Robert John Bardo | |
|---|---|
 Mugshot of Bardo | |
| Born | January 2, 1970 Edwards Air Force Base, California, U.S. |
| Criminal status | Incarcerated at Avenal State Prison |
| Conviction(s) | First-degree murder of Rebecca Schaeffer |
| Criminal penalty | Life imprisonment without parole |
Robert John Bardo (born January 2, 1970) is an American man serving life imprisonment without parole after being convicted for the July 18, 1989, murder of American actress and model Rebecca Schaeffer, whom he had stalked for three years.[1]
Robert John Bardo was the youngest of seven children. His mother was Korean, and his father Philip was a non-commissioned officer in the United States Air Force. The family moved frequently and eventually settled in Tucson, Arizona, in 1983. Bardo reportedly had a troubled childhood, being abused by one of his siblings and placed in foster care after he had threatened to commit suicide.[2] Bardo's family had a history of mental illness, and he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder.[3]
At the age of 15, Bardo was institutionalized for a month to treat emotional problems. He dropped out of Pueblo Magnet High School in the ninth grade and began working as a janitor at Jack in the Box.[4] In the eighteen months prior to Schaeffer's murder, Bardo had been arrested three times on charges that included domestic violence and disorderly conduct. Bardo's neighbors also said that he had exhibited unexplained strange and threatening behavior toward them.[5]
Prior to developing an obsession with Schaeffer, Bardo had stalked child peace activist Samantha Smith. These attempts had ultimately failed to establish any contact with Smith. Smith's return home from the Soviet Union had inspired Bardo to travel to Maine to meet her, but a run-in with state police over a traffic offense had caused him such concern that he was drawing attention to himself that he was sufficiently discouraged to return home. Bardo had crafted future plans to stalk Smith until her death in a 1985 plane crash.[6] Bardo claimed he turned his attention towards pop stars Tiffany and Debbie Gibson, but neither obsession had percolated into stalking as he later admitted he could not find a feasible way to carry out his plans in New York City.[7]
After writing numerous letters to Schaeffer, Bardo attempted to gain access to the set of the CBS television series My Sister Sam, in which Schaeffer played a starring role. He was denied entrance by security, who encouraged him to return home. While Warner Brothers had a policy that executives and actors were to be notified about uninvited advances towards them, security later admitted that because Bardo had made very little fuss about the denied access and left when ordered, the encounter was considered too trivial to report to Schaeffer. Ultimately, Bardo obtained her home address via a detective agency, which in turn tracked it via California Department of Motor Vehicles records. On July 18, 1989, Bardo confronted Schaeffer at her home, angry that she had appeared in a sex scene in the film Scenes from the Class Struggle in Beverly Hills; in his eyes, she had "lost her innocence" and become "another Hollywood whore".[1]
After having been turned away by Schaeffer, Bardo stopped at a diner for breakfast, only to return to the apartment about an hour later, again ringing the doorbell. When Schaeffer opened the door, Bardo shot her in the chest. Bardo was later spotted in Tucson wandering around aimlessly in traffic, leading to his arrest.[8]
Following his capture, Bardo was housed in a sensitive needs unit (SNU) for inmates such as gang members, notorious prisoners and those convicted of sex crimes. During his trial he claimed the U2 song "Exit" was an influence in the murder, and the song was played in the courtroom as evidence (with Bardo lip-synching the lyrics).[9][10]
Bardo's attorneys conceded that he had murdered Schaeffer, but they argued that he was mentally ill. Psychiatrist Park Dietz, testifying for the defense, said that Bardo had schizophrenia and that it was his illness that led him to commit the murder. Bardo was found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.[11]
Bardo carried a red paperback copy of The Catcher in the Rye when he murdered Schaeffer, which he tossed onto the roof of a building as he fled.[12] He insisted that it was coincidental and that he was not emulating Mark David Chapman, who had also carried a copy of the novel with him when he shot and killed John Lennon on December 8, 1980.[13] Chapman later claimed in interviews that he had received letters from Bardo before the murder of Schaeffer, in which Bardo inquired about life in prison.[14]
As a consequence of Bardo's actions and his methods of obtaining Schaeffer's address, the U.S. Congress passed the Driver's Privacy Protection Act, which prohibits state Departments of Motor Vehicles from disclosing the home addresses of state residents.[1][15] After the murder, the first anti-stalking state laws were enacted in the US, including California Penal Code 646.9.[16]
The season 2 episode of Law and Order "Star Struck" was partially based on this case.[17]
On July 27, 2007, Bardo was stabbed 11 times on his way to breakfast in the maximum-security unit at Mule Creek State Prison in Amador County, California. Two shivs (inmate-made weapons) were found at the scene. He was treated at the UC Davis Medical Center and returned to prison, officials said. The suspect in the attack was another convict, serving 82 years to life for second-degree murder.[18]
As of 2024[update], Bardo is serving his life sentence at the Avenal State Prison in Avenal, California.[19]