon sit at home practicing yoga or
00:34:30
writing poetry then attend a nightclub opening or film premiere that year she moved from Hollywood Hills to North
00:34:38
Sweetzer of Anu a street of 1940s era spacious apartments and sunny courtyards in a quiet neighborhood near the Fairfax
00:34:46
District in West Hollywood the area had a cool slightly edgy vibe and a mix of hip and trendy restaurants and quirky
00:34:56
shops it was popular with the industry's up and comers who were comfortable but didn't have the a-list incomes required
00:35:03
to live in neighboring Beverly Hills one of Rebecca's neighbors was a handsome chiseled jaw wannabe actor whose credits
00:35:12
so far only amounted to a feature spotting at pringles TV commercial and a substandard slasher horror flick a young
00:35:20
man named a Brad Pitt Rebecca's new apartment was in a small Tudor style apartment block the entrance was a glass
00:35:29
security door on the ground floor where visitors would press the button of the apartment they wanted and announced
00:35:35
themselves via intercom before being buzzed in Rebecca's parents were happy with the move to an area they considered
00:35:43
safer than the one she had lived in previously when Robert Bardo received a new photo
00:35:53
of Rebecca in the mail this one was truly special she had taken the time to personally write to let him know that
00:36:02
she treasured his letters she had written quote yours is one of the nicest letters I've received Robert wondered
00:36:13
which letter it had been that elicited the personal response as he had written so many he was excited that their
00:36:20
relationship had gone to another level that Rebecca acknowledged for their connection and that maybe she was
00:36:26
falling in love with him as he had with her everyone who came into contact with Robert got an earful about how amazing
00:36:35
Rebecca was and they all knew the boy he had a celebrity crush that bordered on obsessive in the summer of 1987 Robert
00:36:47
decided to visit Rebecca so that he could tell her how he felt in person he founded the cheapest Greyhound bus
00:36:54
ticket for the 10 hour journey to California and spent the money he had saved from his janitor job on a huge
00:37:00
teddy bear and the largest bouquet of flowers he could afford On June 2 Robert made his way to the Warner Brothers
00:37:10
Studios in Burbank security guards were used to fans arriving at the gates hoping to meet with their idols and many
00:37:19
of them came bearing gifts still there was an unusual sight to see a teenage boy bustle up to the gate clutching a
00:37:27
ridiculous five foot high teddy bear and a huge bunch of flowers when Robert asked to see rebecca
00:37:34
schaeffer he was like a lovesick puppy nervous but full of hope although the security guards felt sorry
00:37:42
for him rules were rules fans were not allowed on the lot while actors were working and
00:37:48
Robert was turned away desperate to be led in Robert showed the security guards the handwritten no he'd received from
00:37:56
Rebecca and assured them that she would want to see him but they stayed firm bewildered and upset Robert loitered
00:38:06
outside the studio in the shadow of the iconic Warner Brothers water tower trying to catch a glimpse of Rebecca
00:38:12
only to be told he had missed her when he walked across the street to buy something to drink later he went on a
00:38:20
mission to the Hollywood Hills wandering the winding streets on the lookout for any apartments that matched the
00:38:27
description Rebecca had given in an interview with Seventeen magazine unable to find her out of money and needing to
00:38:36
return to work Robert reluctantly went back home to Arizona he bombarded the studio with telephone calls insisting he
00:38:45
be allowed to speak to Rebecca but they never put him through Robert wondered if Rebecca was becoming
00:38:53
arrogant too important to speak to her fans or if the studio was simply not passing on his messages
00:39:03
a month later Robert returned to the Warner Brothers Studios with a knife concealed in a bag
00:39:09
the security guards recognized him as the annoying fan who was fixated on Rebecca Schaeffer and again they refused
00:39:17
to let him in Robert was so persistent that the guards escorted him to the office of their boss John F Eggar
00:39:24
the security chief of Warner Brothers Eggar demanded an explanation Robert launched into details about how
00:39:34
much he loved Rebecca Schaeffer and that he just wanted to give her the teddy bear and flowers of the security guards
00:39:39
had stood in his way he told the security chief how far he had come to see her Edgar's heart went out to the
00:39:49
lovesick fan who struck him as intelligent and polite but also overly intense he thought the teen needed a bit
00:39:57
of tough love but also needed to be far away from Rebecca the security chief escorted robert off the premises and
00:40:05
personally drove him back to his run-down Hollywood motel in the car they had a heart-to-heart talk in which
00:40:12
Egger firmly told Robert that it was time he returned to Arizona edgar advised Robert to forget about the
00:40:19
actress go home and work towards his own goals Eggar felt he had done the right thing
00:40:26
thinking the kid just needed someone to talk to later Robert call [ __ ] from a payphone at the bus station on his way
00:40:33
out of town thanking him for the chat and telling him he would take his advice however the incident was unsettling
00:40:42
enough that the head of security informed the show's production company that Rebecca Schaeffer had a fan who
00:40:49
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00:45:24
schaeffer about robber Bardot it didn't make much of an impact on her she may have told friends in passing
00:45:31
about an overly persistent fan but it wasn't something that the actor seemed to dwell upon she was too busy dealing
00:45:38
with a sudden change of fortune in her working life the second half of 1997 was not as great
00:45:45
for Rebecca as the first half had been the Woody Allen film she had worked on radio days came out and Rebecca's scenes
00:45:53
had been cut they remained only the briefest glimpse of her in the background an even greater blow came
00:46:01
with the announcement of a scheduling change for my sister Sam rather than the Prime Monday evening
00:46:07
timeslot the second season of the sitcom would play on Saturday evenings up against the facts of life a well
00:46:15
entrenched and hugely popular show aimed at a similar demographic the new season
00:46:21
started on October 3 in 1987 opening to a much smaller audience than the first season had enjoyed over the next few
00:46:30
weeks ratings fell to a level so dismal that by November the network put the show on hiatus while they decided what
00:46:37
to do with it the cast and crew of my sister Sam were deeply disappointed but the show remained in production while
00:46:46
decisions were made about its future during this time Rebecca maintained her trademark optimism and work ethic giving
00:46:54
the role of patty her full attention she still enjoyed personal popularity and recognition and was invited back to
00:47:02
co-host the CBS Thanksgiving Parade for the second year running this time from Detroit Michigan the acts came down in
00:47:11
early 1988 and my sister Sam was officially canceled by CBS after episode 10 of season 2 leaving 12 remaining
00:47:20
episodes unaired rebecca schaeffer was officially out of a job deflated by his encounter with the security guards at
00:47:32
the Warner Brothers lot brother Bardot tried to forget about Rebecca Schaeffer he removed the photographs that had
00:47:39
donned his bedroom walls but didn't throw them away forgetting about Rebecca didn't stop Robert from yearning for the
00:47:46
celebrity lifestyle or he's burning wish to have a famous and beautiful girlfriend
00:47:53
Robert turned his attention to pop singers who we thought it might be more receptive to him as he was an aspiring
00:47:59
musician himself eighties pop sensations Debbie Gibson and Tiffany were soon on Roberts radar he considered Madonna but
00:48:09
then deemed her to be too old he started writing letters to the pop stars but none wrote back
00:48:16
he went to a Tiffany concert but noted the heavy security and it knew there was no chance of getting anywhere near her
00:48:24
in 1988 Robert made the track to New York City in the hope of meeting Debbie Gibson he was again rebuffed by security
00:48:33
guards and unsuccessful in his attempts to meet with his new crush while he was there
00:48:40
Robert visited the spot where Mark David Chapman had gunned down to one of Roberts heroes
00:48:45
former Beatle band member John Lennon Robert had read a book about the murder and to learn too that Chapman was the
00:48:54
son of an Air Force servicemen just like him and felt lost in the world also just
00:49:00
like him Robert found himself relating to a guy he had previously despised for killing one of his music heroes Mark
00:49:10
Chapman had been obsessed with the book Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger and had repeatedly said afterwards that the
00:49:17
book inspired him to carry out the assassination Robert bought a copy of the book for himself trying to determine
00:49:25
how it had motivated Chapman to kill Lennon he read it twice but still couldn't figure it out back home Robert
00:49:36
barro his erratic behavior led to some brushes with the law over the next year he was arrested three times on domestic
00:49:44
violence and disorderly conduct charges in one of the incidents his brother called 9-1-1 after he and Robert had a
00:49:52
dispute over the living room TV which escalated into violence both were arrested and his brother maintained that
00:50:00
Robert had gone crazy Robert was never formally convicted for any charges but after pleading no
00:50:09
contest after the third arrest Robert was sentenced to an unsupervised counseling program
00:50:15
but he never enrolled and nobody ever followed up on it rebecca schaeffer had captivated millions playing the euro
00:50:26
pressable paddy in my sister sam and unlike the rest of the cast she was still very young whilst the cancellation
00:50:34
of her TV show is disappointing it had certainly not put an end to her career rebecca recommends to the rounds of
00:50:43
auditions for film television and theater she talked friends that she still harbored dreams of being in a
00:50:49
Shakespearean play or making the leap from TV star to serious film actress as always
00:50:58
auditions more often than not ended in disappointment but at least Rebecca's name was on the radar with casting
00:51:05
agents the roles she auditioned for were in big films from top Hollywood producers however she was never quite
00:51:13
right for the part or someone else was just that bit more suited to it Rebecca was briefly considered for the
00:51:21
lead role of Vivian Ward in romantic comedy pretty woman but was deemed to college with too much youthful sweetness
00:51:28
to be taken seriously for the character Julia Roberts who eventually landed the role was only nine days older than
00:51:36
Rebecca but came across as more worldly Rebecca knew that one of the biggest risks for an actor who appeared every
00:51:46
week on a popular TV show was that people could not see that act there is anyone but the character they play in an
00:51:54
attempt to shed the padi association and avoid being typecast she began to make subtle changes to her appearance that
00:52:01
made her look more sophisticated she picked up roles in a couple of made-for-tv movies sci-fi thriller out
00:52:09
of time and a drama voyage of terror the Achille Lauro affair she was able to satisfy some of her
00:52:17
wanderlust with a voyage of terror in which she worked with Hollywood legend Burt Lancaster and Eva Marie st. and got
00:52:24
to travel to Egypt for the filming Rebecca's break into a major motion movie picture came when she was cast to
00:52:33
play Sandra a spoiled daughter in Paul Bartel satire scenes from the class struggle in Beverly Hills the part was
00:52:42
small but those who work with her were impressed by Rebecca's acting skills and she was considered a sweetheart to work
00:52:49
with there was a buzz around Rebecca Schaeffer and her name was on the lips of some of Hollywood's most prominent
00:52:56
executives the 20 year old was an up-and-coming actress in Hollywood and one to watch although Robert Bardo had
00:53:08
tried to forget Rebecca Schaeffer and replace her with other famous women none of his new celebrity crushers ever quite
00:53:15
lived up to the sweet innocent Rebecca she was no longer on TV but there was still occasional TV appearances on talk
00:53:25
shows and interviews in magazines in them she would talk about the roles that she had in forthcoming films and Robert
00:53:33
noted them carefully in his diary so he could be sure to see them as soon as they came in he was one of the first to
00:53:41
buy a ticket to scenes from the class struggle in Beverly Hills when it was released in May 1989 it was billed as a
00:53:50
comedy and he looked forward to Rebecca reprising her role as a wacky but sweet wholesome teenager what he saw shook him
00:53:59
to the core the film was edgier than he expected a dark satire and parody of soap operas in
00:54:07
the film Rebecca had a love scene in which she appeared in bed with her co-star Ray Sharkey the scene was mild
00:54:15
but sex was clearly implied Roberts innocent image of Rebecca was shattered he felt she was just like all the others
00:54:24
a quote Hollywood [ __ ] prepared to sleep her way to the top deeply disturbed Robert went home and wrote to
00:54:35
Rebecca again his letters took on a more menacing tone in one he called her quote
00:54:42
mist nudity two-shoes by 1989 Rebecca was working steadily but had yet to land a role that put her in the
00:54:57
spotlight like my sister Sam she rekindled her relationship with Brad Silberling in the early part of the year
00:55:04
and the two who were soon exclusive the couple celebrated the release of scenes from the class struggle in Beverly Hills
00:55:12
which was popular with both critics and the public and Brad would sometimes visit Rebecca on the set of the new film
00:55:18
she was working on the end of innocence when they weren't working they spent their dates with simple home-cooked
00:55:26
meals or cuddled up on the couch with Rebecca's cat Katherine named after Katherine Hepburn the couple started
00:55:34
discussing the possibility of getting engaged Rebecca had been brought up to have a
00:55:41
social conscience when still at school she helped her father child psychologist dr. Benson Schafer teach a class for
00:55:49
developmentally disabled youngsters in 1989 her chosen cause was Thursday's child a charity for at-risk teens and
00:55:58
young adults she donated her time and her high-profile becoming a spokesperson for the organization and helping out
00:56:06
when she could when she missed the signing event for the charity because of filming commitments
00:56:12
she made a personal appearance at a girl shelter where the girls excitedly crowded around her as she graciously
00:56:19
signed autographs for all of them Rebecca's popularity had not waned despite no longer being a regular
00:56:27
fixture on people's television sets two sacks of unanswered female sat on her laundry room for waiting for Rebecca to
00:56:35
have a long enough break in her schedule to get around to them Robert Bardo his obsession with Rebecca
00:56:45
Schaeffer was reignited but it was different now he still loved her but he believed in new photographs Rebecca had
00:56:54
lost some of her youthful sweetness and was looking older and harder he presumed
00:57:00
that it was because she was sleeping around and he believed she should be punished for her immorality frustrated
00:57:09
that he had failed on his many attempts to meet or speak to Rebecca Robert turned to stories of other
00:57:14
celebrity stalkers for hints about how they managed to get close to their targets a People magazine article
00:57:21
provided inspiration it told the story of Raging Bull actress - Reza Saldana who had nearly been killed in a frenzied
00:57:30
stabbing attack by Scottish drifter Arthur Jackson in 1982 Jackson had hired a private investigator to get the phone
00:57:38
number of the actresses mother whom he then tricked into giving up so Donna's address Robert Bardo pulled out the
00:57:47
Yellow Pages and called the first private investigator listed for Tucson AAA investigators they told him they
00:57:56
could find anyone but it would cost at least 250 dollars Robert rifled through his meager possessions looking for
00:58:04
things he could pawn or sell the next day he sold two guitars about 20 compact discs and an amplifier which provided
00:58:13
him with enough money to pay the private investigator and have enough left over for a Greyhound bus ticket to Los
00:58:19
Angeles On June 1 1989 Robert Bardo entered the door of a a investigators clutching a
00:58:29
folder containing several letters and a glossy photograph of smiling Rebecca Schaeffer he explained to the
00:58:37
investigator that Rebecca was an old friend with whom he had corresponded in the past but they had lost touch when
00:58:43
she moved house he wanted her new address so he could send her a gift Robert presented as an ordinary teenager
00:58:52
who held down a job and had delivered with these parents in the same address in the area for several years more
00:58:59
importantly he had two hundred and fifty dollars in cash ready to pay for a job that would take a few phone calls and to
00:59:06
cost a couple of bucks the investigator happily accepted Robert as a client and promised him the information as soon as
00:59:14
possible what Robert didn't know was that anyone in California could ring the Department of Motor Vehicles interferin
00:59:24
nominal fee get someone's driver's license details including their address he could have done it himself and saved
00:59:32
the 250 dollars if he had known as soon as he left the office the investigator put in a call to a contact in Los
00:59:40
Angeles who weaselly got Rebecca Schafer's current address pee investigators provided their new
00:59:48
client with the information into the simple business transaction was settled at the beginning of July Rebecca
00:59:59
Schafer's agent called with news that could once again change the young woman's life legendary Hollywood
01:00:06
director Francis Ford Coppola when had heard of audition for the third installment of the Godfather trilogy the
01:00:14
part was Mary Corleone favorite daughter of the head of a mafia family and a pivotal role in The Godfather Part three
01:00:22
Ford Coppola had considered multiple actresses including Julia Roberts and Madonna but he believed Rebecca
01:00:30
Schaeffer was the one who was right for the part there was the sort of role that could
01:00:36
catapult the 21 year old out of the bay list and writing her a list celebrity fame working with one of the most famous
01:00:43
Directors in the world would open up endless possibilities for a young actress after he received - Rebecca
01:00:53
Schafer's address from the private investigator Robert Bardo had another stop to make at 19 he was too young to
01:01:02
legally purchase a firearm in Arizona where the legal age limit was 21 so Robert enlisted the help of his older
01:01:09
brother Edgar the two young men entered Jensen's firearms and browsed the guns on display Robert pointed out a 357
01:01:20
magnum and told the salesman it was the one he wanted although it should have been obvious the hamp film was being
01:01:27
purchased for the underage Robert ended us and illegal purchase the salesman allowed Edgar to Boyett with no
01:01:34
questions asked Robert wrote a letter to his sister in Tennessee in whom he sometimes confided and told her of his
01:01:42
love for Rebecca Schaeffer adding quote if I can't have her no one can on July 15 Robert Bardo was disturbed by
01:01:55
the noise of a party across the street his neighbors were holding a 15th birthday party for their daughter
01:02:02
Robert marched over the road screaming and swearing telling the partygoers to go back to Mexico when they failed to
01:02:10
respond he screamed if you don't shut up I'm going to get my 357 Magnum and shoot
01:02:16
you that night Robert drew a diagram of Rebecca Schafer's body and two marked spots where he planned to shoot her he
01:02:27
listened to music by Irish rock band u2 specifically the song exit the second-to-last song on the band's 1997
01:02:35
album the Joshua tree he listened to the lyrics that sang of heavy pistols and beating love and he became convinced you
01:02:44
too was telling him what he needed to do Robert Rowe Rebecca another letter before booking a ticket on an overnight
01:02:52
Greyhound bus before he left Robert apologized to his neighbor for his threatening outburst he packed these
01:03:01
copy of Catcher in the Rye and his gun and a left aboard the bus on the evening of Monday July 17 Rebecca
01:03:14
Schaeffer hosted a gathering for her grandfather's 71st birthday it was not going to be a late finish as her
01:03:21
grandfather was rarely up for a big night but even more importantly Rebecca had to be fresh for an 11 o'clock
01:03:28
audition the following morning for the Godfather Part 3 Rebecca's parents called from Oregon to ensure she passed
01:03:36
on their birthday wishes and to wish her luck for the audition they ended the call as they always did
01:03:43
each telling the other I love you at 7 p.m. Robert Bardo boarded an overnight Greyhound bus in Tucson bound for Los
01:03:56
Angeles after a restless night the bus arrived to Union Station in LA in the early hours of Tuesday morning July 18
01:04:06
Robert didn't pack a change of clothes so when the bus arrived to LA his yellow shirt was creased and his hair
01:04:13
disheveled the terminal was some way from the address the investigator had given him and he couldn't afford a cab
01:04:21
but Robert was adept at public transport and had been to LA enough times to know
01:04:26
the bus routes he jumped on a city bus headed west Robert arrived at north Switzer Avenue and made his way along
01:04:36
the sunny tree-lined street to Rebecca's address the white building looked like a
01:04:42
Tudor mansion and Robert wasn't sure he had the right place he reached into the manila folder he was carrying and pulled
01:04:51
out the photograph that Rebecca had signed to him Robert began accosting passers-by thrusting the photograph of
01:04:58
Rebecca under their noses and asking if they knew where the woman in the picture
01:05:02
lived after being ignored Robert trusted he had the right address after all and pressed on the buzzer -
01:05:11
Rebecca Schafer's apartment rebecca schaeffer whoa burly on the morning of tuesday july 18 it was the
01:05:24
day of the biggest audition of her career so far the script for The Godfather Part three would be delivered
01:05:32
to her apartment sometime that morning couriered over by the studio shortly before her audition as was customary for
01:05:39
major films as luck would have it the intercom to Rebecca's apartment building was broken and she would have to go
01:05:47
downstairs to answer the door that led out to the street while she waited she called her boyfriend Brad to ask him
01:05:55
about the new screenplay he had been hired to write Brad didn't pick up so she left a message on his answering
01:06:01
machine when Robert Bardo sounded the buzzer to Rebecca's apartment he didn't know the
01:06:09
machine was busted and that Rebecca would appear in person at the glass security door to greet him when she
01:06:17
appeared the starstruck teen blurted out that he was her number one fan whilst holding up the sign to photograph he out
01:06:23
of her Rebecca's small record Lee and commented that it was clever of him to find out where she lived but it wasn't
01:06:31
appropriate for him to come to her house I appreciate you coming but please don't
01:06:37
return she requested as she shook his hand please take care she said before closing the door Rebecca returned to her
01:06:48
apartment to shower and get ready the phone rang and she spoke briefly to Brad who had
01:06:54
returned her call and wanted to wish her luck for the audition knowing how important it was to her Rebecca's
01:07:01
audition outfit was neatly laid out on the bed ready for her to change into just before going to her meeting
01:07:11
Robert Bardo walked away from Rebecca Schafer's apartment block shaken and disarmed with how lovely she had been to
01:07:18
him realizing he had neden since boarding the bus the night before he retreated to a nearby diner Chan's
01:07:26
restaurant on Beverly Boulevard where he ordered onion rings and a cheesecake he
01:07:32
pulled out the copy of Catcher in the Rye and wondered again about Chapman calmly reading it at a cafe table just
01:07:39
like the one he was at after shooting John Lennon he rang his sister in Tennessee and when she answered he said
01:07:47
quote on the block and a half away from Rebecca Schafer's house he told her he was on a mission to stop Rebecca
01:07:55
forsaking her innocent image and becoming a quote fornicating screen [ __ ] but he didn't say what that
01:08:04
mission would entail as he finished his meal Robert felt the cassette tape in the folder that he had meant to give to
01:08:13
Rebecca it contains samples of his music songs that he had written about her into which
01:08:18
he had meant to give her along with the last letter he had written he had been too flustered by the encounter and had
01:08:26
forgotten to do it Rebecca had told Robert not to come back but he needed her to hear his lyrics and read his
01:08:34
words Robert decided to return to Rebecca's apartment at 10:15 a.m. he rang the buzzer to
01:08:45
Rebecca's apartment for the second time moments later Rebecca appeared at the door in her bathrobe upon realizing it
01:08:54
was Robert disturbing her once again she gritted her teeth and glared at him she said you came to my door again
01:09:02
you're wasting my time reaching into the manila folder robert replied I forgot to
01:09:11
give you this but instead of pulling out his cassette tape he pulled out the 357
01:09:17
magnum stepping forward Robert grabbed Rebecca's forearm so she couldn't slam the door shut or move away
01:09:26
Rebecca's eyes widened as rubber pointed the hand gun at her chest his finger was
01:09:32
already squeezing the trigger as she screamed why why as Rebecca crumpled to the ground on the
01:09:41
doorstep Robert briefly considered turning the gun on himself and falling on top of her instead he ran discarding
01:09:51
the gun his yellow shirt and his copy of Catcher in the Rye nearby Rebecca's neighbors startled by the screams in the
01:10:00
sound of gunfire found Rebecca lying on her back in the doorway the patch of blood spreading across her chest
01:10:08
neighbors called emergency services and as they waited for the ambulance one neighbor Presta tears into her wound
01:10:16
hoping to stop the bleeding an ambulance rushed to Rebecca to hospital but within
01:10:23
30 minutes of her arrival Rebecca Schaeffer had passed away when news of Rebecca's slaying hit the
01:10:35
press Robert Bardo sister contacted a friend in the Tennessee Highway Patrol to tell them she was sure that her
01:10:42
little brother was the culprit her friend contacted Los Angeles Police and by 2:00 a.m. authorities had a name of a
01:10:50
prime suspect but no idea where he might be believing he may have returned home the
01:10:58
LAPD notified police in Arizona later that morning Tucson TV news reporter James weiner overheard a report on his
01:11:09
police scanner that a dirty and disheveled man was running into freeway traffic in what looked like a suicidal
01:11:15
game of chicken grabbing his cameraman wieder attended the scene and saw a young man behaving erratically
01:11:23
perhaps drunk or stoned but definitely disorientated when police apprehended the man we described his manner and the
01:11:34
look on his face as reminiscent of Vincent d'Onofrio's portrayal of the tortured and unstable character private
01:11:41
Leonard Lawrence in the film Full Metal Jacket with his head held low and his eyes locked up would in a blank
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terrifying stare upon his arrest Robert Bardo was passive and polite to everyone
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he told police he thought he deserved to die because Rebecca was dead he told them where they could find his gun shirt
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and his copy of Catcher in the Rye tossed onto a roof of a rehab center in an alleyway right near Rebecca's home
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Robert Bardo was charged with the murder of Rebecca Schaeffer he was 19 years old
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Robert Bardo had no hope of posting the million-dollar bail and so was remanded in custody in the sensitive needs unit
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to wait for his trial he agreed to waive his right to be heard by a jury and opted for a bench trial before a judge
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alone in return for the state not seeking the death penalty Roberts attorney employed many pretrial
01:12:47
tactics to have the case thrown here and was nearly successful in having his extradition to California declared
01:12:54
unlawful but ultimately failed such antics delayed the commencement of the trial until October 1991 more than two
01:13:05
years after the murder that trial Roberts attorney argued that he was not guilty by reason of insanity the defense
01:13:15
had arranged Robert to be interviewed by a psychiatrist who specialized in celebrity stalkers and to that doctor
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declared Robert a schizophrenic whose illness led him to shoot Rebecca Schaeffer the defense painted a picture
01:13:30
of a mentally ill child who had been neglected by his parents the mental-health system and the courts
01:13:37
when his lawyer played the video recording of his own account of the shooting Robert hung his head and pressed his
01:13:44
clenched fists over his ears on the tape Robert Bardo said quote she had this kid
01:13:52
voice sounded like a little brat or something said I was wasting her time wasting her time no matter what I
01:14:01
thought that was a very callous thing to say to a fan you know I grabbed at the door gun still in the bag I grab it by
01:14:11
the trigger I come around and cappell and she's like screaming screaming why and it's like Oh God
01:14:26
Robert sat motionless through most of the trial but sprang to life when new to song exit was played in court as part of
01:14:34
the defense case Robert claimed the lyrics had told him that he should shoot Rebecca as the song played through the
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loudspeakers he grinned bobbed to the music rocking his chair drummed his hands on his leg and smiling mouth the
01:14:53
words pistol weighing heavy the defense argued that there was no doubt that Robert barro had killed Rebecca
01:15:02
Schaeffer but that he should only be found a guilty of second-degree murder which would mean a sentence of around 8
01:15:08
years the attorney said that Robert had returned to Rebecca's apartment in order
01:15:13
to give her the cassette tape and a letter entered only shot her on impulse when she had been rude to him several
01:15:21
witnesses including studio security chief John Yeager and to the private investigator who sold Robert the
01:15:28
actress's address testified that Robert presented as intelligent and too lucid after three weeks of listening to
01:15:36
testimony on both sides the Superior Court judge rejected the defense argument the Robert was too mentally ill
01:15:43
to premeditate murder Robert Bardo was convicted of first degree murder with the special circumstance of lying in
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wait which meant a mandatory sentence of life with no chance of parole as Bardo was being escorted out of the courtroom
01:16:01
Rebecca's mother Dana hissed at him quote have a wonderful time in jail Rebecca's boyfriend Brad Silberling
01:16:10
added quote your cowardice is going to haunt you for the rest of your life [Music]
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hundreds of mourners attended the funeral for Rebecca Schaeffer held at a cemetery in Portland Oregon her casket
01:16:30
was adorned with white blue and purple flowers boyfriend Brad Silberling broke down in tears
01:16:36
calling Rebecca a sparkling soul whom he had hoped to marry her father Benson said of his only child Oh Rebecca were
01:16:47
always thinking of you we will always think of you Rebecca Schafer's death reverberating
01:16:55
around Hollywood until then entertainers in the spotlight were told that the occasional unhinged
01:17:01
fan was to be expected in their line of work and - there was little that they could do about it
01:17:06
after the death of the young rising star Hollywood was determined that something
01:17:11
had to be done about it Rebecca's murder became the catalyst for creation of the LAPD's threat management
01:17:20
unit which was the United States first law enforcement unit specifically specializing in stalking cases
01:17:27
soon after in 1990 California passed America's first anti-stalking law making certain patterns of threatening behavior
01:17:36
a criminal offense a law was also passed that restricted the Department of Motor
01:17:42
Vehicles from releasing the home address of individuals on its database the law has since provided recourse for
01:17:50
celebrities such as Madonna Michael J Fox Jeri Ryan and David Letterman Hollywood Studios began engaging threat
01:17:59
management experts and scrutinized the fan mail directed at their stars more carefully any deemed unusually obsessive
01:18:08
were passed on to the police experts agreed that obsessive declarations of love were usually more dangerous than
01:18:16
threatening communications the role destined for Rebecca or of Mary Corleone in The Godfather Part three seemed to be
01:18:26
cursed after Rebecca's death Winona Ryder was cast her had to pull out on doctor's orders after suffering from
01:18:34
exhaustion and a respiratory infection having just finished making three films back-to-back frantic for a last-minute
01:18:42
replacement Francis Ford Coppola cast his own daughter Sofia the film never reached the success or
01:18:50
admiration of its record-breaking award-winning predecessors with Sophia's acting performance criticized by some
01:18:59
Rebecca Schafer's parents became active and vocal advocates for gun control becoming leaders in Oregon's gun control
01:19:07
movement they worked hard on the gun bills lobbying for the brady bill an act of Congress that mandated federal
01:19:14
background checks on people wishing to buy a firearm and imposed a five-day waiting period on purchases Benson
01:19:22
Schaffer said quote getting involved with the gun control issue helped us to focus our anger in 2017 Dana Shafer aged
01:19:35
74 premiered a one-woman show dedicated to her daughter caught you in midair elegy for a daughter in a dinner held
01:19:46
nothing back she walked the audience through the painful ordeal of losing her only child including getting the news
01:19:53
rushing to Los Angeles visiting the morgue attending the high-profile trial and to later seeking therapy the show
01:20:03
also featured tender moments of light-hearted humor very much a reflection of the joy and spirit of
01:20:09
Rebecca herself and the positivity she radiated on the day after Rebecca Schafer's murder her grieving parents
01:20:19
sat on the floor of her Los Angeles apartment and began sifting through the two sacks of unread fan mail that their
01:20:25
daughter had previously moved to one saw it hoping to get around to it later they
01:20:31
found two letters one sent in 1986 and the other in 1987 both signed with the name Robert Bardo pale and shaking
01:20:43
Benson and Dennis Schaeffer read both letters searching for anything that would give them answers but the teenage
01:20:51
authors messy handwriting contained only vague rambling prose that detailed his adoration and work
01:20:58
if their daughter Rebecca [Music] you