Robert John Bardo
| Robert John Bardo | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 2, 1970 |
| Criminal penalty | Life imprisonment |
| Criminal status | Incarcerated at Ironwood State Prison |
| Conviction(s) | First degree murder |
Robert John Bardo (born January 2, 1970) is an American man serving life imprisonment without parole after being convicted in October 1991 for the murder of American actress Rebecca Schaeffer on July 18, 1989, whom he had stalked for three years beforehand.
Bardo was the youngest of seven children. His mother was Korean and his father was a noncommissioned officer in the U.S. Air Force. The family moved frequently and eventually settled in Tucson, Arizona in 1983. Bardo reportedly had a troubled childhood. He was abused by one of his siblings and placed in foster care after he threatened to commit suicide. At the age of 15, he was institutionalized for a month for emotional problems. Bardo dropped out of Pueblo Magnet High School in the ninth grade and began working as a janitor at Jack in the Box.
In the 18 months prior to Schaeffer's murder, Bardo had been arrested three times on charges including domestic violence and disorderly conduct. Neighbors of Bardo also said that he had exhibited unexplained strange and threatening behavior towards them.
Prior to his involvement with Schaeffer, Bardo had stalked child peace activist Samantha Smith before her death in a 1985 plane crash. After writing numerous letters to Schaeffer, Bardo attempted to gain access to the set of the CBS TV series My Sister Sam, on which Schaeffer played a starring role. Ultimately, he obtained her home address via a detective agency, who in turn tracked it via California Department of Motor Vehicles records. On July 18, 1989, he confronted her at her home, angry at her for having starred in a sex scene in the film Scenes from the Class Struggle in Beverly Hills and thus having "lost her innocence." He visited her at her apartment and told her he was a big fan. She signed an autograph, went back into her apartment and he left. About an hour later, Bardo again rang the bell to her apartment. Upon Schaeffer opening the door, Bardo fired one round of ammunition, killing her. Bardo was later arrested when observed walking aimlessly in traffic.
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