was not dating Dave. They’d never even met. He seemed like a nice-enough guy, but she wanted nothing to do with the drama, and had decided not to meet him. At 11 A.M. a new message popped up: Well, keep going whore, and you won’t have a family any more. I will take everything from you.
Jessica reported the harassment to the Douglas County Police on May 11. “She was threatening my children. Any good parent will do anything they can to protect their children, and I was terrified that something would happen to them.” Now there was a police report, but the cops couldn’t stop the threats. The police had tried for months to find the stalker and gotten nowhere.
Another message arrived at 3:41 that afternoon with escalating rage: You dumb, stupid whore. You’re like the rest. I can find whoever I want. If you don’t stop talking to Dave, I will kill you, your kids and whoever else. It’s not hard to find people. I will kill you. Stay away from Dave, and if you talk to him, stupid whore, I will come for your family and you, just like I did the other whore.
All that day, the messages continued to pop up. The last one that night came in at 10:45 P.M. . . . You must be a worthless mom like the whore Dave tried to get with, but I nipped that. I control Dave, and he will leave whoever I tell him to . . . Am I at your place? See, I find everyone.
The messages the next morning contained more chilling threats: . . . I will kill your sons. I am not joking. I don’t joke around. You better stop talking to him . . . I will know if you talk, smile, or anything with him, and I seriously will kill you and your son . . .
Jessica sat Benjamin down and had a talk with him about strangers. She’d warned him before, just as all parents do when they teach their children to be careful in a world that is not always safe. Now the danger was real and immediate. Someone had made it clear that they were ready and willing to press a sharp blade to the youngster’s throat and end his life.
The concerned mother chose her words carefully. She didn’t want to frighten her second-grader but had to make him understand that even women strangers could be dangerous. He must not go outside to play without her watching, she stressed, and she had to know where he was at all times. Benjamin nodded and promised his mother he wouldn’t let a stranger into their apartment. As for Christopher, he was too young to understand. It was ultimately up to Jessica to protect her sons. The stalker accused her of being a “worthless mother” and caring more about a man than her sons’ lives. It was far from true. She’d already decided it was too risky to meet Dave.
At 7 P.M., on May 11, a message arrived with no outright threat and no profanities. It was simply Jessica’s address, complete with her apartment number. The stalker knew exactly where Jessica was, but she had no idea where her stalker was. The horrific threats nibbled at her serenity. She double-checked the locks on her doors and windows but couldn’t shake the image of a cruel hand holding a knife to her boys’ throats. Jessica did not sleep well.
She figured she’d better learn all she could about her new enemy and visited her Facebook page. As she scrolled through “C. Lea’s” pictures, she was shocked to find a familiar photo. It was a picture of Jessica with Benjamin. Jessica had posted it on her Facebook page for her friends and family to enjoy, and the stalker had downloaded it, posting it on her own page.
“I felt very, very threatened.” Her voice trembles at the memory. She hated the fact her tormentor knew what her sons looked like. She changed her Facebook settings, so her images couldn’t be downloaded. It wasn’t much of a deterrent. Photos posted on the web can be captured just as easily with screenshots, a feature available on most computers.
Jessica had had enough. She sent a text to Dave: You’re probably a very nice guy, but I don’t need this headache. As soon as she “unfriended” Dave on Facebook, the terrorizing stopped as abruptly as it had begun. Still, it took a while for her to believe that someone was