Update on Erin Andrews Case: Stalker Secretly Videotaped 16 Other Women
Last year, Michael David Barrett of Westmont, Illinois, pleaded guilty to interstate stalking of ESPN reporter Erin Andrews. Prosecutors said Barrett used a hacksaw to change the peephole on at least two different hotel-room doors in order to surreptitiously film a naked Andrews walking around her hotel rooms; later, Barrett distributed the video online.
The Associated Press has an update on the case.
The man who stalked ESPN reporter Erin Andrews and shot nude videos of her through a hotel room peephole videotaped 16 other women and ran background checks on 30 people, including female sports reporters and TV personalities, according to court documents.
A sentencing memo filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles says Michael Barrett uploaded videos of 16 other women to an online account.
Barrett also allegedly conducted 30 Internet background checks that can produce birthdays and home addresses, the document said. The filing did not name the other alleged victims or say what information he obtained or how he may have used it.
Barrett has pleaded guilty to interstate stalking and agreed to a 27-month prison sentence. [...]
[Last year,] Andrews testified that Barrett’s actions had a devastating impact on her and her family because she is constantly reminded that his videos appeared online and subjected her to cruel taunts from sports fans when she works as a sideline reporter.
Her attorney has said she did not agree to the sentence outlined in the plea bargain and will address the court again before Barrett’s scheduled sentencing on March 15.
When the story first broke, it ignited a debate about privacy. The Chicago Tribune discussed the substantial problems faced by individuals who wish to protect their privacy by stopping the distribution of images or videos online. In the forums at USA Today, there were questions about security and privacy fears associated with hotels. And the Associated Press noted that the hotel industry is reexamining privacy and security policies in the wake of the Andrews case.
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