The 20/20 two-hour special “Your Biggest Fan” looks at what’s considered one of the first big celebrity stalking cases. Rebecca Schaeffer, a 21-year-old actress known for her role as Patti in the TV sitcom My Sister Sam with Pam Dawber, was fatally shot at the door of her Los Angeles home on July 18, 1989. Her killer was Robert John Bardo, a man from Tucson, Arizona who had been stalking Schaeffer for three years.
Bardo confessed and was tried by prosecutor Marcia Clark (who later became famous during the O.J. Simpson murder case). Bardo was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
And that’s not all — this case strangely features celebrity connections throughout, even outside Los Angeles and Hollywood.
Bardo was arrested (one day after the murder) by Tucson Police Chief Peter Ronstadt, brother of singer Linda Ronstadt. Peter Ronstadt was Tucson Chief of Police for 10 years, 1981-1991. Prior to becoming a police officer, Peter joined his sisters Linda and Suzy in a folk trio called the New Union Ramblers in 1963. They signed a recording contract but by 1966, Linda left Tucson for Los Angeles, where she sang with the Stone Poneys, and launched her solo career.
The powerful lure of celebrity, success, and money plays a huge role in the understanding of the stalking menace. Linda Ronstadt has also been the target of a stalker. According to the Associated Press, in 2006, Ronstadt received a protective order in Tucson against a man who was convicted of stalking her in 1998. 20/20 airs Fridays at 9 pm on ABC.
