Case No. 23: Pieces of Paper Don't Stop Bullets

Three Women, Three Stalkers, and the Laws Written in Their Names

They reported it. They documented it. They went to court. And each of their stories changed the law, but not in time to save them all.

In this episode, Michelle tells the stories of three women stalked across three decades:

Laura Black (Sunnyvale, California, 1988): a young engineer stalked by a former co-worker for four years. The day before her restraining order hearing, he opened fire at her workplace, killing seven people. Laura survived, and her case helped prompt the nation’s first anti-stalking law.

Kristin Lardner (Boston, Massachusetts, 1992): a 21-year-old art student killed by an ex-boyfriend who was already on probation for attacking another woman. Her father, a Washington Post reporter, investigated her death and won a Pulitzer Prize. Massachusetts then created a statewide registry of domestic violence offenders.

Peggy Klinke (2003): she did everything she was told to do, including moving more than a thousand miles away. Her stalker hired a private investigator to find her. Her sister Debbie Riddle turned that loss into National Stalking Awareness Month, observed every January.

Every victim has a story. Every investigation matters. Every name deserves to be remembered.

Content note: this episode discusses stalking, domestic violence, a workplace mass shooting, and murder-suicide. Listener discretion is advised.

If you or someone you know is being stalked:

• In immediate danger, call 911.
• National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233, or text START to 88788.
• SPARC (Stalking Prevention, Awareness, and Resource Center): stalkingawareness.org
• VictimConnect Resource Center: 1-855-484-2846 (1-855-4-VICTIM)

If you know anything about an unsolved case, please contact law enforcement.

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