Special Police Unit Protects Stars From Stalkers

Feb. 12, 2009— -- Every day, some of Hollywood's biggest stars pay the price of fame, when obsessed fans become stalkers, fixated on a fantasy that to them is very real. And in Los Angeles, ground zero for celebrity stalking, the police department has a one-of-a-kind "threat management unit" to handle those cases.

Actress Jennifer Garner recently got a permanent restraining order against a man who blogs about human sacrifice. She says he has terrorized her since 2002.

Michael Douglas' stalker threatened to cut up the actor's wife, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and feed her to her dogs.

Uma Thurman describes her experience with a stalker -- who was convicted in court -- as a nightmare.

And in the case of Brad Pitt, a woman once broke into his home, fed his dogs and slept in his pajamas.

Many celebrities are not overtly threatened by their stalkers, but the ordeal can still be terrifying.

The Los Angeles Police Department's team of highly trained detectives -- known as the threat management unit -- first banded together because of one star's violent death in 1989.

Rebecca Schaffer was a rising star with a lead role on the hit TV show "My Sister Sam" when she was murdered by an obsessed fan named Robert Bardo. Back then, there were no stalking laws in California or anywhere else.

Schaeffer was gunned down at her front door, and for California police officials, her brutal death was a wake-up call.

"She had to be the victim of a homicide in order for us to get the message that something needs to be done in the way of legislation to address stalking crimes," said Detective Jeff Dunn. "There is a fine line between fan and fanatic."

Dunn began what would be a long and often shocking career, working with celebrities to investigate the most aggressive stalkers.

"They've got access to a telephone and a computer and they can make our victims' lives a living hell," said Dunn.

Rebecca Schaeffer, John Lennon and Jill Dando -- murdered

Jerry Lewis, Monica Seles and Theresa Saldana -- stabbed

Michael Landon's stalker killed two security guards

Olivia Newton John's stalker killed five members of his family

PPaula Abdul's and David Letterman's stalkers both committed suicide.

"Their lives are bereft of any normal satisfactions," said Meloy. "Oftentimes they are living alone and have had very unstable work history and have not done well and oftentimes because of the psychiatric disorder, but paradoxically they tend to be brighter than average so you see an ability to manipulate that is better than average criminal behavior."

One stalker, considered to be extremely dangerous by both Meloy and LAPD, was Jonathan Norman.

"Mr. Norman had a plan to kidnap Steven Spielberg and to sexually assault Steven Spielberg," said Dunn. "We deal with delusional people all the time with celebrity cases. … But when they start acting on their impulses, as Jonathan Norman did with Steven Spielberg and they start trying to put a plan into action, that's when the hairs on the back of your neck have to stand up."

Investigators say Norman tried to pass himself off as Spielberg's adopted son, but his journal entries later revealed a darker obsession with the Hollywood icon.

"We pulled some of the pages from his handwritten notes and what's clear here is the planning," said Meloy, reading parts of Norman's entries.

"I would force him to put on a screening muzzle," Norman wrote, "and then put handcuffs on him with his hands in front of him I would then have him direct me to his apartment and then cuff and gag any roommates he might have."

But it didn't stop there. Norman had a shopping list.

"He is going to have eye masks, three cuffs, four pairs of nipple clippers, dog collars, check for nipple shockers," said Meloy as he read from Norman's own lists that were eventually used as evidence in the case. "Three locks with same key and again, you see both the level of aggression and sexual aggression that Norman thought about and likely fantasized about as part of his attack on Spielberg."

Norman was sentenced to 25 years to life for his crimes. But even when the threats don't reach this level, celebrities often live in fear.