In The News: Stalker Sentenced!

Was Christine Arrosco a lone stalker or an integral player in an organized stalking protocol? We don't know because she refused to tell the court why she embarked on her reign of terror against the victim.

"I know of at least one other stalker who, like this lady, did a bunch of things which group stalkers do. He, too, was totally silent on WHY he did those deeds.

I suspect that some of these may well be group stalkers, but know their life isn't worth a penny if they say anything at all about a group of stalkers.

In order to make use of a video like that, we would need to describe it as JUST LIKE what we experience.

We must not claim she IS a group stalker, because there is no evidence of that in the video..." - Eleanor White

Thank you, Eleanor, for your insightful analysis. Here's hoping that A Word to the Wise T.I. is sufficient.

In the News: Multi-Stalker's Conviction Upheld in Appeals Court

(Updated 05/02/09)

An Appeals Court upheld the guilty verdict of a man convicted of stalking after defense lawyers tried to get the ruling overturned because the original jury asked the judge if stalking included the man using several friends and family members to stalk a woman in Washington state. Despite defense lawyers' arguments, the conviction was upheld.  For more detail, this Seattle Times article is reproduced below:

Friday, May 2, 2008 - Page updated at 08:15 AM

Washington high court: Stalking by third parties is a crime

By RACHEL LA CORTE

Associated Press Writer

A man who recruited his friends to follow an ex-girlfriend and file written reports about her activities was correctly convicted of stalking, the state Supreme Court ruled Thursday.

In a 6-3 decision, the high court reinstated the conviction of Andre Paul Becklin, who was convicted in Ferry County Superior Court of using several friends to follow his ex-girlfriend, Mary Alison McGee. Becklin was sentenced to a year in prison, but his conviction was overturned by the state Court of Appeals.

The Supreme Court's majority, led by Justice Bobbe Bridge, said Thursday that the definition of stalking "is broad enough to encompass the act of directing third parties to follow and intimidate a victim."

Bridge was joined by Justices Susan Owens, Mary Fairhurst, Barbara Madsen, James Johnson and Tom Chambers.

Mike Sandona, the Ferry County prosecutor, said the court's ruling was important.

"It stops people like Mr. Becklin, who has friends do the things he can't do, disturb the peace of his ex," he said. "It's is an issue of fear and control over another person."

Becklin and McGee started dating in 1996, but according to court records, Becklin made threats to kill her and attacked her when she refused to get an abortion after becoming pregnant with their son.

McGee eventually left Becklin and married another man, before which Becklin briefly took their son without McGee's consent and tried to force his way into her home, according to court documents.

McGee got a protection order in December 2003, barring Becklin from having any contact with her or from coming within 100 feet of her or her home. The order also prohibited contact through third parties.

Becklin was arrested on April 1, 2004 and charged with stalking McGee after she said Becklin's friends repeatedly drove Becklin's cars by her house, circling her block several times. Friends would also fill out written reports for Becklin recounting their sightings of McGee around town.

Dissenters, led by Chief Justice Gerry Alexander, took issue with what they said were inadequate jury instructions that ultimately led to Becklin's conviction.

During closing arguments, both sides addressed the issue of whether Becklin should be held accountable for the actions of his friends, but instructions to the jury did not include any guidance on accomplice liability or the concept that a third party's actions could support criminal accountability for stalking.

After it began deliberations, the jury sent a note to the judge, asking if a third party was included in stalking and whether a person could be stalked through a third party.

The judge answered yes, and the jury convicted Becklin.

"Although one may be culpable for the acts of others through Washington's complicity statute if he or she causes an innocent person or persons to engage in criminal conduct or is an accomplice of the person committing the unlawful acts, the jury should receive an instruction" based on the state statutes, Alexander wrote, joined by Justices Charles Johnson and Richard Sanders.

Becklin's attorney, Anthony Castelda, could not be reached for comment.

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The case is State v. Becklin, docket number 79354-9.

Please become a member or a supporter of Freedom from Covert Harassment and Surveillance, the number one advocacy organization for Targeted Individuals of Organized Stalking and Electronic Harssment.

A Word to the Wise T.I. thanks Felix C. for tracking down the Seattle Times article.

In the News - "Stalker Claims Unsettle Police"

Thanks to David on Multistalk Yahoo forum for finding this objective article in a mainstream newspaper.

From the Verona-Cedar Grove Times(NJ)
http://www.vcgtimes.com/NC/0/355.html

Stalker claims unsettle police
(by Anthony G. Attrino - March 12, 2009)

Detectives are questioning a former Verona resident who has been handing out fliers claiming a large, organized group of stalkers is targeting residents and business owners with the objective of destroying their lives.

"Their intention is to murder their target without getting their hands dirty. It's the perfect hate crime." states the flier, which is titled "A Community Secret Revealed: Organized Stalking is Thriving in NJ."

The one-page flier concludes, "Your neighbor, Frank Raffaele" and gives a Pine Brook address.

Raffaele, 51, is a former Verona resident who moved years ago but resurfaced in recent weeks to hand out fliers, according to police. He has dropped them off in businesses across the township and left the papers in doors and fences in Verona, Caldwell and Pine Brook.

"He's scaring people," said police Chief Doug Huber. "It doesn't make any sense, it's unsubstantiated and it's frightening some people."

Patrol officers and detectives have questioned Raffaele on several occasions. One detective asked him to stop handing out the fliers.

Reached by phone on Tuesday, Raffaele said he has no intention of stopping.

"I'm exercising my First Amendment right at free speech," Raffaele said. "I want to inform people and raise awareness on this subject. These people do exist and it's a big problem."

The flier states that group stalking is a method of harassment by a large group of people, often in the hundreds, against a sole individual.

"The process starts when the group selects a target," the flier states.

"Once the selection is made an expert campaign of character assassination begins with the intention of isolating the person from the community."

"He's getting people excited, especially in light of what happened," said Police Capt. Fred DiStefano, referring to the Feb. 22 robbery and shooting of gas station attendant Daniel Pritchard.

Pritchard, 29, was killed at the Claridge Sunoco on Pompton Avenue. Two suspects have been arrested, jailed and charged with murder in his death.

DiStefano said there is no connection between Pritchard's shooting and Raffaele or his fliers.
Police have not charged Raffaele with a crime, saying it appears to be within his legal rights to hand out the literature.

"There's no law that we could come up with" against it, DiStefano said.

Still, detectives have questioned Raffaele at least twice - in person and on the phone.

And Verona police have taken the unusual step in recent days of including Raffaele's letter in their police blotter, calling the stalking claims unsubstantiated.

The blotter, along with a copy of the flier, was faxed to the Times on Monday morning.

"He's disgruntled, but what he's disgruntled about we don't know," the police chief said.

The flier states the stalkers are professionals, both paid and unpaid, full and part-time.

"The unpaid stalkers are usually neighbors who have been recruited as a result of a successful smear campaign," the flier states. "They naively think they are doing a good deed. Harassment techniques are infinite."

The flier contains the Internet addresses of three Web sites with information and video about gang stalking, and general information about who the victims have been. In one video, the narrator discusses the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center, former President Ronald Reagan and the practices of Scientology.

The video further states that community police watch groups, church groups and gay activists "might actively follow, harass, and assist in the torture and occasional murder of targeted individuals that are total strangers. ..."

"I think this is a serious issue," Raffaele said.

Huber said Raffaele has no history of arrest.

Asked whether Raffaele might be dangerous, Huber said, "He's never given anybody a hard time - we don't believe he's dangerous."

DiStefano asked that anyone who receives a "stalker" flier from Raffaele call police. He said detectives will continue to question Raffaele if they receive complaints.