When the FBI caught Eva LaRue’s stalker, they were shocked by what they found in his home. The CSI: Miami star was stalked by an obsessed fan for over 12 years. The man sent letters using the name “Freddy Krueger” from the horror movie A Nightmare on Elm Street. These letters described his plans to murder and rape both LaRue and her daughter, Kaya.
According to Unilad, even with DNA evidence, it took the FBI years to find him. In the documentary My Nightmare Stalker: The Eva LaRue Story, the 58-year-old actress explained how it all began. It started after she got her role on the CBS cop show and moved to Glendale, Los Angeles.
LaRue’s former co-star Sarah Michelle Gellar told her to buy her home through an LLC to protect against stalkers. “At the time I thought, why would I end up with a stalker? I’m not the star of the show, why would anybody wanna stalk me?” LaRue said.
The letters turned her life into a nightmare
In March 2007, the first letter from “Freddy Krueger” arrived at the studio. More letters came quickly after that, each one more violent than the last. They described plans to rape her, cut off her breasts, torture her, and attack her three-year-old daughter. The stalker wrote that he would make Kaya his “sex slave” and promised to stalk LaRue “until the day she dies.”
The police couldn’t help, so the FBI took over the case. They tested DNA from the letters but found no match. The only clue was that the mail came from Ohio. LaRue said the fear took over her entire body. She was most scared when she wasn’t at work, worried someone might be waiting near the studio. Stories of stalkers targeting their victims show just how terrifying these situations can become.
LaRue lost her hair and eyelashes from the stress. She couldn’t eat and had a mental breakdown. She built a tall gate around their home, but the city council complained about it. During a public hearing, a city official announced her address on a livestream. Paparazzi showed up the next day, and LaRue had to move out within two days.
In June 2016, a letter addressed directly to Kaya arrived at their home. It described taking the teenage girl hostage, making her pregnant, and eventually killing her. The obsessive behavior mirrors themes seen in famous films about stalkers, though LaRue’s real-life nightmare was far more horrifying.
In October 2019, the stalker called Kaya’s school pretending to be her father. He left 19 voicemails threatening to rape, molest, and kill her.
The FBI finally used new technology to trace the DNA. They arrested 58-year-old James David Rogers from Ohio in November 2019. When agents searched his home, they found multiple devices with many images of LaRue.
On his phone, he only had two contacts saved: his mom and Kaya’s high school. Rogers’ mother told police she remembered watching All My Children with her son, and he would watch it “over and over and over again.”
Rogers admitted to all charges and got three and a half years in prison, followed by three years of probation. He was released after serving only 24 months. LaRue said he didn’t get what he deserved after tormenting them for 12 years. She hopes her documentary will help change stalking laws and give other victims hope.
