The DMV Leak That Got a Hollywood Star Killed.

Rebecca Schaeffer was just 21 years old and on the brink of Hollywood stardom when a deadly obsession found its way to her doorstep.

Her killer, 19-year-old Robert John Bardo, had stalked her for years. He wrote letters, showed up at studios, and finally hired a private investigator to track her down. That investigator obtained Rebecca’s unlisted address from the California DMV for just $250.

On July 18, 1989, Bardo rang her doorbell and shot her point-blank in the chest. Her final word was “Why?” The murder shocked Hollywood and led to major changes in U.S. privacy laws.

Are today’s protections enough to keep public figures safe from stalkers like him?

Follow True Crime Recaps for the cases that changed laws, lives, and the way we think about fame and privacy.