Behavior: A Fatal Obsession with the Stars

An actress's murder points to growing problem of disturbed fans

Neighbors said the slight, bookish-looking man with curly brown hair had been wandering the streets of Los Angeles' prosperous Fairfax district for hours. He stopped residents, pulled a picture of a young woman out of a large manila envelope, and asked if they had seen her around. Eventually he learned her address. On Tuesday morning last week, say police, he waited outside her apartment for nearly four hours. Finally he apparently rang her bell. When she answered the door, he allegedly shot her dead.

The victim was Rebecca Schaeffer, 21, a rising actress who co-starred in the CBS series My Sister...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!