Rebecca Lucile Schaeffer, Born on the 6th of November 1967, was an American actress and model. She began her career as a teen model before moving on to acting. In 1986, she landed the role of Patricia "Patti" Russell in the CBS comedy My Sister Sam. She was also in several films. On July 18, 1989, Schaeffer was confronted at her home by Bardo who explained that he was a big fan. Bardo showed her a letter and autograph that she had previously sent him; after a short conversation, Schaefer told him to return later. He left and went to a local diner for Breakfast before going back to Schaeffer apartment an hour later ringing the doorbell, when Schaeffer opened the door, Bardo shot her in the chest at point-blank range in the doorway of her apartment building. According to Bardo, she fell and said only one word… “Why?" Schaeffer was rushed to the emergency room of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead 30 minutes after her arrival. 

Bardo had been stalking Schaeffer for 3 years before the murder. He was completely obsessed with her. He became enraged and jealous after he saw Schaeffer engaging in a sex sense in the 1989 dark comedy, Scenes from the Class Struggle in Beverly Hills. in Bardo eyes, she had "lost her innocence" and became "another Hollywood whore” and needed to be punished. 

Bardo obtained her home address via a detective agency, which in turn tracked it via California Department of Motor Vehicles records, after writing numerous letters to her and attempted to gain access to the set of the CBS television series My Sister Sam, in which Schaeffer played a starring role. He returned a month later armed with a knife, but security guards again prevented him from gaining access. He returned to his native Tucson, Arizona, and lost focus on Schaeffer for a while as his obsession shifted toward pop singers Tiffany, Debbie Gibson and Madonna.

Arrest and sentencing

After the murder, he was arrested in Tucson, Arizona, where he was seen walking aimlessly amongst traffic. During the trial, Bardo 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). Bardo's attorneys conceded that he had murdered Schaeffer, but they argued that he was mentally ill. Bardo’s Psychiatrist who testifying for the defense, said that Bardo had schizophrenia and that it was his illness that led him to commit the murder. 

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. He insisted that it was coincidental and that he was not emulating Mark David Chapman, who had also carried a copy with him when he shot and killed John Lennon on December 8, 1980. Chapman later revealed in interviews that he had received letters from Bardo before the murder of Schaeffer, in which Bardo inquired about life in prison. Bardo was found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. 

Early life

Bardo reportedly had a troubled childhood. He was abused by one of his siblings and placed in foster care after he threatened to commit suicide.

He was the youngest of seven children.  His family had a history of mental illness, and he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder . Bardo was institutionalized for a month to treat emotional problems, he was 15 at the time. Bardo dropped out of Pueblo Magnet High School in the ninth grade and began started work as a janitor at a Jack in the Box restaurant. In the 18 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. Before developing an obsession with Schaeffer, Bardo had stalked child peace activist Samantha Smith before her death in a 1985 plane crash. 

Aftermath 

Because 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. After the murder, the first anti-stalking state laws were enacted in the US. 

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