Flashback - Peggy Klinke and Miley Cyrus

According to the CDC, about one in three women and one in six men in the United States will experience stalking at some point in their lives. Those numbers are staggering — and they’re why stalking comes up so often in the cases we cover on Sins and Survivors.

In this flashback episode, we revisit the murder of Peggy Klinke, a case that permanently changed how stalking is understood in the U.S. legal system.

Peggy did everything victims are told to do. She left an abusive relationship. She sought help. She obtained a restraining order. She even moved across state lines to try to be safe.

None of it stopped her stalker.

Her murder exposed a devastating loophole in protective orders at the time — orders that prohibited contact, but did not prohibit someone from trying to locate a victim. That gap had deadly consequences. In the years that followed, Peggy’s case helped drive changes in stalking and protective-order laws across multiple states, reshaping how courts and law enforcement respond to stalking behavior.

But the behaviors that led to Peggy’s death didn’t disappear when the laws changed.

To show how stalking persists across very different circumstances, this episode also revisits the stalking experiences of Miley Cyrus, including multiple incidents that span more than a decade — one of which unfolded here in Las Vegas.

While celebrity stalking often receives more media attention, the underlying patterns are strikingly familiar: fixation, entitlement, escalation, and a refusal to accept boundaries. These cases highlight a difficult truth — stalking is not about fame, access, or proximity. It is about control.

This flashback isn’t about sensationalism. It’s about recognizing warning signs that are too often minimized, misunderstood, or ignored until it’s too late. Stalking is one of the strongest predictors of future violence, particularly in cases involving former intimate partners.

We’re revisiting Peggy Klinke’s story not only to honor her life, but to remind listeners why these stories still matter — and why the lessons learned from them must not be forgotten.

You can listen to the full episode here:
sinspod.co/109 

For ad-free listening and bonus content, including our Swing Shift episodes, you can subscribe here:
sinspod.co/subscribe

You can find resources at sinspod.co/resources

Stalking Resources

If you or someone you know is experiencing stalking, help is available:

Stalking Prevention, Awareness, and Resource Center (SPARC)
https://sinspod.co/stalkingresources 

National Domestic Violence Hotline
1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or TTY 1-800-787-3224
https://www.thehotline.org 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) – Stalking Data and Research
https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention 

If you are in immediate danger, call 911.