In 1988, TV show host David Letterman was stalked by a psychotic woman who was eventually incarcerated for breaking into his property multiple times. Now, three decades later, REELZ is releasing its Stalker Files: David Letterman Saturday episode in hopes of uncovering the troubling details behind the chilling case.
“If an individual appears on television, on a repetitive basis, we know now that they’re more likely to attract stalkers,” says psychologist Dr. Reid Meloy in the show teaser.
As RadarOnline.com has learned, Letterman’s female stalker, Mary Margaret Ray, was arrested in May 1988 when authorities found her driving the star’s Porsche. She had broken into his Connecticut home, stole his car and was driving through the Lincoln Tunnel in NYC when she was stopped for failing to pay a $3 toll.
When questioned, she told police she was Letterman’s wife, and that her three-year-old son in the backseat was actually his son as well.
“In being David Letterman’s wife, that created for her, something that was not just about hope, but it was about purpose,” says psychologist Dr. Kimberly Telesh in the clip.
“We see this is psychotic individuals that will pursue public figures, believing that they have a special relationship, that they actually believe that this other person is in love with them – and that shared affection is very much a real thing, when in fact, it’s not,” adds Meloy.
Ray was caught breaking into Letterman’s home a total of eight times, and was once even found sleeping in a tennis court inside his property. While he often joked about it on live TV, the stalker was eventually put behind bars and sent to a mental hospital. After her release, she focused her attention on another victim.
Stalker Files: David Letterman airs Saturday, February 3 at 9:00 ET / PT on REELZ.
