Crime, Conspiracy, Cults and Murder - Ep. 53 | Terrifying Stalkers Who Turned Into Killers

Episode Date: June 11, 2025

In today's episode, we look into cases where stalking becomes a little more than anticipated, or was that their plan the entire time? Let's dive in! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It begins with a glance, a casual interaction, a friendly smile from across the office, or a message in an online chat room. And most of us forget these moments the next day. But for a stalker, it's a beginning of a fantasy. One that grows darker, more obsessive, and eventually deadly. Stalking is often dismissed as harmless, a joke in pop culture. Or shrugged off by authorities as just someone being weird. But in truth, it's a pattern of control, obsession, and entitlement.

One that can scale and escalate in terrifying ways. And in this video, we'll examine three cases where stalking didn't end with unanswered calls or restraining orders. Because these stalkers didn't back down. They waited, they plotted, and when their illusions were shattered, they turned violent. What you're about to hear are stories of manipulation, jealousy, and murder. Crime, conspiracy, cults, serial killers, and murder. All things that I love to consume, and I know you do too, you sick, twisted, intellectually, beautifully minded break.

I think I said that wrong. Whoops. Anyway, today we are getting into three very, very disturbing cases. Cases that involve stalking and sometimes murder. So if you're sensitive to that, you can skip this video. But if you're here for it, let's unbuckle our seatbelts, go mock five down the highway, slam on the brakes, and bust through this windshield into these three stalking cases together. Also, for the only audio listeners, you won't be able to appreciate this. but for my video what people look at.

Oh, Rupy! Rupy! Rupy! You can see Rupi down there. He's my little true crime buddy now. I've got to get him a higher pedestal so you guys can appreciate his wonder. Anyway. Make Mother's Day even more special at Whole Foods Market.

Kick off brunch or dinner with quality cheese and charcutory with no synthetic nitrates. Then go seafood. There's an abundance on sale at Whole Foods Market, where it's all sustainable while coder. responsibly farmed. At the bakery, grab seasonal treats like their strawberry pretzel cream pie, and you can't go wrong with a ready-to-heatheich Lorraine, deviled eggs, and fresh-cut fruits to go. Celebrate Mom with Whole Foods Market. It was a chilly morning in February 1986 in Van Nuys,

California. A newlywed Sherry Rasmussen woke up feeling slightly under the weather and decided to stay home from work. And her husband of just three months, John Routen, would kiss her goodbye as he did every morning while she lay in bed completely unaware that this would be their final farewell. Because when John returned home later that evening, he would walk straight into a nightmare. He would find that their townhouse was incomplete disarray with broken glass, overturned furniture, and blood-staining the carpet. And in the middle of it all lay his brand new wife, Sherry, lifeless still wearing her robe. And she had been brutally beaten and shot three times at close range. And Sherry's face would be very badly injured,

well, smashed by a very heavy ceramic vase that was laying in nearby her body. But the defensive wounds on her body told the story of a very ferocious fight for survival. She had even torn off two fingernails clawing at her attacker. And there was also a deep bite mark on her inner forearm, which was just evidence of a very fierce struggle. Yet oddly, the scene bore signs of a robbery gone wrong, because stereo equipment and a VCR were stacked by the front door, and valuables were kind of scattered around, and Sherry's new BMW was missing from the garage. So initially, the LAPD thought that Sherry might have stumbled onto a burglary in process and paid with her life. And it was a very plausible theory. But soon,

deeper questions would emerge. And those questions were, who would have killed Sherry and why had the attack seemed so intensely personal? Now, Sherry Rasmussen, by all accounts, was a very vibrant, intellectual, and highly accomplished woman whose life had held immense promise. She was born and raised in Los Angeles, California, and she was known from an early age for her determination, kindness, and impressive intellect. And by the age of 27, Sherry had already built a remarkable career in nursing, recently becoming the director of nursing at a prestigious Los Angeles hospital, a very rare achievement for somewhat of her age. And colleagues would go on to describe her as extremely inspiring, passionate about her profession, dedicated to her patients, and just beloved

by those who worked with her. And her personal life was just as fulfilling, because in late In 1985, Sherry would marry John, a man she deeply, deeply loved. And they would move into a townhouse together in Van Nuys, a very comfortable and quiet neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley, which was ideal for a young couple starting their married life. And the couple, again, had only been married three months at the time of this tragedy, still in the honeymoon phase of their relationship. And friends and families said that the two seemed genuinely happy and excitedly planned their

future together. And in her personal time, Sherry was very athletic and energetic. And she often spent the weekends playing tennis and staying active. And on February 24, 1986, Sherry decided to stay home from work because she was feeling under the weather. But that decision placed her unknowingly in the path of a violent attack that would shock everyone who knew her. So it just left investigators grasping to understand why would anyone kill this young beloved woman. So like I said before, the LAPD initially thought that this was a robbery gone wrong because all the signs were there.

Sign of forced entry, electronics stacked at the door, valuables rummaged through, and Sherry's BMW was missing. And in 1986 in Los Angeles, violent break-ins were tragically very common. But almost immediately, that conclusion began to fray. And there were clues, obvious ones, that didn't quite fit a burglary theory. Because Sherry had clear defensive wounds, torn fingernails, suggesting a very prolonged and violent struggle, the shattered vase that lay near her body, the bite mark that was visible on her forearm, and the stacker. Electronics had blood on them, meaning they were moved after Sherry had already been mortally wounded. So if theft was truly the motive, why didn't the killer actually take anything? Leeds were

scarce, because DNA technology was rudimentary at the time, and the partial fingerprints and bite swab were left unanalyzed. But to those who knew Sherry best, all of the pieces just didn't add up, and they never believed that it was random. And Sherry's father, Nels, was one of the first to raise the alarm. Because as he comforted John, Sherry's husband, In the wake of his daughter's murder, John mentioned something unsettling. And that was that there was a woman from his past that hadn't taken his new marriage very well.

So for more than two decades, Sherry's murder sat cold in the LAPD archives, classified as a tragic but unsolved home invasion. And the grieving Rasmussen family never stopped believing that the true killer had been overlooked. But the police seemed to fall on deaf ears. Then in the early 2000s,

a spark of hope would emerge. And not through testimony or confession, but through testimony, science because in 2005, advances in DNA technology gave the LAPD an opportunity to revisit evidence that had once been impossible to process fully. And criminalists would re-examine that bite mark collected from Sherry's arm at the time of the crime. And this time, the results would be definite and startling, because the DNA profile revealed the attacker was a woman. And this revelation just shattered the long-held assumption that two male burglars had killed Sherry. Yet, even with this

breakthrough, the case didn't move forward. So the results were logged, but not pursued, just following through the cracks of bureaucracy and internal disinterest. And it wasn't until 2009 during a comprehensive cold case review that Sherry's filed landed on the desk of Detective Jim Nuttall. And as he combed through the evidence, something immediately caught his attention. And that was the stacked stereo equipment near the door that had Sherry's blood on it. And that detail had been missed or ignored before. But to Jim, this was crucial. So someone tried to make it look like a burglary after Sherry was already dying on the floor. So from that moment, the direction of the investigation shifted.

And Jim and his team now believed that this had not been about theft at all. It was just a personal attack disguised as a break-in. And the DNA profile of a female suspect only deepened the mystery, because this was a brutal attack. So what woman would have brutally attacked Sherry? And then stage it as a burglary. So two questions now haunted. the detectives. Who was this woman? And why had no one looked into her before? So as DNA results pointed unmistakably to a female suspect, detective faced a unnerving realization,

because the evidence seemed to implicate one of their own. And that was Stephanie Lazarus. And she had long since become a respected figure within the LAPD. And by 2009, she was a seasoned detective in the department's elite art theft unit. And she had decades. of experience and an outwardly spotless record. She was rel-liked, known for her work ethic, and she was even featured in the department newsletter and photos. So to most of her colleagues, she was the embodiment of a trustworthy police officer.

But behind the scenes, a small team of investigators began digging into her background, comparing it to what they now knew about the Rasmussen case. And their suspicions had been handled delicately. Because if Stephanie had learned that she was being investigated, she could manipulate the evidence, alert potential allies inside the department or just flee. And investigators also knew that she still had access to weapons, insider knowledge, and a badge.

So the risk was immense. So they would work in secrecy. And Stephanie would be quietly added to the short list of five possible female suspects. And one by one, the others were eliminated based on DNA. And by the end, only Stephanie would remain. And in a carefully orchestrated operation, a surveillance team actually shadowed Stephanie through her daily routine. And one day, while she stopped at Costco, she sipped from a soda cup and tossed it into the trash. And when she walked away, the officers would retrieve the discarded cup.

And lab tests confirmed what investigators feared most. Because the DNA on the straw matched the saliva from the bite mark on Sherry Rasmussen's arm. And that bite mark overlooked and underutilized for more than two decades now revealed a horrifying truth. And that was that the killer hadn't just been an LAPD detective all this time, but also that the killer actually knew the victim very, very personally. So this DNA match was airtight because the odds of that saliva coming from anyone else but Stephanie was astronomically low. So armed with DNA evidence, the investigators knew they had their prime suspect.

But the question now was, why? Why did this LAPD officer kill Sherry? Well, two decades earlier, her name had actually lingered in the background of the original investigation. mentioned briefly by both Sherry's grieving father and Sherry's husband. Because Stephanie had been Sherry's husband, old ex-girlfriend. A jealous one at that. But at the time, investigators dismissed the notion completely. Because the attack looked like a burglary gone wrong and the attack was so incredibly violent,

they thought, how could a woman have done this? But now with this DNA evidence, they knew that she was not just capable of it. They knew that she was guilty of it. really was Stephanie. Well, she had been John Routon's ex-girlfriend, a college ex-girlfriend, actually, and they would meet at UCLA, dated off and on throughout college. And eventually they would part raise romantically, but not emotionally for her. So while John moved on earning his engineering degree and falling in love with Sherry, Stephanie remained very close, a little too close. She would become a police officer, which was her lifelong dream, and was known around the department

for her outgoing personality and her dedication to her work. But privately, Stephanie had been unable to let go of John. And in the months leading up to Sherry's murder, Stephanie's jealousy had become more and more overt. Because she had shown up unannounced to Sherry and John's condo while Sherry was home alone, which is terrifying. And she would be dressed in full LAPD uniform and said that she was just checking in.

And Sherry would be obviously shaken and would ask her to leave. Because she would know at this point that this was John. And another time, Stephanie would confront Sherry at the hospital that she worked at and would issue a very disturbing warning, saying that if John's marriage didn't work out, she'd be waiting. And as we know now, these were not idle comments. They were a prelude to murder. So by early 1986, Stephanie knew her last chance with John was gone. Because in an emotional moment, shortly before John's wedding with Sherry, she had convinced him to sleep with her one final time. And this was a decision that John did confess to Sherry later on. And Sherry would forgive him, but Stephanie could not forgive the rejection.

And then would come February 24, 1986. So John, as we know, would leave for work that morning, and Sherry, feeling slightly unwell, would stay at home. And it would be a quiet weekday in venues, as usual. And at some point during the day, Stephanie showed up at the condo, most likely off-duty, but armed, and she might have knocked and claimed she just wanted to talk. And she knew that Sherry was home alone. And once she got inside, things would escalate. And the physical struggle that followed was brutal. So Sherry, taller, and athletic fought back ferociously. So much so that she managed to tear off two of her fingernails clawing at Stephanie. But that's when Stephanie would grab that heavy ceramic phase and smash Sherry's face, completely breaking the right side and leaving it disfigured.

And during the struggle, she bit Sherry on her inner forearm. And this was the deep, aggressive wound that would later carry the damning DNA. And seeing that Sherry was completely subdued at this point, Stephanie would stand up, pull out her 38 caliber revolver, likely her off-duty weapon, and fire three shots execution style into Sherry at close range. And the grouping of the wounds and the muzzle imprint on her skin confirmed how close the shooter was. And then to cover her tracks, Stephanie would stage the scene. She stacked stereo equipment by the door, ransacked drawers, and stole Sherry's BMW, making it look like a burglary gone wrong. And it was a cover-up that unfortunately worked for decades, and no one had seriously suspected her. And the LAPD obviously had not

considered their own. Even though Sherry's husband and father brought it up, it was completely dismissed. But luckily, DNA sealed her fate decades later, and now the real story of Sherry Rasmussen's death was out. It was a love triangle turned deadly and a jealous ex who used her badge to hide a brutal, brutal crime. So on June 5th, 2009, investigators would lure Stephanie into an interview room under the pretense of consulting her on a case involving a suspect because they didn't really want to tip her off right away because she knew she was armed. They knew she could flee. They knew she could do something to potentially get away. So they had to trick her, basically. So she would come into the room, unarmed and unsuspecting. And inside the interrogation room,

two detectives would tell her that they wanted to ask her about an old. incident and that old incident was the death of Sherry in 1986. And at first, Stephanie just laughed off the question, just brushing them aside. But as the conversation deepened and the detective said that they had physical evidence of her trying to murder her, her demeanor completely shifted. And she started to become very visibly nervous, then combative, and eventually tried to deflect. Saying stuff like, you're accusing me of this? Am I on candid camera or something? She said, dumb bitch. And that's when the the tension of the room would escalate. And for a few more minutes, Stephanie stood up and demanded a lawyer, but it was too late.

And as she exited the room, officers were waiting, and she would be immediately arrested for the murder of Sherry Rusmison. And this arrest would send shockwaves through the LAPD, because the seasoned officer, who had had decades of experience was now being let out of headquarters in handcuffs. And in 2012, Stephanie would stand trial for first-degree murder. And the prosecutors would lay out the full timeline, her obsessive fixation. on John, her confrontations with Sherry, the brutal slaying, and the staged burglary. And they would just walk jurors through the overlooked warning signs, which was the ignored pleas of

Sherry's father, and the DNA that had ultimately broke the case wide open. So the evidence was just overwhelming, and John, Sherry's husband, was devastated but determined, and he would take the stand to recount the past with Stephanie and the loss of his wife. And the courtroom would fall silent, as he would describe how he warned police back in 1986 about Stephanie's presence in their lives and how no one had listened at the time or taken it seriously. And Sherry's family, especially her father, Nels, sat through the trial with a heavy heart. Because for four years, Nels had insisted that Stephanie was the killer, even personally begging the LAPD to investigate her, but in 1986, please, we're just brushed aside.

And now in court, justice finally had a face. And it was the same woman the system had once protected. So in March of 2012, the jury had its verdict. And that was that Stephanie Lazarus was guilty of first-degree murder. And she would be sentenced to 27 years to life in prison. And she would appeal multiple times, claiming the delay in prosecution was unfair. But the courts consistently upheld their conviction, thank God. And years later, in 2003, at a parole hearing, Stephanie finally confessed to the murder and offered an apology.

Wow. So big of you. And luckily, her parole would be revoked and she remained incarcerated. And for Sherry's family, the long-awaited conviction brought both closure and, and sorrow. Because justice had come, but it had taken two decades and only after a persistent advocacy, DNA advancements, and a fresh pair of eyes on a cold case file. And the LAPD, for its part, was forced into reflection. And investigations were launched into how Stephanie had evaded scrutiny. And questions arose about whether colleagues had ignored, minimized, or even buried evidence in the

original case. And ultimately, the case of Stephanie became one of the most haunting examples of what can happen when obsession, jealousy, and insider access converge, and when institutions fail to look inward. But today, Sherry's legacy lives on. Not just in memory, but in the systemic changes, her case helped trigger, because it is now a story that's told in classrooms, policing seminars, and true crime documentaries. And it's a stark warning that the greatest threats aren't always strangers lurking in the dark, because sometimes they're people we once trusted. And Sometimes they wear a uniform, and sometimes they just sit down the hall. It was a quiet night in Buffalo, New York.

The hum of the evening shift at the Dinabrade factory had faded. And most of the workers had clocked out. But in the shadowy corners of the employee parking lot, a figure waited. Brian Barrett, a 22-year-old college student and factory worker, had stayed late helping to close up. And after he was done, closing up, he would climb into his truck, unaware that someone was watching him from the darkness. And this figure would approach him silently, camouflaged, masked, masked, and armed with a military-grade 30-caliber rifle. And in a moment, the silence was completely shattered, because three shots rang out fired at point-blank range through the truck window.

And Brian never had a chance. And the killer would vanish, leaving the young man bleeding to death in his own front seat. And for two days, Brian's truck sat in the corner of the lot, completely unnoticed. And it was only when a co-worker actually reported the vehicle hadn't moved and the police discovered Brian's body. And this wasn't a robbery. It was a cold, calculated, personal ambush. So the detectives would arrive at the scene and find no immediate motive. Because Brian was really well liked.

He was bright and he was known to have no enemies. And nothing was stolen and his truck was clearly undisturbed besides the shell casings that were around it. And there were no signs of a struggle. And security footage offered really little. evidence because the killer had moved under the cover of night and left no witnesses. So the crime appeared very professional, like someone who had planned this down to the last second. But who would do this to a quiet, well-liked college kid and why? So as police dug into Brian's personal life, something strange surfaced. Because co-workers described him as friendly and outgoing, but also

mentioned that he had recently been caught up in an unusual online relationship. Because Brian had been spending a lot of his time hours upon hours chatting with a woman online. And this was someone that he had never actually met in person, but who called herself tall, hot blonde. Subtle. And his friends would say that he was just completely infatuated, but this wasn't just any harmless fling. There was tension, jealousy, even. It was a love triangle of sorts that had emerged online, including Brian, whose username was Beefcake, and the mysterious, tall, hot blonde. And then the third name, was Tommy, who used the screen name Marine Sniper. It's a terrifying username, but okay. And the chats between

the three were intense and very emotional and sometimes even aggressive. So investigators began to suspect that this digital romance had spiraled out of control somehow. But to understand how we got there, they needed to start at the beginning. So who really was Brian Barrett? Brian was from Western New York. And he was a digital student and he was attending Buffalo State College while working, part of time at Dinabrade, which was a local manufacturing company that made abrasive power tools. And by all accounts, Brian was friendly, popular, and driven, as we know. And he played sports in high school and kept close ties with his family. And he had big aspirations beyond the factory work that he currently did. But like many adults, Brian also spent time online in forums and chat

rooms connecting with people beyond his small town world. And that's when he would meet her. And it would start with a simple message, a playful exchange. And tall, hot blonde, the screen name of a flirtatious 18-year-old girl named Jesse caught his attention on an online gaming platform called pogo.com. And she claimed to be a softball playing teenager from West Virginia. And she was blonde, athletic, bold, and she would send photos, and they would flirt, and they just hit it off quite seemingly right away. So the messages was start to turn more and more romantic. And over time, Brian just fell for her completely. But he wasn't the only one. Because in the same chat room, Jesse had also been talking with Tommy. And he was a Marine stationed overseas. And he was

charming, tough, and just full of confidence. So Jesse's conversations with both men kind of overlapped and Brian found himself caught in a bizarre rivalry. Because at first, the chats between the trio were kind of playful, but soon things would escalate and people would get jealous. So as investigators were just poor through the archive chat logs and emails, they saw how the situation had become dangerously intense because both Brian and Tommy had written long, heartfelt messages to Jesse, and she had returned to both in kind. But something about Tommy specifically was off, because the man was very possessive, even obsessive. And Tommy didn't take too kindly to Brian's interest in Jesse. And their conversations quickly started to become very hostile. And Tommy would

even go to say that Brian had made a deadly enemy. So taunts and threats and all to matums or exchange just escalating into a full-blown digital war over Jesse's affection. But it wasn't just words anymore. Because Tommy had allegedly sent Jesse photos of himself, and he was young and fit, and he described his military life in vivid detail. And Jesse just ate it up, or at least she appeared to. So she would kind of egg on both of them, just flirting with each of them and playing them off one another.

But to Brian, it seemed like there was no competition, really, because Jesse had told, him that Tommy was just too intense. And she would even share screenshots of their chats together portraying Tommy as completely unstable. But Tommy was not backing down. And he would warn Brian to stay away and he claimed that Jesse belonged to him. Creepy. And he hinted that he knew things about Brian's workplace and his schedule. So the tone would shift from romantic rivalry to something much, much darker. But that's when the messages would completely stop. And the silence, investigators would later realize wasn't peace. It was a countdown.

So with the chat logs and photos in hand, investigators were close to determining the real identity of Tommy. With the emotional intensity, the jealousy, and the threats, it all pointed to someone very unstable and someone possibly very dangerous. But Tommy had claimed to be in the military, possibly even stationed overseas. So was he real or was it a lie? And it turns out, there was no Marine named Tommy involved in these chats at all.

In fact, Tommy didn't exist at all. And behind the bravado was a 47-year-old man named Thomas Montgomery. So I guess there was technically Tommy because his name was Thomas, but it wasn't the Tommy we're talking about. Because Thomas was not a soldier. He was a middle-aged married father of two teenage daughters. And he wasn't stationed overseas. He lived and worked in the same factory as Brian Mee. Barrett. He was Brian's co-worker, and he had been catfishing both Jesse and Brian the entire time.

So the web just started to unravel quickly, and Thomas Montgomery had created this fake Tommy persona years and years earlier. Initially, just to escape his midlife crisis and dissatisfaction with his own personal life. And he'd chosen the name, Marine Sniper, and invented a full-blown backstory. A young, youthful, battle-hardened Marine with years of service, courage, and masculinity. And when he met tall, hot blonde in the chat room, the lie just blossomed into obsession. And at first, it was just harmless flirtation. Well, not harmless because he was freaking married. And then that flirtation would evolve into Jesse's attention becoming his entire life.

And Jesse would actually even send him gifts, pictures, even lingerie as a token of her devotion. But unfortunately, or actually, luckily, his wife would eventually discover the gifts and was completely horrified. And she was horrified not just at the complete infidelity, but at the childlike nature of the woman Thomas was obsessing over because she's 18 years old. And she would send Jesse a photo exposing her husband's true identity. Boss-ass move. But the digital affair wouldn't end there. And after that revelation, Tommy disappeared and a new character. would enter the chat.

And that was Tommy's father. Supposedly a remorseful man contacting Jesse on behalf of his disgraced son, dies an Oscar-winning chat actor, because this obviously was just Thomas trying to be someone else again, grasping at any excuse to maintain contact with Jesse, his obsession. And that's when Brian would enter the picture. And Brian, as we know, was young and real,

and Jesse seemed to like him on. a lot. And they quickly began to show off their relationship all over. Pogo and they were even hostile to Thomas. Because Jesse at this point would paint him as a predator and she revealed his true identity to Brian. So for Thomas, this wasn't just jealousy. It was humiliation. Because his fantasy life was unraveling in front of his face and the person replacing him wasn't an imaginary rival. It was a real person, a colleague no less. A threat that he couldn't just block or delete. And even though Jesse continued to seem against him in public view, she would still message him privately, occasionally still flirting. So in his mind, he believed that she still wanted him, even after all

this fucking fiasco, she still wanted him, or at least pretended to. So for Thomas to fully live out his imaginary relationship that he had in his head, he needed to remove the one thing that was in his way. And what began as a fantasy had now evolved into something far more dangerous. And And this is some of the chat between Thomas and Jesse shortly before Brian's murder. Marine sniper. On Friday or Saturday, you can say goodbye forever to me and Tommy. Jesse. Why?

Marine sniper. We're leaving for good. Jesse. No, Marine sniper. Yes, Jesse, you are having fun in your life now, so it's time for us to leave. Jesse. No, Tom, Marine sniper. So it's time for Tommy to be put to rest.

Jesse, I will leave. Marine sniper. I wish I had a perfect life like you and Brian. So while all of this is happening and coming to a head and the twists seem like they have come to a close, a new twist emerged. And it was the final blow. Because the woman who initially drove both men to obsession wasn't who she said she was either. Who are these people? Because Jesse, the supposed 18-year-old blonde softball player, was in fact Mary Scheler, Jesse's mother.

What in the mother? So Mary, Jesse's mother, had been using her daughter's photos and identity to pose as tall, hot blonde in online chat rooms, which is so fucking disgusting. And obviously, Jesse knew nothing of the online romances that were happening online. So Mary, a middle-aged woman, had manipulated both men for her own amusement, gratification, and just general loneliness. Take a walk, Mary. Go to a fucking coffee shop. Don't pretend to be your daughter online and use her image, you psycho. So when authorities finally confronted her, she admitted to the deception completely.

But there would be no criminal charges filed against her. But her actions were pivotal in stoking the emotional firestorm that led to murder. I don't understand how she got off Scott Free because she was quite literally using someone else's image and pretending to be them. There has to be a law somewhere in there that that's illegal. I'm pretty sure it is, but whatever. So now with all. All of the identities finally exposed, investigators turned their attention to the night of the murder,

which was September 15th, 2006. And Brian had worked a late night shift at the factory, helping to shut down the factory for the weekend. And he had parked in his usual spot in the far corner of the lot, away from the building's main entrance. And unbeknownst to him, Thomas Montgomery, his coworker, had spent the day preparing.

And he would dress in full camouflage and a ski mask to obscure his identity and he would bring with him a 30 caliber military-style rifle and waited in the shadows. And at approximately 10 p.m. as Brian sat in his truck, Thomas would approach him. And that's when he would raise his rifle and fire three shots at close range through his window. And Brian would be hit in the neck and in the arm. And the young man would unfortunately die instantly. And that's when Thomas would flee the scene slipping away completely undetected. And it wasn't until two days later, as we know that the coworker noticed Brian's truck hadn't moved at all. And that's what police

were called and they found the grisly scene inside. And as we know, investigators would quickly piece together all of this madness after Brian was murdered. And co-workers immediately would point the detectives toward Thomas Montgomery, recalling his obsessive behavior and escalating animosity for Brian in the weeks prior to the murder. And with all the chat logs, threatening messages and online exchanges between the trio, investigators were faced with an overwhelming amount of proof, and Thomas was arrested. And in custody, Thomas would admit his guilt.

And his explanation was tragic. He claimed he'd become lost in the fantasy, describing the online romance as, like an addiction. But even then, he still continued to say that he was manipulated emotionally, positioning himself to remain the victim as well. Just pathetic. And luckily, prosecutors were not sympathetic at all. And they depicted Thomas Montgomery as a dangerous, calculating man who had spun an elaborate and deadly web of deception.

And after weighing his options, Thomas would accept a plea deal and avoid trial completely. So in 2007, he pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter and received the maximum sentence, which was 20 years in prison. And in court, Thomas appeared, resigned, offering only a brief and half-hearted apology to Brian's family. And the judge sharply rebuked him, highlighting the senseless and disturbing nature of his crime. one born of online fantasy that spiraled into real-world violence. But Thomas wasn't the only person at the heart of this tragedy. Because Mary, the woman behind Toll Hot Blonde, faced intense public scrutiny and condemnation once her deception was revealed.

And although she committed no legally defined crime, which I find so hard to believe, but okay, the damage she inflicted was incalculable. And Jesse, her real daughter, was completely blindsided and horrified when she learned that her own mother had appropriated her identity to engage in sexual and emotional manipulation online. I can't even imagine. Like, my mom pretending to be, oh my, I don't want to imagine it. I've got to push it out of my fucking brain.

Oh, my God. That's terrible. And as for Brian's family, they were devastated by grief and left with haunting questions. Because their son's life was not ended by a traditional adversary, but by an anonymous stranger's twisted game. Just a cruel manipulation built into. entirely from pixels and deceit, but determined that Brian's death wouldn't be meaningless they took to speak publicly, warning others about the hidden dangers lurking in online relationships. And they would push for greater awareness, trying to ensure no other family would experience

the kind of pain that they had endured. In the aftermath, this case became a dark and chilling, cautionary tale, a reminder that digital fantasies can quickly escalate into deadly realities. Laura Black was bright, ambitious, and just beginning to chase her dreams. And Laura stood out not only for her technical skills, but for her unshakable focus. Because after graduating from college, she landed a coveted job in Silicon Valley at ESL Incorporated, which was a defense technology company in Sunnyville, California. And this job was a huge milestone. It was a very promising start in a high-paying, prestigious industry.

And at only 22, she was one of the few female engineers in the company. and she would carry herself with professionalism, committing to succeeding in a challenging environment. But what Laura didn't know is that she had caught the attention of someone working just a few feet away from her. Someone who, over the next four years, would slowly and methodically turn her life into a waking nightmare. And this someone was Richard Farley. So when Laura Black first joined ESL Incorporated in 1984, the environment seemed very welcoming.

Because ESL was a major defense contractor and the company's Sunnyville, office was filled with engineers, analysis, and researchers. And they were all working on highly classified government projects. So the atmosphere was intense, but also very collaborative. And employees shared long, hours and tight deadlines together, often working in very tight quarters. And that's where Laura would meet Richard Farley. And Farley was a computer technician at ESL. And he would be older than most of his co-workers, being in his mid-30s when Laura started. And he had joined ESL after a brief stint in the Navy, doing several tech support roles. So to outsiders, he probably just seemed like an average middle-aged employee who was

quiet, competent, and maybe a little awkward. But Farley harbored deeper issues. Because when Laura Black arrived young and new to the company, she became Farley's fixation. And it would start with just mere glances, and then it would start to be excuses to be closer to her. And then it was Farley becoming completely obsessed with her. Because he truly believed that Laura was supposed to be here. his. And at first, Laura Black, being kind and polite and just wanting to do really good at her job

and not tip anybody off, just brushed Richard Farley's behavior off as flirtation. But then he would start to bring her gifts. Notes, candy, even homemade baked goods. And when he did this, he would ask her out repeatedly. And Laura would always decline, but she would decline politely, but firmly, saying she wasn't interested and she barely even knew him. But Farley did not take the hint. In fact, he didn't take no at all, and his behavior just escalated. And the escalation started when he began appearing in places that he shouldn't have been, such as standing in hallways right outside her office during weird hours, he left personal notes on her desk, and then he even started sending her letters. And they were long, rambling messages, just professing his love and obsession for her. And he

would repeatedly call her office phone. She just could not get a break from the sky. And it was to the point where every time her phone would ring, she would dread that it was him. So Laura would try to set boundaries repeatedly. She would tell Farley she was uncomfortable and she would ask him to stop contacting her. And when that didn't work, she finally reported his behavior to human resources. But it didn't matter. Because though ESL was a major defense contractor with clear policies about harassment, the company did little, if anything, to protect her, which is just so incredibly sad. Because at the time, workplace stalking was not taken seriously at all, especially when there was no physical threat yet. So Farley would barely get a slap on the wrist and he would not even get

fired. He was simply directed to attend psychological counseling, but that wasn't even followed up. And Laura was just told to avoid him. But Farley had no intention of being avoided and Laura, unfortunately, knew it. So every time Laura walked the halls of ESL, she felt the weight of his presence. just watching her and following her and studying her every move, and each day, the signs became more alarming. So Richard Farley's fixation on Laura Black didn't just persist, but it metastasized into something much darker and more unstable. And after she rejected him and involved HR, he began to completely unravel. His work performance began to decline, and co-workers noticed he seemed agitated, volatile, and sometimes even mumbling to himself. And his obsession with Laura just consumed him.

And he would even start keeping bizarre personal records, such as doctored photos, notes about her schedule, and imagine romantic milestones that never happened between them. And Farley would consistently send Laura messages that became more and more disturbing. And these messages would be long letters claiming that they had a relationship and insisted that she owed him a chance. He was just delusional at this point and thought they were destined to be together. And when Laura didn't respond and she avoided him as the. ESL staff told her to, he completely went nuts. He would accuse her a betrayal. He would say that she was so cruel and said he would never forget what she had done to him. And Laura, who is now growing increasingly frightened and scared, contacted HR again. And she would also reach out to management and security. And then

in 1986, he was finally let go from ESL. Took you long enough. And for a time, Laura had hope. And she hoped it would be over and things would just go back to normal. But unfortunately, they didn't. Because even after being fired, Farley continued to stalk her. And by now, Farley was no longer pretending to be a heartbroken romantic. He was angrier, more erratic and more threatening. And he just fixated on what he believed Delora had done to him, which was ruining his life, costing him his job, and ignoring his love.

So he had become convinced that she deserved to suffer. And in 1988, that conviction turned into something far more dangerous. So by the start of 1988, Laura Black had done everything she could think of to protect herself. She had reported Richard Farley to her employer. She had filed complaints. She had begged her workplace to intervene. She had documented his obsessive behavior. She had changed her life routines.

And she just lived in ultimate fear. But still, no real protection ever came. So on February 2nd, 1988, she took the most serious step yet. And Laura would file a temporary restraining order against Farley, citing the years of harassment and her escalating fear for her life. And the court would grant this restraining order. And this restraining order forbid Farley from contacting her or coming near her home or workplace.

And the hearing was set for two weeks later on February 17th to determine whether the order would become permanent. So this was a very bold move on Laura Black's part, but extremely, extremely necessary. But for Richard Farley, this was the final trigger. Because after being served, this restraining order, Farley did not back off. He just snapped completely. Because in his mind, Laura had now fully betrayed him, and he began preparing for violence.

So despite the restraining order, Farley legally purchased a new shotgun. And at the time, California law didn't automatically block firearm purchases because of someone having a restraining order, which is fucking insane to me. would also gather weapons he already owned, which was rifles with scopes, handguns, semi-automatics, and amassed more than a thousand rounds of ammunition. So his plan was already forming, and he would actually send a package to Laura's lawyer. And inside that package, he claimed there was evidence to their supposed relationship. And this evidence was doctored photos of him and Laura together with bizarre receipts and rambling letters, just a complete fucking crazy person. But included

in the package was Laura's garage door opener to her home. So it wasn't just a deranged package to the lawyer. It was very deliberate and terrifying. He just wanted Laura to know that she was not safe. And Laura, meanwhile, was absolutely terrified. And she would tell her friends and coworkers that she was super anxious for this upcoming court hearing and that she just felt super alone and watched. And worse of all, she felt that no one could stop him if he tried to do anything. And she would have no idea that Farley was not planning on showing up to that hearing. He was planning something far, far more devastating. So the day before the restraining order hearing on February 16, 1988,

Laura Black was at work like every other day, just trying to hold herself together through all this fear-ridden anxiety that was building up within her. Meanwhile, Richard Farley was preparing. Because he wasn't going to fight the restraining order in court. He wasn't going to let the system decide his fate. He was going to end it violently. So that morning, Farley would climb into his motorhome and drive to Sunnyville, California.

And he would park outside ESL Incorporated. And he had come prepared for war because Farley wore a bullet-resistant vest. He would be armed with two shotguns, a rifle, and several handguns on his body or within reach. He would also have knives tucked into his belt and magazines of ammunition just bulging from his fatigue-style jacket. And his pockets overflowed with a thousand rounds of extra cartridges and, shells. So it wasn't just a mass killing that he was planning. It was targeted vengeance because he was only looking for one person and that one person was Laura Black. And he would tell himself later that he had planned to confront Laura Black and if she rejected him again, he would take his own life in front

of her. But the arsenal he carried and what followed told a completely different story. One with premeditated slaughter. So just before 3 p.m. that day, Farley approached the entrance to ESL's M5 building. But a security door blocked his path. So he would raise his shotgun and fire through the glass. And that's when the building would just erupt into chaos, with screams echoing through the halls and phones ringing, and workers would dive under their desks and sprint for exits. And others would freeze, unsure of what they heard was actually real.

And that's when Farley would step through the door and fire his shotgun at Lawrence, Kane, which was a 46-year-old employee walking to his car. And Kane would unfortunately die instantly. And that's when Farley would turn and point his wet. towards another employee nearby. And he would wound him as he fled for cover behind his car. And inside the building, 23-year-old Buddy Williams was near the front desk.

And Farley would walk up to him and fire at him in point-blank range. And Williams would be killed instantly. And this was just the beginning because with every step that Farley took, he would get closer and closer to Laura Black, taking people's lives during the process. So as Richard Farley stormed into the ESL building, the holes were filled with terror. And he moved methodically.

through this building because he knew it at the back of his hand. And in the stairwell, he encountered another employee and would shoot them without any hesitation. And then would come the next four victims, which were two men and two women, and all gunned down in the hallway as Farley moved closer to Laura's wing. And at this very moment, Laura was inside her office. And she heard those gunshots. And she was absolutely terrified because she was hearing the screams outside her office. She was hearing the shotgun shells go off. and she knew exactly who it was.

It was a person that she had warned people about, the person that made her beg for help, but nothing happened, and now he was coming down the hallway. So terrified and unable to move, Laura would just sit in her office and wait, and she would know for sure that it was Farley when he shouted her name down the hallway.

And at this point, Laura would scramble to barricade the door in her office, and she would wedge furniture against it. But it wouldn't be enough to stop Farley because he would get to his door and he would raise his 12-gauge shotgun and fire directly into the wooden door. And that blast towards the door would shoot into Laura's left shoulder. And it would throw her back on the floor completely and shrapnel and pellets ripped into her chest.

And unfortunately, some of that shrapnel would puncture her lung. And blood would spread across the carpet. But she didn't die. Because barely conscious, Laura lay still pretending to be dead. And this was a decision that may have actually saved her life. And Farley, seeing what he had done, he had actually. hit Laura Black, the obsession, his whole world, he decided that that was enough, that she didn't necessarily need to die now. And he would later state that he wanted her to remember what she had

caused, which is so fucked up. So he would not fire at Laura again, but he would continue his rampage. And more employees would be wounded, and some were even shot through doors, while others hid in closets and under desks. A few people even jumped from windows to escape, Richard. But Farley was still inside, armed and mobile. Meanwhile, Laura Black was bleeding, dazed, and gasping for breath. So she would clutch her shoulder to slow the bleeding, just drifting in and out of consciousness. But for the moment, Richard Farley was still in control of this building. So at approximately 3.15 p.m. alarms, blaring in the building under siege,

Richard Farley called the police himself. And what he did, he picked up the phone and his voice was calm. And he would say to 911 dispatcher, I'm the one who's been wasting people. And he would describe what he had done. And he would blame Laura Black and the restraining order for pushing him over the edge, which is fucking insane. And then would come the threat.

And that was that if the police came any closer than 300 yards, he would begin killing hostages. And thus began a five-hour standoff with SWAT team positioned snipers and Farley in the building ready to wreak havoc. And snipers would try to find Farley in the building, but he kept moving through the building, so it was very difficult to find a clean shot. But Lieutenant Ruben Grealva, a trained police negotiator, made contact with Farley by phone. And for hours, Rubin engaged the killer in conversation, navigating his mood swings from

rage to self-pity to eerie detachment, and Farley never expressed any remorse during these hours. And he would claim that the people he shot besides Laura Black were simply in his way. But he did say one thing that stood out, and that is that he had hoped. that Laura Black had actually survived because he wanted her to remember what she had caused. Meanwhile, Laura had actually gained consciousness despite the immense pain and a collapsed lung. But she would stay in her office quiet and hidden, just terrified that he might return to finish her off. But eventually, other survivors would actually help Laura Black move to a safer location. But the standoff would just drag on.

And by 4.30, negotiators would actually convince Farley to let a rescue team into the building to help ruined survivors and several people including laura were rushed out to waiting ambulances and still farley fucking yapped and he would mention slewer slide he said that he wanted to gloat a little before giving up and even bragged about having enough ammo to fight for two more hours on top of being a psycho stalker killer he's also narcissistic as hell but finally as darkness fell farley would make an unexpected demand and that would be quote i'll come out if you get me a number 26 sandwich from the deli, turkey, ham, and cheese, and a diet Pepsi. And the police would agree. Just, I have no words. So at 8.30 p.m., Richard Farley would

lay down his weapons and exit the building with his hands raised. And SWAT officers would swarm him and arrest him on the spot. But inside ESL, the aftermath just looked like a complete war zone, because seven people now were dead and four others had been shot. But, Lord Laura Black was alive and now finally, so was the truth. So in the weeks and months following the massacre at ESL, the community struggled to process what had happened. Because the name Laura Black became known far beyond the walls of Sunnyville Office Park. She wasn't just a survivor but a symbol of resilience,

of missed warning signals and of a system that failed to act in time. And Laura would spend 19 days in hospital recovering from the gunshot wounds and she would undergo multiple surgeries. But despite all of the. fear and trauma, she decided to actually testify at Farley's trial. And Richard Farley would ultimately be convicted on seven counts of first-degree murder, among numerous other charges in sentence to death in 1991. And he still remains on California's death row to this day, having exhausted most of his appeals. And throughout this whole process, he never expressed any sort of genuine remorse,

continuing to blame his actions on everyone but himself. Just a genuine piece of shit. But Farley's violence had a consequence he could never have predicted, and that was that it actually changed the law. Because at the time of the shooting, stalking was not a specific crime. And restraining orders were often ineffective, because in Farley's case, the restraining order had not even prevented him from legally purchasing firearms. And that oversight and the overwhelming public outrage that followed sparked rapid change. And in 1990, California became the first U.S. state to pass an anti-stalking law, making incredible threats and repeated harassed. criminal offenses. And that law soon became a model for the nation. And within just a few years,

every state in the U.S. had passed similar legislation. And as one court commissioner bluntly put it, quote, pieces of paper do not stop bullets. So the new laws aimed to give those pieces of paper some teeth, providing legal recourse for the victims and earlier intervention for authorities before violence could erupt. I think that they need to be encouraged to take action if in fact they're being And in the years since the attack, Laura Black rebuilt her life. She actually returned to ESL, then later continued her engineering career elsewhere. And quietly, but persistently, she actually became an advocate for workplace safety and stalking awareness, sharing her story to help train law enforcement, employers, and mental health professionals on the warning signs that were

missed in her case. So in the end, Laura Black's case is not just one of survival, but transformation. From targeted victim to national advocate. And her experience, helped ensure that future victims might not have to suffer the same fate and that stalking would never again be dismissed as harmless infatuation. So that is the end of the video. Please let me know any other cases you want me to deep dive in down below. I always read your comments and also just be safe out there and know that I appreciate you so, so much and I will see your beautiful face in the next video. Okay? Bye.