Update: Erin Andrews's Stalker Pleads Guilty
The man charged with stalking ESPN reporter Erin Andrews has become famous in his own right for his peephole activities in hotel rooms across the country. And now America's most famous stalker is pleading guilty to the charges which brought him into the spotlight. In a document filed last Thursday, Michael David Barrett, 48, plead guilty to a federal interstate stalking law charge which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison. His plea will be officially entered on December 15th.
The criminal complaint filed this past October outlined the now well known charges against Barrett. He was accused of taping Andrews through the altered peephole of a hotel room and then posting the videos on the Internet. Barrett's lawyer, David Willingham, read a statement from his client apologizing for his actions. He said that "Mr. Barrett accepts full responsibility for his conduct. He apologizes to Ms. Andrews, and expresses his deep regret for his conduct that caused her so much pain. It is his sincere hope that these events can now become an opportunity to make positive changes in his life."
For her part, Andrews is still understandably upset. Her lawyer, Marshall Grossman, told CNN, "She is a very strong young woman. However, she continues to feel and experience the ramifications of what occurred every time she steps foot into a hotel room, and in her business, she lives in hotel rooms." He says Andrews hopes Barrett will receive "severe punishment."
Barrett was released on bail in October. Andrews, for her part, now travels with extra security.
Related Resources:
- Man accused of stalking ESPN reporter to plead guilty (CNN)
- Michael Barrett Pleads Not Guilty to Stalking ESPN's Erin Andrews (FindLaw's Celebrity Justice)
- 3.4 Million Stalker Victims in a Year: DOJ Report Shows Gravity of Stalking in the US (FindLaw's Common Law)
- Stalking (FindLaw)