109 Flashback to Peggy Klinke and Miley Cyrus

Shaun According to the CDC, about one in three women and one in six men in the United States will experience stalking in their lifetime. Today, we're flashing back to a tragic case of stalking that has a huge impact across the country the stalking and murder of Peggy Klink. Peggy did everything that stalking victims are told to do. She left, she got help, she got a restraining order, and she even tried starting over at another state. But none of that stopped her stalker from finding her.

John That loophole in protective orders was exposed in the most tragic manner imaginable, and her case prompted many states to change their laws. This is why we're revisiting Peggy Klink's story, not just to remember what happened, but to understand what it changed, what it didn't, and why the warning signs still matter.

Shaun Hi, and welcome to Sins and Survivors, a Las Vegas true crime podcast where we focus on cases that deal with domestic violence as well as missing persons and unsolved cases. I'm your host, Sean.

John And I'm your co-host, John.

Shaun Stocking comes up often in the stories and cases we share on the podcast, because stalking by a former intimate partner can lead to homicide. Today, in recognition of National Stalking Awareness Month and the National Stalking Day of Action on January eighteenth, we want to again share the stories of Peggy Klink and Miley Cyrus. You can always find resources at podcasts resources, or visit Spark at Stalking. Org for more information.

John So, without further delay, here's our episode covering Peggy Klink and Miley Cyrus. Sometimes we casually throw around the word stalking or stalker. Maybe when somebody double clicks on a few too many pictures of your old Instagram photos, or when your best friend is dating someone. So you check out their social media profiles. Or maybe you bump into an acquaintance twice in one week on the street and joke that you're stalking them. Or you say, Oh, are you stalking me? But stalking isn't anything to be casual about, and it can turn deadly.

Shaun According to spark, the Stalking Prevention, Awareness and Resource Center. One in three women and one in six men will experience stalking at some point in their lives. One in seven transgender and non-binary genderqueer undergraduate students were stalked in the past year. On average, stalking lasts about two years, but in one in ten of the cases, it lasts up to five years, and approximately thirteen point five million people are stalked each year.

John The prevalence of stalking is terrifying, but it's even more terrifying when you consider the effects it has on the victims. Eighty four percent of victims fear for their safety. Seventy two percent of victims are threatened with physical harm. And women who obtained a protection order for stalking are nine times more likely to be sexually assaulted than women with protection orders who were not stalked. Seventy six percent of domestic violence homicide victims were first stalked by their partner. One in eight employed stalking victims lose time from work as a result of their victimization, and more than half lose five days of work or more, and one in seven stalking victims are forced to move because of their victimization.

Shaun January is National Stalking Awareness Month, and today, January eighteen, twenty twenty four, is the first ever National Stalking Day of Action. Today, we want to share the stories of Peggy Klink and Miley Cyrus. Yes, that Miley Cyrus and shine a light on the impact of stalking. Hi, and welcome to Sins and Survivors, a Las Vegas true crime podcast where we focus on cases that deal with domestic violence. I'm your host, Sean, and with me, as always, is the one and only John.

John I am the only John in the room.

Shaun It's national stalking Awareness Month, and Tuesday's episode, episode eleven, included the story of Jake Freeman, a Vegas Metro police officer who was arrested for stalking his ex-wife.

John And our January twenty third episode will also cover deja stalking story, which is probably one of the worst stalking stories I've ever heard.

Shaun For the first ever National Stalking Day of Action, we decided it was important to highlight how dangerous stalking can be. We want to share with you the story of Peggy Klink, who was murdered by her stalker on January eighteenth, two thousand and three, twenty one years ago today.

John Also here at Sins and Survivors, we focus on cases in and around Las Vegas, of course, and it turns out that there was a man who was stalking Miley Cyrus and who was arrested for that here in Las Vegas at one of her concerts in twenty nineteen. So we will talk about that as well.

Shaun Our research into Miley revealed this wasn't the first time a man stalked Miley, and horrifyingly, it wasn't the last time either.

John During our lifetimes, there have been several examples of celebrity stalkers turning deadly. But before we get into that, let's start with Peggy.

Shaun Peggy Slinky's sister, Debbie Riddle Debbie is actually the founder of National Stalking Awareness Month. Debbie has stressed that it's important to listen and encourage victims and do not downplay their stories. And that's what we're going to do with this episode. Margaret Klink or Peggy was born December second, nineteen seventy, in Youngstown, Ohio. Debbie is said that in nineteen ninety eight, Peggy moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico to start pursuing a medical degree. That's when Peggy met Patrick Kennedy. Debbie has explained that during the first winter break while Peggy was in school, she went home to Ohio to spend the holidays with her family and Patrick. He surprises Peggy on New Year's Eve by showing up at Peggy, and Debbie's mom's house just shows up and they have no idea how he even knew where Peggy's mom lived. So right away, Debbie gets a bad feeling about Patrick. She said that something seemed off about him. According to Debbie, Peggy and Patrick were together for about three years, and during that time, Peggy was in a cycle of emotional abuse with him where he would insult her, violently degrade her, and then apologize, buy her flowers, take her out. Debbie has shared that once her family all went on vacation to the beach, and when Peggy arrived, Patrick had come with her and brought his eight year old daughter from a previous relationship and a gun to the beach. Debbie had said that he was just so controlling of Peggy. He wouldn't let her spend any time alone with just her sisters. He had to be with her all the time. He really tried to isolate Peggy, to separate her from her family, which, as we know, is another red flag for an abusive Of relationship, and during this time Debbie said she saw her sister's sparkle fade. Her spirit was broken and her personality changed. Debbie has explained, quote. Peggy did try to leave him. She was in an airport in Albuquerque trying to get to Las Vegas, where their other sister was on vacation, and Peggy spent the whole afternoon just puking in the airport because she was so frightened about what was going to happen to her if she broke off the relationship with Patrick. In January of two thousand and two, Peggy tried to move out of the condo she shared with Patrick, and she moved a lot of her stuff out. But when she came back for the rest of her things, he had barricaded the door and called the cops to say someone was trying to break into the house. And when the police showed up, he told them that he wanted Peggy to stay because he was afraid. It's not clear to me if he was afraid for Peggy, like someone might break in and hurt her, or if he meant that he was afraid to be alone in the condo if someone was trying to break in. In any event, the police did not talk to Peggy without Patrick around, and they either didn't pick up on the dynamic or what I think is probably more likely they ignored it or minimized it. I think they ignored it because they did ask Peggy if there was anything else she wanted to tell them, so they kind of knew something was off. But when Peggy didn't say anything, they just let it drop.

John Based on the stalking cases we've covered and are covering next week, I'm not even sure that her telling the police what was going on would have made any difference whatsoever. Or even if they would have believed her if she had explained what was going on.

Shaun So after Peggy left Patrick, things really started escalating. He started following her around to work to the gym, calling her incessantly. And when she filed for an order of protection in June of two thousand and two, he showed up and filed one as well. He claimed that Peggy was an alcoholic and was using drugs and was abusive. He had the nerve to tell the court he was afraid for his life. The judge ended up ordering the two of them to just stay away from each other. He did some absolutely atrocious things, like he had a flyer printed up with Peggy's photo and phone number on it, and posted it up around Albuquerque, places that Peggy would visit frequently, and it said some disgusting, vulgar nonsense about her that I don't really think needs repeating. But Peggy tried to get the police to help. Like you said, she brought her phone records into the police station to show how often he was calling her and the flyers he made, and the cops said they couldn't do anything. In June, Patrick flew to Ohio and spray painted PK Is a Whore on Peggy and Debbie s mother's garage, and he also set fire to Peggy's new boyfriend's house.

John Yeah, it never ceases to amaze me how people like this don't get arrested for all the ancillary crimes that they end up committing as a part of their stalking, like breaking and entering and arson and vandalism, all that stuff.

Shaun In August, Peggy moved away. She just picked up completely, moved her life to California, which, as we mentioned at the top of the show, one in seven people who are experiencing stalking are forced to do that. Peggy did everything she could to try to stay safe. She had an unlisted number, unlisted address. She got a new cell phone. Debbie and her mom and her other sister. They were careful not to reveal where Peggy was living. Peggy talked to her new neighbors in California and asked them to help keep her safe. She actually showed them Patrick's photo and asked them to call the police if they ever saw him around. But Patrick wouldn't stop. He hired a private investigator to find Peggy, and the P.I. was able to find her. So on January sixteen, two thousand and three, Patrick flew to California, went to Peggy's neighborhood, and then he posed as an investigator himself and began asking questions. And eventually a delivery driver told him which apartment was Peggy's. And on January eighteenth, Peggy was going to have coffee with her neighbor, and Patrick was hiding in her garage. He attacked her. He beat her with his gun. He tried to tie her hands and duct tape her mouth, but she was able to run away to her neighbors, and the neighbor called the police. Patrick broke into the neighbor's apartment by breaking through the sliding glass door. The police did arrive within five minutes, and there was a standoff for a short time, but Patrick ended up shooting Peggy and killed her. And then he shot himself. Peggy was only thirty two years old. Her sister Debbie Riddle, became an advocate for stalking awareness and worked to have January declared National Stalking Awareness Month, and today's Day of Action commemorates the memory of Peggy. Now, Debbie's call to action is for all of us, and that we should all sparkle today the way that Peggy did to give the sparkle back to stalking survivors. So today, January eighteenth, Debbie and the team at spark is asking folks to take a photo of yourself with a sparkly background, or wearing something sparkly or glitter or sequined and post it to social media with the hashtags sparkle against stalking and day of action and Sam twenty twenty four. And one more quick thing Debbie also worked to have Peggy's Law created in California. So as of two thousand and five, it is a misdemeanor for anyone targeted by domestic violence restraining orders to try and locate their victim by hiring a private investigator or using a friend or a relative, or any other third party to locate that person. So if there's one thing that I've learned from being a part of this true crime community, it's that sisters, in these cases, they always seem to be getting the shit done. Peggy's story is one where a former partner was obsessed with continuing to have control over their ex, and Patrick's intention was always to frighten and control Peggy. This is similar to the pattern of behavior we know about from Officer Jake Freeman from our last episode. But now we're going to transition into talking about another kind of stalking that I think gets covered a lot more in the media celebrity stalking.

John So next up, we're going to talk about Miley Cyrus, who has had her share of stalker experience. The psychology seems slightly different to me. It seems less like it's about terrorizing someone and more about getting their attention and spending time with them, things like that. But we'll talk about the cases and you can decide for yourself. Although Miley has obviously never been physically hurt by one of her stalkers, thankfully they are no less terrifying and no less dangerous. It's really fortunate that she has security around her to protect her from these people. Although we're all familiar with Miley, I'm sure I'll mention a few key facts. She was born on November twenty third, nineteen ninety two to Tish and Billy Ray Cyrus, who had five children together. They were Brandi, trace, Miley, Braison and Noah. They ended up divorcing in twenty twenty two after twenty nine years of marriage, and Miley has been in the spotlight her whole life, starting with her run on Hannah Montana from two thousand and six to twenty eleven. And she's had a very successful music career. She's an outspoken advocate for the LGBTQ community, and she started a foundation called the Happy Hippie Foundation. The foundation focuses on youth homelessness, specifically LGBTQ youth, and focuses on that community and more generally, along with other vulnerable populations, which is kind of awesome that she's done that. Her first stalker experience occurred way back in two thousand and nine, right in the middle of her Hannah Montana years, when she was around sixteen or seventeen years old. The stalker's name is Mark McLeod. He was fifty three years old when all this went down. McLeod never made any threats toward Miley, per se, or toward her family, according to police. But again, that doesn't mean that, like most stalkers, he wasn't completely delusional and there wasn't the potential for violence. There is always in stalking, the potential for violence. One of the quotes from him, and this is something he said to police officers, was our eyes met at a concert and we both knew. I walked straight through security and up to her bus. Billy Ray was standing there. He shook my hand and he said, you're a good man and we've been praying for you.

Shaun So he just imagined that that happened?

John Yes. The concerning thing here is that this is the least dangerous stalker that she has dealt with. He also claimed that Billy Ray knew about and approved of their relationship, and that Miley had been sending secret messages through her show. He also claimed that he'd sent Miley diamond rings and other gifts, and that she had accepted his marriage proposal. Unbeknownst to her, he was eventually arrested during the filming of the movie The Last Song, which I haven't seen. I don't know if you've seen that, but local prosecutors resolved the case quickly when they got a grand jury together and they declined to indict him on any felony charges. Instead, he pled guilty to obstruction of a police officer because he headbutted a cop when he was being handcuffed and disorderly conduct, and the stalking charge was actually dropped. His attorney was quoted as saying that he was pleased that this unemployed assistant plumber would finally get help for any mental problems, which I think is great. He absolutely needed help. He was quoted as saying, I guess he's just like an avid fan and obviously there's some delusion going on. His lawyer speaking, and that's not against the law, he said. The evidence doesn't show that he ever had any intention of harming Cyrus or her family. And again, this was the least scary stalker she's dealt with. I think most people would agree that he was definitely not fully in touch with reality, but he did never threaten them, which is something. But it's the age difference that kind of gets me here, and it's a bit of a pattern with her stalkers. I really do hope he got the help he needed. And next up, in my opinion, is the scariest stalker she's had. His name was David Rumsey, and this guy has some really interesting quotes that he came up with. So we're going to talk about all of it. He is the youngest of her stalkers at forty two years old when he was stalking her. And he was actually the one that was detained in Las Vegas at the iHeartRadio Festival in twenty nineteen, when security recognized him and thankfully were able to detain him. He reportedly told her security team, and this is the quote they always talk about with this guy, that it was his life's mission to impregnate Miley, so alarming for everybody. He was booked into Clark County Detention Center, where, according to the CDC website, he was charged with making false threats and burglary. He was extremely active on Twitter in that time frame, and constantly talking about her and replying to her tweets and trying to get her attention. And there are a few examples of his key moments on Twitter and things he was quoted as saying. So we're going to talk about a couple of those he has been quoted as saying around the time of the iHeartRadio concert. Been here since Thursday hoping to meet up before. If you were in town early. Love you. Hope you give me some time. We have a lot to talk about. The next one is just an FYI. I would have spent more time on concert, but I didn't want to be sitting next to someone trying to get with me. I myself don't want to be next to anyone but you. I do hope we can meet up like I've been asking before the concert to just talk about your music lyrics. He tweeted that out her before the concert and then after he came up with this gem. Hoping not to be back at my room. I don't want you to have to go to a motel six. I wanted to stay in one of the hotels close to the stadium, and I'm banned from MGM hotels from when you took my soul. I'm going to go check messages of where to meet at. I'm in room two hundred eight at Tropicana one, and on September thirteenth. This is where it starts to get weird. On September thirteenth, he apologized for hurting Cyrus and he blamed President Trump. No real explanation why. He tweeted that he hopes they can talk about everything in Vegas. So I can explain it all to you. I am wanting as much one on one time talking with you as possible. I know soon I will be partying it up with all the famous people. But you are the only one I really want to talk to. So speaking of his desires to party it up with the celebrities, he was quoted as saying, I know after we are together we can simply party it up with Tupac, biggie, Prince, Michael Jackson and all those we lost. Any party you might have planned will be more of a pre-party. So that last one is extremely unhinged and extremely weird until you understand what his plan was, which was allegedly to raise Michael Jackson, Prince, and Tupac from the dead so that he could put on a party with Miley. So last up, her most recent stalker. Another fifty two year old named Alexander DeLeon has been sending Miley unsolicited letters since twenty eighteen, according to reports. In twenty twenty two, she was granted a three year restraining order, which is a very long duration for a restraining order, if I'm not mistaken. Usually they're a year. The longer ones. But it won't surprise you to know that when he was released from prison in twenty twenty two, after only about three days, he showed up at her house with a stuffed animal for her. But security detained him and he was arrested without bond. Thankfully, he had tried to get into her house four times before that and was finally arrested. Thankfully, he was never able to get in, and all of these stalkers are obviously just terrifying. Many of these situations end in violence and even murder, as we've heard on many occasions. If you're experiencing stalking and are in immediate danger, please contact the police. Please call nine hundred eleven and tell them what is going on. There are resources on the spark website that we'll share in the show notes, and we'll share resources in the coming days in our social media as well. Stalking is a phenomenon that can start out seeming innocuous, but like the frog in the pot, you may not know it's getting worse until it's too late. So learn the warning signs and remain vigilant. Our next episode is another case of stalking. In this case, it's Deja Washington, and we hope you'll join us for that episode when it drops on Tuesday, January twenty third. Until then, stay safe and remember what happens here happens everywhere.

John Thanks for listening. Visit sinspod.com/subscribe for exclusive bonus content and to listen ad free. Remember to like and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and threads, Essenes and survivors. If you're enjoying the podcast, please leave us a review on your podcast platform of choice. You can contact us at Questions@sinsandsurvivors.com

Shaun If you or someone you know is affected by domestic violence or need support, please reach out to local resources or the National Domestic Violence Hotline. A list of resources is available on our website and survivors. Comm. Sins and survivors. A Las Vegas true crime podcast is researched, written, and produced by your host, Sean and John. The information shared in this podcast is accurate at the time of recording. If you have questions, concerns or corrections, please email us. Links to source material for this episode can be found on our website. Survivors.

John Com the views and opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the podcast creators, hosts and their guests. All individuals are innocent until proven guilty. This content does not constitute legal advice. Listeners are encouraged to consult with legal professionals for guidance.