The Shocking Crime That Forever Changed Hollywood
In commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the summer of 1989, TODAY is taking a trip down memory lane to revisit some of the notable (and not-so-notable) individuals, milestones, and moments from that wild and crazy time.
While O.J.
Simpson and the “trial of the century” are still fresh in everyone's minds, it was a different crime six years earlier that would have a lasting impact on Hollywood.
On July 18, 1989, Rebecca Schaeffer, a rising television actress known for her role in the CBS comedy “My Sister Sam,” was getting ready to audition for a part in Francis Ford Coppola's “The Godfather Part III” at her Los Angeles home.
It was a career-defining opportunity that she never had the chance to pursue.
Rather than receiving the expected “Godfather” script, when the doorbell rang that day, Schaeffer was greeted by an unfamiliar man who claimed to be her biggest fan.
He carried an autographed photo of her.
After a brief conversation, Schaeffer closed the door, and the man left.
However, he returned shortly after.
This time, when Schaeffer opened the door, he shot her at close range with a .357-caliber handgun before fleeing the scene.
The 21-year-old actress was rushed to the hospital but tragically succumbed to her injuries.
The assailant, Robert John Bardo, was apprehended the following day while wandering along a highway in Tucson, Arizona, according to reports from that time.
Schaeffer's murder was not a random act; Bardo was a stalker who had become obsessed with the young actress during the two seasons of “My Sister Sam.”
He had inundated her with fan letters and gifts, and had attempted to meet her at the studio where she worked.
Eventually, with the help of a private investigator, he was able to track her down.
“This sent shockwaves through Hollywood,” stated David Robb, a seasoned Hollywood journalist who covered the story for Variety.
“It was evident that Bardo suffered from mental disturbances.
The incident raised serious concerns about the privacy and safety of celebrities, even within the confines of their own homes.”
In 1991, Bardo was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
He is currently serving his sentence at Avenal State Prison in California.
While this case combined the themes of celebrity, stalking, and gun control, it was not the first of its kind.
The murder of John Lennon in 1980 outside his New York City residence was carried out by an obsessed fan, Mark David Chapman.
John Hinckley Jr., who attempted to assassinate Ronald Reagan, was fixated on actress Jodie Foster, shooting the president as a “love offering” to her, as he later revealed in a letter to The New York Times.
Similarities can also be drawn between Schaeffer's attack and the knife assault on actress Theresa Saldana in front of her Hollywood home in 1982.
However, what set Schaeffer's murder apart was how it foreshadowed the intersection of fame and criminal justice in the coming decade.
Interestingly, Bardo would be prosecuted by the same lawyer who would later become well-known for her role in O.J.
Simpson's trial: Marcia Clark.
Additionally, Schaeffer's murder served as a blueprint for the media's coverage of crime.
Patrick Healy, a journalist for NBC Los Angeles who reported on the case, recalls that the Bardo trial was among the first to capture the attention of a “new breed” of nightly TV magazine programs such as “A Current Affair” and “Hard Copy.”
“The Bardo trial served as a test run, so to speak, for the convergence of justice and celebrity, foreshadowing the high-profile trials of music producer Phil Spector and actor Robert Blake,” said Healy.
One of the most shocking aspects of Schaeffer's murder was how easily Bardo was able to locate her.
He had hired a private investigator in Arizona who obtained her address through the Department of Motor Vehicles.
“This made everyone who drives a car realize that someone they might have inadvertently upset on the road could jot down their license plate number, visit the DMV, acquire their address, and wait outside their house with a gun or knife,” explained Healy.
“Today, it is hard to imagine a performer from a network TV series opening their front door to a stranger,” he added.
As a response to the murder, the Screen Actors Guild, Hollywood's labor union, took the initiative to protect its actors and actresses by advocating for changes to California's privacy laws.
“This was one of the first instances where Hollywood became aware of gun violence and actively sought sensible safety laws,” Robb remarked.
In time, California restricted public access to private information, such as home addresses, through the DMV.
Other states subsequently adopted new laws that treated stalking as a severe crime.
These laws are applicable to non-celebrity cases as well, such as those involving jealous ex-partners.
Although celebrity stalking continues to be a dangerous issue, progress has been made in better protecting stars and other public figures.
In June, a 38-year-old man accused of stalking supermodel and reality TV star Kendall Jenner was deported to Canada.
Earlier this year, a man who repeatedly harassed pop star Taylor Swift was arrested for breaking into her New York City home for the second time.
If there is one lasting legacy of Rebecca Schaeffer's murder after 30 years, it is that stars and public figures are now better safeguarded.
“It was a wake-up call.
The general public was shocked that a young girl could be killed by a lunatic,” reflected Robb.
“People realized that if a young star could be murdered, anyone could be.”
