Disturbing Details About Christina Applegate's Stalker Incident

Stalking and harassment are unfortunately common experiences for anyone living in the public eye. As if the paparazzi isn't dangerous enough, celebrities from Axl Rose to Keanu Reeves to Justin Bieber have been harassed or threatened by stalkers (the latter's prowler, Mark Staake, plotted to castrate him with garden spears and murder him). Actress Christina Applegate, who rose to fame as Kelly Bundy in "Married... with Children," is no stranger to such harassment.

As reported by TMZ, it all started with a tweet from an anonymous X user (then called Twitter) back on September 20, 2012, directed at Applegate's then-fiancé, musician Martyn LeNoble: "You stole [Christina] away from me. If not for you she would be mine. I will not accept this. I am going to kill you!!!!!!!!!" More threats followed — "You think this is a joke? I want to see how funny you think I am when I blow your f**king head off!!!" read one. Another threatened to "bust head in for taking her away from me!!! Be afraid, be very afraid!!" Unfortunately, it appears that the suspect was never identified.

The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) obtained a search warrant on September 26, 2012, six days after the initial tweets, and served it on Twitter HQ in San Francisco. "Police want to access Twitter's records related to the profile," TMZ reported in October 2012. Though the threats were reported via multiple outlets, including E! Online, the account has since been deleted. According to the TMZ report, the LAPD launched an investigation, but as of 2024, it appears that no arrests were made.

According to a 2021 article in the Journal of Criminal Justice, stalking cases have low prosecution and conviction rates, and the addition of legislation regarding electronic harassment — or cyberstalking — has not led to an increase in these numbers. "Documenting the facts of the case and timing of specific events may often be difficult and depends to some extent on the vigilance and hard work of the victim, the report says. "These challenges can result in low prosecution and convictions rates, with offenders offered the opportunity to plead to lesser charges (that often involve one-time behaviors) or prosecutors dropping charges entirely."

Like other celebrities, Christine Applegate has been stalked on multiple occasions. She was previously stalked by George Langar, a clothing salesman from Lombard, Illinois. "Christina, you're my favorite actress," he said in an interview with "Hard Copy." "I just want you to know that I would never do such a thing to hurt you. All I want is just to meet you." The LAPD said Langer was "obsessed" with Applegate, and its Special Stalking Unit kept watch on the "potentially dangerous stalker."

In his book "Protect Yourself at All Times: A Commonsense Survival Guide," Don Crutchfield — aka the "Private Investigator to the Stars" — said one of Applegate's stalkers broke into her house and tried on her clothes. He was eventually arrested. "Another stalker would accost her in public places," he wrote. "He was in violation of a restraining order but was so fixated that he didn't care if he was arrested." Elsewhere, in "Bad Men Do What Good Men Dream: Bad Men Do What Good Men Dream: A Forensic Psychiatrist Illuminates the Darker Side of Human Behavior," Robert I. Simon detailed even more incidents. A clinical professor in his life, he claimed that a man named Teddy Soto used to wait outside of Columbia Pictures' studios during the filming of "Married... With Children," which led to his arrest. It wasn't the first incident of its kind either — he previously went to the actress' home and was later taken into custody.

Here are some more tragic details about Christina Applegate's life.