Peggy Klinke: The Woman Who Inspired National Stalking Awareness Month

Why January is Stalking Awareness Month

January is National Stalking Awareness Month, a time when we come together to shed light on a form of abuse that impacts millions but often stays hidden in the shadows.

Stalking is more common than most people realize. According to SPARC (Stalking Prevention, Awareness, and Resource Center), 1 in 3 women and 1 in 6 men have experienced stalking at some point in their lives.

Stalking can take many forms:

•Persistent following

•Unwanted communication

•Using technology to monitor someone's movements

•Showing up uninvited at someone's home or workplace

Stalking is a crime that instills fear, disrupts lives, and can lead to devastating outcomes.

The story of Peggy Klinke is a reminder of why this awareness is so critical.

Who Was Peggy?

Margaret Mary "Peggy" Klinke was born on December 2, 1970, in Youngstown, Ohio. She was part of a close-knit family that included three siblings: two sisters (Debbie and Marilyn) and a younger brother.

Peggy's sister Debbie worked with Moms and Mysteries to share Peggy's story. Debbie described their childhood as "storybook"—filled with road trips, laughter, and innocent mischief.

One of Debbie's favorite memories was when she was 16 and could finally drive. She would drop her little brother off at church to grab a bulletin (proof of attendance for their parents), then take him to McDonald's for a Happy Meal as "hush money" while they skipped mass and hung out together.

The family was very close, including extended family. They often visited grandparents in Florida and cousins in Texas.

Peggy was bright, ambitious, and full of positive energy. She was fun-loving, creative, and brought joy to everyone around her.

The Stalker

Peggy's life took a tragic turn when she became the target of a relentless stalker.

Despite Peggy's efforts to protect herself and seek help, her stalker refused to leave her alone. His obsession with her escalated from unwanted contact to threats to violence.

Peggy was murdered by her stalker.

The Legacy

Peggy's death became a catalyst for change.

Her story inspired the establishment of National Stalking Awareness Month in January, a time dedicated to:

•Raising awareness about stalking

•Recognizing the signs of stalking behavior

•Supporting victims

•Holding stalkers accountable

Peggy's story reminds us that addressing stalking behaviors early and with urgency can save lives.

Recognizing the Signs

Stalking behaviors can include:

•Repeated unwanted contact (calls, texts, emails, social media messages)

•Following or showing up uninvited

•Monitoring someone's movements or activities

•Sending unwanted gifts

•Making threats

•Using technology to track someone

If you or someone you know is being stalked, please reach out for help.

Peggy Klinke was a bright, ambitious young woman whose life was stolen by a stalker. Her legacy is a reminder that stalking is a serious crime—and that we must take it seriously to save lives.

TRANSCRIPT:

[00:00:00] Hey guys, and welcome to the Moms and Mysteries podcast, a true crime podcast featuring myself, Mandy, and my dear friend Melissa. Hi, Melissa. Hi, Mandy. How are you? I am doing well. I am cold. Everyone's cold, wild, weak. You're cold. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. The pets are cold. The kids are cold. We're all cold. Yeah.

Florida's still under snow? Uh, yes. Parts of it. My mom keeps sending me pictures, uh, of like the daily. I actually went to go visit her. Mandy knows this, but I went to visit my parents with my kids. When we learned that there was gonna be a Florida snow, I didn't go until the morning of. I wrote Mandy and was like, Hey, I'm thinking of going up to visit my family, but at that time, they were predicting like eight to 10 inches.

So I was like, you can't be 10 inches off. Right? Like, there's going to be something, and I fully supported you going up there and doing this. You absolutely did. Thank you. But I also, in the back of my mind, I was like, she does realize that she's driving literally into a. Snowstorm to get there? No, didn't.

Mm-hmm. [00:01:00] That was truly the best part. 'cause I text Mandy one at one point when we stopped somewhere and I was like, they're, they're closing down the turnpike in a few hours. She's like, you're driving into a snowstorm. And so I did have to stay an extra day because we literally could not get out. That was a very weird feeling.

Again, the weirdest thing ever. You text me that day and you're like, uh, we're snowed in so I can't make it back to, uh, Orlando area today. Yeah. I'm like, what? What couldn't you get outta there? It was wild. It was, I think they ended up getting like four inches, but then parts of it froze and all kinds of stuff.

But I was telling Mandy too, it was the coolest thing ever because my dad's 70, my mom's 65. Sorry to shout out your ages on here. They won't listen. But, um, neither of them had ever seen snow in their entire lives, so I can't believe that. I is my dad. I can definitely believe my mom. He doesn't like to travel.

My mom not as much, but yeah, they just, it was, it was like seeing kids see it. Like really, it was just like so magical to see adults, like, I don't know, opening [00:02:00] your mouth to have snowflakes fall on it. And we went sledding because we had. At the bottom of a, it, it was just all homemade stuff that we were doing, but just I love that it, like I, it was like, oh my gosh, I'll have these memories forever.

And my kids were there, of course. So like them interacting. I don't know, it was just, I was like, we're snowed in. This sucks. I don't even care. Like I just forever. No, I totally, totally get it. Yeah. That's awesome. The best. I think I have actually mentioned kind of something or said something similar before on the show, but I feel like when you are an adult there's so few opportunities to have like a brand new experience like that.

Yeah. Like never seen snow before. Like that's, and most of us. You know, experience that, or some of us experience that when we're really young, you know, so it's like, it doesn't ha quite, you don't get the same effect. But I feel like it's super cool 'cause it's so rare to get to see something for the first time when you're 65, 70 years old.

Like, that's not Yeah. You know? So I feel like how that is such a special thing. I'm so happy that you went up there and got to do that. I know. I was like emotional looking through my pictures of my dad with his first [00:03:00] snowball. It was just too, I don't even think I could talk about it anymore because it really did.

Like, just, it's like, uh, the last thing I'll say about it is I was listening to a podcast the other day and they were saying how it's your parents' first time being human too. I think it was Mel Robbins. Yeah. Like it's the first time, like your mom is just a girl. Like she's, yeah. She's you. And seeing your parents in that way, you're gonna have me crying before we even I, before we get through this intros Much too much.

Okay. Mandy, would you like to get into this story this week? It's a really tough one, but it's, it's so important and I'm glad we're covering it. Yes. This is a story that is absolutely so important to share. Um, and. Of course you'll see why as we get into it, but some of you may not realize that January is actually a month that we come together to shed light on a very important true crime topic, which is stalking.

And stalking is a form of abuse that impacts millions, but often stays hidden in the shadows. It's actually a lot more common than most people realize with Spark. That is the stalking, prevention, [00:04:00] awareness, and resource center reporting that it's one in three women and one in six men that have experienced stalking at some point in their lives.

It can take many forms, including persistent, following unwanted communication, or using technology to monitor someone else's movements. Stalking is a crime that instills fear, disrupts lives, and can lead to devastating outcomes, and that's why it's so important to recognize the signs of stalking so that we can support victims and hold their stalkers accountable.

The story of Peggy Clinky is a reminder of why this awareness is so critical. Peggy was a bright young woman with a promising future ahead of her, but her life was tragically cut short by a relentless stalker. It was Peggy's story that inspired the establishment of national stalking Awareness Month, which is January, and it's a story that reminds us that addressing stalking behaviors early on and with urgency can save lives.

Peggy was born with the full name of Margaret Mary Clinky, but went by Peggy for most of her life. [00:05:00] She was a bright and ambitious woman that brought a positive energy with her everywhere she went. Peggy was born in Youngstown, Ohio on December 2nd, 1970, and became part of a close-knit family that included three siblings.

She had two sisters, one named Debbie and one named Marilyn, and a younger brother, Peggy's sister Debbie, who actually spoke with us. To help help. Peggy's story said that the siblings had a storybook childhood. They took road trips, laughed a lot and created innocent mischief, like skipping out on Catholic mass to go hang out at McDonald's instead.

So Debbie explained that when she was 16 and could finally drive, she would take her little brother and drop him off at the church to grab a bulletin. So they would have proof of attendance to show their parents and then they would go off to McDonald's and she would give them a Happy meal, kind of like hush money and they would just hang out there for an hour.

Which actually as a parent, I don't even mind, sibling hangouts like that are so few and far between at some point that it's [00:06:00] so cool that they have that. Yeah, I little memory themselves. The family was very close and that included the extended family. They often visited their grandparents in Florida, or cousins in Texas.

But Peggy really stood out in her family. She was the only one that had blonde hair and blue eyes while everyone else had brown hair and brown eyes. And Debbie would jokingly refer to Peggy as the hot sister, which made me laugh. But the truth was Peggy really did sparkle. I got one of those too. Yeah, I was, it made me laugh 'cause I actually thought of you.

I was like, we all, there's always, oh my gosh, not like that. Uh, because of things that you have said about your sister, and obviously we love your sister. We all love our sisters. Yeah, of course. But we all love to give them a hard time too. So Of course. So, uh, as Peggy and Debbie got older, they had a very strong bond and Debbie introduced Peggy to Nu Wave and punk music, and even was the one that was taking her to do things like getting bold haircuts that she wanted, even though their mom didn't always approve of these music choices and fashion.[00:07:00] 

Choices. So Peggy had a vibrant personality to match her vibrant appearance, and she had a knack for life hacks long before they were trendy. One of her best hacks is the one where you go to McDonald's and you order your fries with no salt and this almost guarantees that they're gonna be made fresh for you and that you just ask for the salt packets on the way out and you get those, put 'em on your fries, boom.

Fresh fries you can have. This is genius. It's, Peggy was very sharp and she had a great sense of humor. Debbie described her as brilliant and determined and said that Peggy always achieved any goals she set out too. When she was young, Peggy found a passion for dance, which she really excelled at. And while all the siblings took dance lessons, Peggy was the only one who stuck with it all throughout school.

And when she eventually went off to Kent State College, she actually minored in dance while earning her degree in marketing. Peggy was actually part of the university's dance troupe for all four years that [00:08:00] she attended. Dance was really a central part of Peggy's life, and after her passing, a scholarship was established in her name to help young dancers pursue their dreams After college, Peggy's adventurous spirit led her to Italy where she really fell in love with the abundance of fresh food and the outdoor way of life.

By the time Peggy returned to the US she had established a very healthy lifestyle and she even found herself disappointed in the fresh food selection available here. But she did her best to apply everything she learned about healthy living while she was in Italy. She ended up in Albuquerque, New Mexico with a man she had been dating after he was stationed there for the military.

But the relationship ended soon after Peggy decided to stay in the area because she really thought it was the perfect place to enjoy a healthy and active outdoorsy lifestyle. It was here that she became a yoga instructor and she started preparing to attend medical school. Peggy was constantly working to [00:09:00] create the future life that she always envisioned and wanted for herself.

In 1999, Peggy met a man named Patrick Kennedy in a study group, and at first it seemed like he was a supportive and attentive presence in her life, but Patrick was actually hiding a dark and troubling history that would later become significant. Patrick had been married and divorced twice, and he had a young daughter.

His first wife was a woman coincidentally named Margaret Mary, the same first and middle name as Peggy's given name, and their marriage had ended abruptly when his wife's mother came and got her in the middle of the night. This reason remains unclear, but Peggy's family now believes it was a matter of safety.

Patrick's second marriage also ended in turmoil, but this time his ex-wife became the target of his rage In stalking, Patrick was charged with property damage for breaking windows at her house and using a chemical paint peeler to destroy her things. She made a statement to the police that if they didn't do [00:10:00] something to stop him, Patrick would either kill himself or their daughter.

She said she was terrified for their lives. Patrick refused to undergo a psychiatric evaluation and eventually his visitation privileges with his daughter were revoked. Almost as soon as Patrick met Peggy, he started pursuing her. They went out on a few dates, but Peggy actually felt uneasy about the situation right from the, she was still new to the Albuquerque area and she really wasn't even looking for a relationship, as we were saying before.

She was focused on going back to school, but Patrick persisted a few weeks into dating him. Peggy went back home to Ohio for Christmas. At that time, she hadn't really told her family much about Patrick. Other than that he was recently divorced and that she met him in a study group. But yet, on December 29th, Patrick randomly and unexpectedly showed up at Peggy's mom's home with a suitcase in hand, and he says, I'm here to surprise Peggy for New Year's [00:11:00] Eve.

Peggy was surprised, uh, but not in a good way. It was more like visible shock that, um, she was displaying, uh, she never gave him her mom's address, and being that this is the pre-internet era, it's not like he could easily go and look that up. So this unannounced visit was really quite strange and it raised red flags for Peggy's sister Debbie, who immediately sensed that something was very off about the situation.

Debbie said outwardly everything seemed fine. Patrick was clean cut, he was well dressed, but it was her intuition that was telling her that something just was not right with him. Over the next few days, Debbie's concerns were confirmed through Patrick's own behavior. He noticed that Patrick was absolutely fixated on Peggy.

He always had his eyes on her, or he was right by her side no matter what they were doing, whether they were just hanging out at the house, they were out shopping, or even if the sisters all just wanted to go to lunch, Patrick insisted that he would tag along and be there with Peggy. He [00:12:00] always sat physically close to her and he kept inserting himself into her every move and into all of her conversations.

Which for someone that you've only been dating for a few weeks to just like show up to your family holiday, um, events and act this way is like, I can't even. I can't even picture, like just what the family had to have been just horrified. Right? But Patrick's actions were more than just controlling. They were textbook stalking behaviors.

And so we talk a lot about stalking, obviously in this story and just in general in the media, all kinds of things. But we're still gonna go over exactly what stalking is, to give you a better definition. So stalking is a pattern of behavior directed at a specific person that will cause a reasonable person to fear for the person's safety or the safety of others, or suffer substantial emotional distress.

Approximately 13.5 million people are stocked each year. Many offenders stalk both in person and use technology in order to [00:13:00] surveil, contact, intimidate, sabotage, isolate, and otherwise frighten their victims. Most stalkers are either acquaintances that makes up about 42% or current or former intimate partners, which is 40%.

However, stalking can occur in any type of relationship. Strangers, individuals from brief encounters, family members, and even people in positions of authority can engage in stalking behaviors. Stalkers use a variety of tactics that are included but not limited to unwanted contact, including phone calls, text and contact via social media.

Um, wanna gifts showing up or approaching an individual or their family and friends, monitoring, surveillance, property damage and threats. Patrick's presence at their home in his constant monitoring of Peggy would prove to be early signs of a dangerous and escalating pattern. Peggy remained stuck in an unhealthy relationship with [00:14:00] Patrick for the next three years, and as time went on, her family grew more and more concerned, especially her sister Debbie.

Debbie worried not just for Peggy's safety, but also for the safety of herself and her daughters, Debbie and Marilyn. Peggy's other sister would always try to talk to Peggy about what a healthy relationship should be like, but Peggy always had hope and believe that her relationship with Patrick could be normal.

Over time though, it was becoming more clear that normal was never going to be possible. At some point, Peggy and Patrick moved in together and things only got worse From there. Patrick now had even more control over Peggy's life and he gained access to most of her personal information like bank accounts, her social security number, credit cards, and even the contact center cell phone.

His behavior, which had already been disgustingly controlling, turned into full-blown stalking. It's a common misconception that stalking only [00:15:00] happens after a relationship ends, but stalking actually occurs within relationships as well. In fact, statistics show that 21% of stalking happens during the relationship.

36% happens both during and after, and 43% happens after the relationship ends. Stalking and intimate partner violence are really closely connected, and while all stalkers can be dangerous, the greatest threat comes from intimate partner stalkers. Throughout their relationship, Patrick gained not just financial and logistical control over Peggy, but he also had a hold on her psyche through his deep emotional abuse.

He would berate Peggy and call her names and tell her that she was stupid, and when she would try to apply for jobs, he would put her down and tell her that she was never going to get them. Patrick never missed a chance to chip away at Peggy's self-esteem until he had broken her down completely. Then Patrick would swing to the opposite extreme.

He would be apologizing profusely, showering [00:16:00] Peggy with gifts and being unusually nice to her. And this pattern, as we have discussed on the podcast a couple of times now, is an example of the cycle of abuse. Patrick controlled every move Peggy made and wouldn't allow her to go anywhere without him. This isolated her from friends, family, and really any opportunity that she might have had for independence.

At this time though, from what Peggy's family could see from the outside, they didn't fully recognize what was happening as abuse necessarily because they associated domestic violence with physical harm. And since they hadn't seen any bruises or injuries on Peggy, they didn't realize that she could be considered the victim of domestic violence.

Now, of course, they understand that domestic violence goes beyond physical abuse, and they would have been able to seek help for Peggy through domestic violence resources, which I think is really important to point out that if you're in a situation like this and somebody is abusing you in a a different way other than a physical way, like you still have you, there [00:17:00] are resources still available to help you.

Right? I actually would not have realized that either. I mean, that. It makes sense. Right? But I wouldn't think you would think stalking is separate if you're just looking at it in a general sense. Yeah, for sure. It's easy to understand how someone could think that those types of resources did not apply to them, when in fact they do.

We'll get into this more, but that's also why education is so important, education of law enforcement, all of that. So they know that they do have access to these sorts of things. So at some point during the relationship, Peggy made an unsettling discovery. She found an old wedding invitation from Patrick's first marriage to Margaret Mary, whose full name was identical to Peggy's.

But at the time, Peggy wasn't even aware of this previous marriage. So when she saw the wedding invitation, she actually panicked thinking that Patrick was going to try and marry her without telling her. I cannot fathom how freaky that must have been for Peggy. Exactly. And to know that [00:18:00] he is capable of trying something like that.

Right. You know? About halfway through their time together, Peggy tried to break things off and leave. She was desperate to escape, and so she called her sister Marilyn and told her that she couldn't stay with Patrick any longer, and she planned to join Marilyn on vacation in Vegas. But when the time came to leave, Peggy got cold feet.

She called Marilyn in tears saying she felt sick to her stomach and she was too scared to leave. Patrick, it's important to note victims of intimate partners stalking often attempt to separate from their stalkers more frequently than victims of domestic violence alone. Peggy was still holding onto the hope that things could improve, and she thought that bringing Patrick and his 7-year-old daughter on a vacation with Peggy's family might help things.

They went to North Carolina and Peggy truly hoped the trip would ease some tension and just normalize their relationship. That's not how the trip went at all. Instead, Patrick's behavior had the opposite [00:19:00] effect. He sulked through the vacation and he watched Peggy like a hawk the entire time, making sure that she was never alone.

His controlling nature was put on full display for Peggy's family to witness, which of course raised even more alarms. To make things even worse, Debbie learned that Patrick had brought a gun on the trip when she found out. Debbie told her daughters that they were not allowed to go to the condo where Patrick and Peggy were staying.

She told Peggy that the gun made her very uncomfortable. Peggy didn't really understand at first, but Debbie was firm in her position that Patrick had no reason to bring a gun on a family trip. But now Debbie could see more clearly than ever how deep Patrick's control ran and just how dangerous he might become.

In November of 2001, a good friend of Peggy was getting married in Cleveland and Peggy was in the wedding party and her whole family was planning to attend this wedding as well. So Peggy booked herself a flight home and planned to stay in the [00:20:00] same hotel with the rest of her family and the rest of the wedding party.

But Patrick had other plans since he always had to control everything. He used Peggy's credit card information to cancel her flight, and he then rebooked a flight for her and for himself to come along even though he was not invited to the wedding. That's terrifying. Scary. Patrick also canceled Peggy's hotel reservation and made a new one for the two of them at a different location, which of course is just another ploy to isolate Peggy from her family and friends.

Debbie believed Patrick was trying to keep Peggy away from any private conversations that might expose the truth of their relationship, especially since he had to have known at this point that Debbie was not his biggest fan at the wedding. Peggy didn't even sit at the family table, and in one incident Peggy cut Patrick off during a conversation at the wedding, and he became furious.

He gave Peggy a look that Debbie said was the definition of if looks could kill [00:21:00] after the wedding. Peggy and Patrick went back to Albuquerque, but Peggy was thinking more and more about how to get away from him by December of 2001. It was really just about all she could think about. In January of 2002, Peggy made the decision to leave Patrick for good.

The day Peggy left, she took only a few essential items and the clothes she had on her back. She left behind almost everything she owned, including sentimental items like family, gifts, photographs, furniture, and items that she cherished from her time in Italy. Not long after she escaped, Patrick called her and claimed that someone had broken into the house and barricaded the door.

He begged her to come back and said he was terrified to stay there alone. Peggy was concerned. So she went back and when she got there she found a police officer was there and was investigating this alleged break-in. Keep in mind, Peggy was almost positive that Patrick is the one who had barricaded the door himself and set this whole thing up as a trick just to get her to [00:22:00] come home.

Shortly before the officer left, he asked Peggy if there was anything else that she wanted to tell him. Patrick gave her a threatening look and Peggy told the officer No. But after the officer left, Peggy got into her car and drove away finally leaving Patrick for good. After Peggy ended the relationship, Patrick's obsessive behavior escalated into relentless stalking.

He would call her phone incessantly and leave dozens of voicemails even though Peggy never returned his calls. This behavior really falls in line with a pattern 66% of stalking victims experience. And when it calls voicemails or texts from their stalkers, he would profess his love for her and beg her for a reconciliation, even using his daughter as a pawn for emotional leverage by saying that she must Peggy too and wanted her to come back.

Patrick even started physically falling Peggy as well, and this was extremely terrifying since he had gained intimate knowledge of her [00:23:00] routines during the relationship. So he knew exactly where to find her and when, since Patrick owned his own landscaping business, he was free to stock Peggy at all hours.

She constantly felt like she was being watched and felt unsafe. This blew my mind here. Things got even worse when Patrick's mother called and left a chilling voicemail on Peggy's phone. Patrick had apparently told his mother about the breakup, and she called to warn Peggy that she ought to leave town, or she would come to quote, unquote, take care of Peggy herself, his mom.

I mean, really, that I, I could not understand that at all. So Peggy told her family about this threat, which of course, only made them even more afraid of what was going to happen. The stalking continued and Patrick's behavior escalated more and more over time, and despite their desire to help Peggy, her family struggled to find resources or support that was specifically tailored to victims of stalking.

Shelters, women's centers and other organizations [00:24:00] primarily focused on domestic violence, sexual assault, or general crises. And Peggy's case didn't neatly fit into these categories, which left her without access to specialized assistance. There wasn't a clear path for support exposing really a systemic failure to address stalking as a distinct and serious issue.

Over time, the toll that all of this took on Peggy resulted in a heartbreaking transformation. Peggy's bright personality started to dim. She smiled and laughed less, and her optimistic view on life began to darken the pressure of dealing with Patrick, combined with the inadequacy of the legal system in addressing stalking, eroded Peggy's spirit.

We still have so much more to get into after a quick break to hear word from this week's sponsors. Before the break, we were getting into the story of Peggy Clinky, who was being relentlessly stalked by her ex-boyfriend, a man named Patrick Kennedy. At this point, she has finally [00:25:00] left him for good, after already enduring months of his stalking behaviors that had only escalated and had gotten to a point where she was very concerned for her own safety.

Things took a hopeful turn when Peggy met a new man named Mark, who worked with her as a pharmaceutical sales professional. Debbie was really happy and thought that Mark was perfect for Peggy. He was kind, he was understanding, and he brought some stability and warmth into her life, which at that time is something that Peggy really needed right from the start.

Peggy was upfront with Mark about the fact that she had a stalker and that she had been living her life looking over her shoulder for quite some time, but Mark reassured her that he could handle it. However, Patrick quickly turned his attention to Mark. Once he was aware of Mark's existence, somehow he got Mark's phone number and began harassing him.

He would leave threatening messages to the effect of Peggy's mind, leave her alone, or else there were also threats of physical violence included. And [00:26:00] Patrick at one point explicitly stated that he would kill Mark. This is consistent with stalking patterns that show 72% of stalking victims are threatened with physical harm, and the perpetrator often escalates to that level when they feel they're losing control over their victim.

But despite the threats, Peggy and Mark continue dating. In June, 2002, they went to Orlando to attend Peggy's brother's wedding. Of course, Patrick found out about the wedding and he called Peggy's brother and left a message where he said that he wished he could be part of the family and attend the wedding, but unfortunately, things just didn't work out, which is wild because I'm sure Peggy's brother is aware that things didn't work out.

It's scary. Very, very scary. Right then, while the family was all in Florida for this wedding, Patrick went to Peggy's mom's house in Ohio and spray painted and insulting and derogatory term about Peggy on the garage door there. Two days later, mark was notified by the police, as well as his mom and the fire department in [00:27:00] Albuquerque that his house had been set on fire.

The damage totaled $35,000, and it was determined that the cause was arson. A gas line was deliberately loosened and there were footprints found in the mud in the backyard. The evidence suggested that Patrick was behind the attack, but no action was taken against him. Peggy and her family were really frustrated by the lack of response from law enforcement.

Peggy pleaded with them and explained that the arson was part of a larger pattern of stalking, harassment and violence, but still, she was dismissed and the police continued to treat the arson as if it was just a standalone crime, and Peggy and Mark were left without any protection. Patrick continued his reign of terror.

Even though Peggy was ignoring him and refusing to take his calls, he would find different ways to harass her, even using blocked numbers and different phones around the area to avoid being detected. One day Patrick hid in the bushes outside of Peggy's job, and [00:28:00] when she showed up, he jumped out holding flowers and a wedding ring.

He then professes love to her and asked her to marry him. Peggy was really just trying to keep her cool and just walk past him without saying anything, but that only enraged Patrick and fueled his desperation and obsession even further. Shortly after this failed proposal, Patrick created and distributed malicious.

Have you seen me? Flyers targeting Peggy. These flyers were written in the first person to appear as though Peggy had made them herself falsely claiming she was promiscuous, accusing her of having two abortions, and alleging that she cheated on her partners. The flyers included Peggy's phone number and were plastered all over Albuquerque, including places that Peggy frequented, such as the salon she went to.

Peggy and Mark took one of the flyers to the police and again begged them to do something, but the police brushed them off again and told them the flyer was just a piece of paper and that it couldn't hurt them. They [00:29:00] also said there was nothing they could do to help. This was simply not true though.

While there's a lot of awareness around stalking, it was still a crime at the time, and Patrick absolutely could have been charged. The first anti stalking law was passed in 1990 in California, and the first federal stalking law was enacted in 1996. All 50 states enacted laws about stalking in the nineties, specifically 1997 for New Mexico.

So there was some legal recourse possible that the police failed to act on to add insult to injury. All of Patrick's prior charges related to stalking. His ex-wife had been filed right there in Albuquerque as well. So the local authorities had free access to Patrick's criminal history, which supported Peggy's allegations and demonstrated the seriousness of the situation.

That might be the part that makes me the most angry about this story. It's not like the, like all they had to do is just look the guy up and they would see that he had right a history of this. Peggy was really desperate [00:30:00] to protect herself, so she filed stalking charges and requested an order of protection.

She and Mark started to document Patrick's behavior in great detail by keeping a stalking log, a log of incoming calls, copies of the phone bill, and a copy of the flyer for evidence. And if you're being stalked, this is something that you really need to do. Spark has resources and more information about this available on their website, which is stalking awareness.org if you want to go check that out.

But unfortunately, even with Peggy's efforts, Patrick stalking only grew even more menacing. After Peggy filed for the protection order, Patrick, in a very twisted attempt at manipulating the situation, filed a counter order of protection against her. Wow. In this request, he accused Peggy of being an alcoholic who abused substances, harassed him and his daughter, and posed a danger to him.

Although these claims were baseless, he was granted the order of [00:31:00] protection as well. So both Patrick and Peggy had to appear before a judge and that. Did not go well. Um, Debbie recalled that the judge was very dismissive and seemed like they were just fed up, and he told Patrick and Peggy to leave each other alone, but really didn't acknowledge the severity of the situation.

It was more like, why are these children, you know, here in front of me get right, you know, I have things to do, like you guys just need to leave each other alone. But, you know, just minimizing the situation. As soon as they left the courtroom, Patrick called Peggy, which she thought, you know, maybe he was trying to call to have a productive conversation and to come to some kind of like agreement.

But instead he just intimidated her and warned her not to mess with him and said that he knew how to play this game better than she did, and the protection order Peggy had against Patrick. Did prove to be useless. Patrick repeatedly and openly violated it Every chance he got for months while the police really just stood idly by and did nothing.

He [00:32:00] was arrested for violating the protection order one time, but he only spent 24 hours behind bars, which to him is like no big deal. It was a slap on the wrist to him. Meanwhile, Peggy's family felt helpless and terrified at the thought that Patrick had all of their addresses and personal information about them.

So they too went to significant links to try and protect themselves. They started locking their doors at all times, installed a caller ID and tracked their phone calls. They even tried to limit their personal conversations unless they were face to face, because they didn't know if Patrick was maybe able to hear these calls or monitor them.

And Debbie also warned her daughters to stay vigilant and to never approach Patrick if they saw him, and to immediately come to her instead. Debbie worried that Patrick May try and lure her girls with false promises like taking them to see Peggy, and she was scared of all the possible outcomes that could lead to Peggy's new partner.

Mark also adopted similar safety measures. [00:33:00] The constant stress and fear Patrick was inflicting on. Peggy had rippled outward and it was affecting her family and loved ones in a profound way. Despite Patrick's behavior and the clear danger he posed, police were still apathetic, which left Peggy and her loved ones feeling abandoned by the system meant to protect them.

They lived in constant fear of what Patrick might do or where he might show up next. As the months dragged by, Peggy found herself stuck in a horrible limbo. Patrick was still stalking her after she'd secured a protective order, but her police for help were falling on deaf ears. Police kept telling her to just wait for the stalking trial, which kept getting postponed, but was eventually set for January 21st, 2003.

The police refused to take action because according to them, there was no evidence of physical harm. Told her to come back when Patrick actually did something to her, which is. Utterly heartless, ignorant, and horrific considering [00:34:00] how often stalking ends in violence or murder. 85% of attempted and 76% of completed intimate partner femicides were proceeded by stalking in the year prior.

That is a huge statistic. Yes. Yet the police didn't take the stalking seriously. Debbie was also pleading with the police, telling them that Patrick was breaking the law and that they needed to do their job. But the family's trust in the justice system had eroded really into a sense of dread. Peggy tried to stay positive and hopeful that the stalking trial would bring justice and things would be over soon, and Patrick would be held accountable.

But Debbie couldn't shake the feeling that things were going to get very ugly as the trial started to approach. Peggy was preparing for the trial by gathering evidence and relying on her attorney for guidance, but she was always acutely aware of the danger she was in. While she waited for the trial, she decided the best thing she could do would be to leave [00:35:00] Albuquerque, one in seven stalking victims actually move.

As a result of their victimization. Peggy chose Turlock, California as the place that she would go to try and get a fresh start and to put some distance between her, herself and Patrick. When she arrived, she proactively took steps to protect herself and those around her. She talked to her new neighbors and even showed them a photo of Patrick and explained that he was stalking her and he might find her and show up there.

She also left her mother's phone number with the neighbors in case anything were to ever happen. Peggy became friends with the woman who lived on the other side of her duplex, a woman named Rachel, and she also warned her coworkers about Patrick and told them that if anyone ever called and asked for her or asked about her, they should tell the person that they didn't know her at all.

Despite taking all these precautions, Peggy still faced significant challenges. At some point, she went to the Turlock Police to find out if her order of protection from Albuquerque [00:36:00] would transfer to California. But at that point, she learned that the order had been lost in the system and was never properly filed.

In order to refile, Peggy would now have to put her new address on the paperwork. No, which she did not want to do, so she didn't refile the order. Meanwhile, Patrick was using his lawyer to try and get Peggy's address from her lawyer, who of course refused to give it to them, which like, honestly, that is also infuriating to me that his lawyer would not even shut that down and be like, no, like you need to leave this woman alone.

The whole thing is so unreal because. She's having to take such big steps to put herself out there and say, this is this thing that's happening to me. Here's this guy's picture. You don't know me. All of that stuff in a new place like that has to be, imagine how bad it has to feel for her to know that you have to go out and do this and scary and you're relying on people that don't really even know you to like, right.

Want to take that like [00:37:00] steps to help you stay safe. Like these people don't know you. You don't have a connection to them. Like you really are putting yourself out there in such a big way and depending on the community, you know, to, to help look out for you. Well, she has to depend on the community there.

You have to working out with the police. But there was one glimmer of hope in Peggy's life, and that was really her relationship with Mark. They grew closer and Mark became a source of unwavering support. Mark started thinking about a real future with Peggy, and he had purchased an engagement ring with the intent to propose to Peggy after the stalking trial.

The couple planned a trip to Hawaii after the trial as well, which they hoped would celebrate this next chapter of their lives without Patrick in it. When Peggy first moved to California, she did experience a brief period of normalcy and quiet as Patrick struggled to locate her, but eventually he was able to track her down.

He called one of Peggy's coworkers claiming to be a PI, and asked if she knew Margaret Mary [00:38:00] Clinky. The coworker denied knowing anyone by that name, and Patrick said if she ever encountered Margaret not to tell her that Patrick was looking for her big red flag, Patrick, suspicious. Yeah. That just makes you sound like even more like dangerous.

Right, so the coworker immediately called Peggy and told her about this, and Peggy felt that it was definitely Patrick that had called. Then somehow Patrick found the moving company that Peggy had used when she moved to California, and he called the company and pose as a police officer and said that he found some stolen goods that belonged to Peggy and the police department wanted to return them to her.

He asked the moving company for Peggy's new mailing address so they could just mail her items to her. The woman working for the company told him she couldn't give out customer information, but she offered to let them drop the items off and the company would make sure they got to Peggy. Good for her.

Patrick also enlisted the help of a PI to find Peggy, but he actually wasn't paying the guy, [00:39:00] so the PI didn't share anything he found until he was paid. The PI was supposed to be finding things like a landline phone number, a license plate, or just a general idea of where she lived. Eventually, and very unfortunately, the PI did give Patrick the name of the street Peggy lived on.

But this street was very long and ran through several communities, so it was difficult to narrow down to a specific house. Then at some point, Patrick took all the photos that Peggy left behind in their house and put them in plastic baggies of water, which destroyed them, and then he shipped them to Peggy's mother's home.

And what was scary about this was that he actually used Mark's address as a return address. And the postmark itself was from San Jose, California, which wasn't very far from where Peggy was now living. And this sold her family that Patrick was getting closer to finding her. In November of 2002, Peggy and Mark returned to Albuquerque for a ski trip.

While they were there, they [00:40:00] stayed at Mark's house and that's the same one that Patrick had set fire to in the past. But things took a horrifying turn a few days before Thanksgiving when Peggy's family got a call from Patrick at 10 o'clock at night and he said, I know where she is, and in 10 minutes she'll be dead.

Patrick attempted to disguise his voice, but Debbie knew it was him. Debbie immediately called the police because she was truly terrified that Patrick might be right outside of Mark's house with a gun and was preparing to kill them both. Debbie told the dispatcher not to hang up until the officers arrived at Mark's house.

When officers made contact with Peggy and Mark, they said they were fine. Peggy actually, when she saw the officers, she was worried that they were there to tell her that Patrick had killed her mom. And so at that point it dawned on them that Patrick might actually be outside of Peggy's mom's house because he thought that's where Peggy was since it was the holidays and didn't realize that she was in Albuquerque.

But Debbie was then able to speak [00:41:00] to Peggy and reassure her that everybody in Ohio was okay. And you know, she was able to explain to Peggy what was going on and that she had received this threatening phone call. After this incident, Peggy called the district attorney who she had talked to before and left a message about the death threat to her mother's house and the lack of protection that she and her family had been provided.

The DA called her the next day and like when she answered, she lightheartedly, said, oh my God, you're still alive. Which is like, oh, which infuriating. I have no words for that. But then things actually went quiet for a little while in November, and Peggy was planning on going home to Ohio for Christmas, and she was gonna stay there for two weeks.

Before Peggy's trip to Ohio, Patrick's sister-in-law actually called Peggy's mom and said that they didn't know where Patrick was. But since Peggy was planning to come to town, they should notify the local police department just as a precaution. Her family also enlisted the local community and neighbors to help [00:42:00] keep an eye out.

Debbie described the two week visit with Peggy as living hell. It was clear how much to spare Peggy was in over the situation. She was incredibly nervous. She didn't eat much, wouldn't go near windows and would jump when the phone rang or there was a knock at the door. She couldn't even function. There was nowhere for Peggy to go and feel safe because Patrick knew where everyone lived.

Debbie saw Peggy for the last time during that two week period when Peggy left Debbie's house. During that time, Debbie actually found out she was pregnant. She shared the news with Peggy, something now that Debbie is very thankful for. Debbie remembered telling Peggy, you're gonna be an aunt again. To which Peggy joked are you getting another puppy?

When the time came for Peggy to go back to California, she was terrified and refused to bring anyone back with her because she feared that Patrick would hurt them. She got back to California and then left on a business trip for a few days. Peggy promised to call Debbie when she got back and let her know that there was [00:43:00] nothing wrong with her house and that everything was okay.

When Peggy returned from her trip, everything was fine. At this point, the stalking trial was just a couple of weeks away, but on Saturday, January 18th, 2003, just days before the trial would begin, the worst of everyone's nightmares began. Debbie recalls the day with haunting clarity At the time she lived in Cleveland, which was about 90 minutes away from their mom's house in Youngstown.

It was a Saturday, and Debbie was getting ready to take her daughters over to her mom's for a double birthday celebration. Debbie's oldest had just turned seven, and her niece was celebrating turning six on the drive to Youngstown. Debbie called Peggy, but she didn't answer. Debbie assumed that it was just a time difference, and she left a voicemail and planned to try back later when Debbie arrived at her mom's, the day unfolded as planned.

The kids played and the adults got ready for the party. At some point in conversation, Peggy's mom casually mentioned to Debbie that she had also [00:44:00] tried calling Peggy that day, but didn't get an answer, but they just continued on and brushed it off and figured that Peggy was probably busy with her own weekend errands.

Later that night after the party had ended and the kids were all tucked into bed, Debbie and her mom sat down to watch some TV when they were startled by the unexpected sound of the doorbell ringing. And right away, Debbie said she felt a wave of dread wash over her. She said the neighbors usually would knock or just let themselves in.

So hearing the doorbell was an eerie way for someone to announce themselves at the door. She always feared that Patrick could show up at any moment and kill any of them, but as she approached the hallway and looked toward the door, she noticed that it wasn't Patrick, but it was two law enforcement officers that were standing outside.

And it was in that instant. She said that she just knew what they were there for. Debbie opened the door and all she could say was, did Patrick Kennedy kill my sister? The officers [00:45:00] confirmed her worst fears. Peggy's mom came into the hallway and listened as the officers explained what little they knew, which was that Patrick had gone to Peggy's home in Turlock, shot her, and then turned the gun on himself.

Debbie faced the brutal task of informing the rest of the family. She called her brother in Florida and their sister Marilyn, and broke the devastating news. The officers gave Debbie a contact number for a detective that might be able to answer some other questions. When Debbie called the detective, confirmed the details she already knew, but there wasn't much else they could share.

Debbie called her husband right away and told him to bring her dog and come over to their mom's house that this horrible thing was unfolding. We have more to get into after one last break to hear a word from this week's sponsors. So before the break, we were discussing Debbie's experience on the day that she found out that her sister had been murdered by Patrick Kennedy, and [00:46:00] as the reality set in that Peggy was gone, the family started to work on all the practical tasks that were ahead of them, like making arrangements for Peggy's body to be transported to Ohio so they could hold a funeral.

As the days went on, Debbie started to piece together more details about Peggy's last moments. She learned that Patrick found out the street that Peggy lived on through a PI, and that he had been flying back and forth from New Mexico to California trying to narrow down the exact location of where Peggy lived.

When he got there on the 18th, he started to search Peggy Street. He had a photo of her and would go around telling people in the area that he was a PI and was looking for Peggy because she owed him money. In doing this, he found a UPS driver that did recognize Peggy because she got a lot of packages as part of her job as a pharmaceutical rep.

The driver said he couldn't give out the information, but somehow Patrick convinced him to give Peggy's address. Patrick then drove to Peggy's house and parked his car across the street before going and hiding [00:47:00] inside her garage. Patrick had a handgun, a hunting rifle, rope, and a lot of duct tape with him in a backpack.

Peggy was about to leave her house when Patrick suddenly walked inside. He grabbed her and started to beat her over the head with the handgun, which caused extensive bleeding. He taped her mouth closed and her hands behind her back, but Peggy managed to free her hands and pulled her sweatshirt over her head.

So at this time, Peggy's neighbor, Rachel, who lived in the duplex, connected to hers, was at the front door, and Peggy ran outside screaming and covered in blood. She told Rachel that Patrick had found her and he was inside the house and he was going to kill her. Rachel was later able to share what happened in Peggy's final moments with Debbie and the rest of Peggy's family.

Debbie had been haunted by questions about what Peggy's last moments were like, whether she was screaming and terrified or fighting for her life, and Rachel was able to help answer some of those questions. Rachel said that she and Peggy ran [00:48:00] next door to Rachel's condo and locked and barricaded the door, and then they went upstairs to the bedroom and called 9 1 1.

Peggy told the dispatcher to send the police immediately because her head was covered in blood and Patrick was going to kill her. Then Patrick suddenly broke into the home through a sliding glass door. Rachel ran and hid in a closet, and Patrick appeared to have no idea that she was even there. Patrick ordered Peggy to put the phone down and she pleaded with him to stop.

She asked the dispatcher how close the police were and then said that she had to go and hung up the phone. But Rachel said that Peggy remained calm. After hanging up the phone, Patrick told Peggy to lie face down on the carpet, and he put the gun to the back of her head. Soon the SWAT team arrived and they went to the bedroom door, but Peggy told them not to open it because she thought Patrick would shoot her.

Peggy calmly spoke to the officer that was outside the bedroom door and asked him to pass messages [00:49:00] along to her family. She asked them to call her mom in Ohio and tell her Peggy loved her and to tell her niece that she's going to have a guardian angel watching over her. She also asked the officer to tell Debbie to name her baby after her.

The police actually did not share any of these messages with the family, so when Rachel told them about these things, it was truly a gift to them. At the same time, Peggy was communicating with the officers outside the door. She was also trying to calm Patrick down with promises of working things out and reminding him that both of their families would be devastated if something happened.

The officer was also trying to talk to Patrick, but he was silent and was not responding to anybody Out of nowhere, Patrick suddenly noticed Rachel in the closet. He lowered his gun and told her to leave the house. As she was leaving the bedroom, Patrick tried to shoot her and the officer standing outside, but he missed immediately after firing the missed shots.

Patrick pointed the [00:50:00] gun back at Peggy and shot her once in the back of the head. Then he shot himself in the head and he died instantly. The SWAT team rushed into the room and removed Peggy from the house and tried to revive her, but she died on the front lawn. In the first moments after learning that Patrick took his own life after killing Peggy, Debbie said she was angry.

She thought Patrick was such a coward for killing himself rather than living in prison. But Debbie's anger soon turned to relief when she considered that if Patrick had lived, there would be a chance he could be released on good behavior, which would be horrifying as he could do this to someone else.

Debbie shared with us that she thinks about what Peggy's life might have been if she had survived and questioned whether she'd ever be able to have a normal life. After enduring the trauma of being stalked, Debbie pondered all the outcomes and several painful possibilities came to mind. Peggy might have escaped but been left deeply traumatized, or Patrick might have been imprisoned, but continued to torment her from behind bars, [00:51:00] or she might have been gravely injured.

Debbie noted that even in prison, offenders often find ways to stalk and harass their victims, depriving them of a sense of safety. Quote, that's not a life of peace and quote. Debbie instantly stepped into the role of being the family spokesperson. She coordinated with visitors, answered questions, and shared what she knew.

She told Peggy's story repeatedly being sure to include details of her year long battle with Patrick stalking and the events that led to her murder. Debbie said that the process was therapeutic despite being emotionally difficult, and through this, she started to see the potential for Peggy's story to help others.

Debbie wondered how many other women like Peggy were out there who had been failed by the systems that were meant to protect her. But the police in Turlock were treating the case as if it was just a straightforward, clear cut murder suicide. They had it simplified down to Patrick, showed up, took Peggy's life, and then took his own life, and there was no real investigation into what [00:52:00] led up to this tragedy.

Debbie knew that the narrative given by law enforcement did not fully reflect the reality of the situation or the horrific things that Peggy had endured. Debbie pointed out that the murder didn't start in Turlock. It started a year earlier in Albuquerque, and she pointed the finger at the Albuquerque Police Department for letting it escalate to the point that it did.

Some key failures that made the Albuquerque Police Department complicit in Peggy's murder included the way Peggy was dismissed and told to come back when he does something, even though she had evidence that proved Patrick was stalking her, he was already doing things to her. They also failed to enforce Peggy's order of protection when Patrick would repeatedly violate it.

When Patrick escalated and committed arson at Mark's house, the police failed to connect it to the larger pattern of stalking that had been going on. Additionally, they failed to effectively coordinate with the Turlock Police Department, which left gaps in Peggy's protection. They also showed [00:53:00] ignorance when it came to understanding, stalking and treating it as a serious crime.

Peggy was even mocked at times, like the time the DA was like, oh my God, you're still alive. The Albuquerque Police Department did nothing to prevent Patrick from escalating his threats and violence, and instead, he was allowed to continue harassing Peggy free of any consequences. And lastly, the justice system failed to provide advocacy and guidance for Peggy, which left her to navigate this very scary reality all on her own.

Debbie realized that the media was also reporting Peggy's murder as being little more than a domestic dispute, but saying nothing about the stalking and the anguish that Patrick inflicted on her and on her whole family. And they certainly weren't reporting on the failures of the justice system, which.

All of this made Debbie, understandably very, very angry. Yeah. Debbie wanted people to understand what really happened and that this wasn't just a random crime. Peggy had filed charges against this man. She'd changed her number. She [00:54:00] relocated to another state and took numerous steps to protect herself.

And yet Patrick still spent months looking for her. And when he found her, he murdered her in cold blood. After Debbie reached out to reporters, some articles did start to appear that discussed the chain of events leading up to Peggy's murder, but some officials maintained a dismissive attitude. One local official commented quote, if someone wants you bad enough, they're gonna find a way to get you.

And for Debbie, this is an infuriating statement. She said to her, it comes across like them saying, you know that they're just not doing their job. They're not going to do their job. Right. Debbie started doing her own research into law enforcement practices and policies regarding stalking, so that she could better understand the failures that contributed to Peggy's death.

Debbie thought about a piece of advice her father had given her. Often God gave you a brain use it, so she worked hard and she contacted police departments and probation officers to ask questions and to get information. One day, [00:55:00] Debbie was watching the Today Show when she saw a segment that had Tracy Baum on.

Tracy was the director of the stalking resource Center, which is now called Spark. Debbie was intrigued and so she went online to search for more information about the organization. Debbie found Tracy's contact information and wrote a long email explaining Peggy's case and all of the issues with the system.

Debbie emphasized that change was needed and Debbie hardly thought that Tracy would ever get back to her, but to her surprise, Tracy called her the very next day after talking about Peggy and the details of her case. Tracy asked Debbie, if you could ask for one thing, what would be at the top of your list, and Debbie answered Funding.

Debbie's idea was that every law enforcement agency in the country should have a dedicated officer or team for stalking cases. They would be trained professionals that could investigate stalking, guide victims through the court system, and connect them with advocates. These were all things that Peggy did not have available to her.[00:56:00] 

Tracy suggested that Debbie should try and share Peggy's story on the TV show, ordinary Women, extraordinary Lives that was being developed by Erin Brockovich. Debbie agreed, and she ended up spending hours on the phone with the producer. Peggy's story left an impression on the production team and actually inspired them to take action.

They formed a coalition that included Lifetime Television, the National Center for Victims of Crime, the Stalking Resource Center, a retired officer named Mark Wynn, and Congresswoman Heather Wilson. This collaboration was designed to raise awareness about stalking and the devastating effects a. At this point, Debbie was nine months pregnant, but she traveled to Washington DC to participate in a congressional briefing where she shared Peggy's story, answered questions, and listened to experts from the stalking resource center.

As they spoke about the need for systemic change, Heather Wilson then proposed legislation to designate January as National stalking Awareness Month. Debbie recalled a pivotal conversation with [00:57:00] Congresswoman Wilson in the Capitol. The congresswoman explained that what they were really missing was education, and that both public and law enforcement need greater awareness to be able to address stalking effectively.

She said victims needed to recognize stalking as a crime and feel empowered to report it while law enforcement needed training to take victims' concerns seriously. And Debbie said that that conversation was the light bulb moment for her, and it was the point where she realized that Peggy's story was going to live on as an educational tool.

And Debbie said she felt like this was now something that she absolutely had to pursue. This realization led to the development of a roll call training video for law enforcement. And the first half of this 19 minute long video recounts Peggy's story and includes the harrowing nine one one call that she made before her death.

The second half featured the officer Mark Wynn addressing law enforcement directly, and he was emphasizing the importance of supporting stalking victims and showing how straightforward it can be to intervene. The video [00:58:00] became a cornerstone of Debbie's efforts to educate law enforcement and ensure Peggy's legacy made a lasting impact.

In January of 2004, the first national stalking awareness month was officially recognized. Having a month dedicated to stalking and to Peggy is deeply personal. For Debbie, she said it speaks volumes about the impact of Peggy's story. Debbie said Patrick's goal was to silence Peggy and that he wanted to shut her up, shut her down, and make sure nobody ever heard from her again.

But in fact, more people know Peggy now than they did when she was alive. Even 22 years later, Debbie gets women coming up to her and telling her quote, I'm alive because of your sister. Incredible. Debbie also hears from officers who have been better equipped to deal with the cases of stalking. Thanks to Debbie's relentless pursuit to share Peggy's story and to push for awareness and education.

Every year on January 18th, spark, ask people to join in on the annual day of action, which is an event to erase awareness about Peggy [00:59:00] and other stalking victims and encouraging the community to get involved. The event asked people to sparkle against stalking. Debbie says Peggy had a sparkling personality and would light up a room.

As the stalking continued and continued, we saw that shine fade. In quote, in Haley's interview with Debbie, she referenced the now famous photo of Peggy, which was taken before the stalking started. In that photo, her eyes are full of light and her beautiful smile is gleaming. Debbie said that after the stalking, Peggy no longer looked like that.

She said, being traumatized by stalking can suck the life out of a victim physically, mentally, and psychologically. End quote. The impact of stalking is profound. 92% report experiencing one or more psychological impacts, including heightened levels of depression, anxiety, insomnia, and social dysfunction. 46% of victims live in constant fear, not knowing what will happen next, and [01:00:00] 29% worry that the stocking will never stop.

In 2024, spark created the Peggy Clinky Award to honor her legacy and to thank people like Debbie, who are making a real difference in the lives of stalking victims and survivors. And Debbie was actually the recipient of the very first award, which was an unexpected honor. Debbie said she heard about the award during a 20th anniversary celebration of National Stalking Awareness Month, and it was a complete surprise.

She had gone out to dinner with a group and she was presented with the very first Peggy Clinky award. She said she was just speechless. She said The award is a very meaningful extension of Peggy's legacy and just another way that Peggy continues to make an impact. In Debbie's conversation with Hailey, she emphasized that stalking is a serious and potentially lethal crime that is still trivialized in casual conversations and in the media, such as with the very popular Netflix show you that actually romanticizes stalking.

But downplaying stalking actually discourages victims from seeking [01:01:00] help and allows the offender to continue escalating their behavior completely unchecked. Young people in particular fail to recognize stalking as a criminal offense, so public awareness is still needed to counter these misconceptions.

Debbie also spoke about the importance of bystander intervention and being able to recognize subtle cues from victims, like indirect expressions of fear. And sometimes you have to read between the lines because a victim likely is not going to come right out and say I'm being stalked, but instead they would use other cues like.

Hey, would you come with me to the library just in case? Um, so just picking up on things like that, that people are saying can give you a sense of how they're feeling. Things like slash tires or poisoned pets might seem random, but people really need to look at the bigger picture and see if there's a dangerous pattern.