Here is a comment from a participant from a different country, on Morgan’s Stalking Facebook page, and in reply to the post about predatory stalkers.
“sadly in most education on stalking, sexual stalkers are often the category missed out as they are very rare in the sense of major stalking first, but extremely violent … Nearly always men, and nearly always have a violent ending…more needs to be done to tackle this issue. I have done a lot of research in all categories. They are almost always strangers and even if you knew them restraining orders rarely work. Different categories have different agendas and some will respond most won’t. The fact they can overlap on different categories also is a major problem for victims as their agenda and risk can often change. I was saddened to hear of this case. Just horrific. Stalking is horrific full stop and so common yet there is very little support or laws to combat it. Though it has gotten better over the years. More education, better laws and tougher sentences and above all, as this is something that can go on for years, more support and education for victims and their families.”
This is a comment that explains awareness so beautifully. Had Steve, Morgan and I been aware of what was really lurking out there we would certainly have reacted differently, and Morgan would have been safer. This is one of the reasons for the creation of this blog. We did not have the knowledge, or awareness about stalkers in the beginning when Morgan was being stalked, but I want to make sure others do. We must not be forced to live our lives in fear, so then we must live our lives with awareness.
Neighbors harbored, and aided this menace, unconscionable, but they did, they actually helped to hide him from the Sheriffs, spread incorrect information to people in order to protect his presence. Who does that to their neighbors? The Sheriffs treated him like a mere peeping tom, but he was a killer from the moment he first tapped on Morgan’s window. Predatory stalkers are also most likely to lead double lives, leaving their friends & family stunned & disbelieving when they are caught. Paul E. Mullen, Michele Pathé and Rosemary Purcell: Predatory stalkers should almost always be managed within a sex-offender program.
Law enforcement agents & prosecutors need specialized training on identifying, investigating & prosecuting cases of stalking. Predatory stalkers may stalk for a shorter period of time than other types of stalkers, and they are more likely to have prior criminal convictions – did the detective assigned to Morgan’s case have this knowledge? He knew of the stalker’s criminal past. Was he trained to know about the different types of stalking situations and how to react to them?
Predatory stalkers are a rarer type of stalker who doesn’t target intimate partners. A predatory stalker is motivated by the thought of sexual gratification, and power over his victim. For the predatory stalker, stalking is foreplay; the real goal is sexual assault. How can the person that did this to Morgan still be able to roam free? The Garfield County Sheriff’s never followed up after Morgan was murdered, they acted like they just wanted the whole thing to disappear…go away. No case was completed, no arrest was made – the detective went from telling me he was 100% sure of who the stalker was 2 days before Morgan was murdered, to 5 months later telling me they never had a suspect (very strange considering I have emails, text messages, etc. where the detective names the suspect and says he is the suspect), and now that Morgan is gone there is no one left to stalk so the case is closed…are you kidding me? No one left to stalk? Do you think someone who did this to Morgan is never going to stalk and murder again after getting away with this? I think not – but what do you think? Experts on stalking say these type of stalkers never stop – so who will be next? I get so upset when I think about this. People say to Steve and I, “you guys are so strong to keep fighting for justice for Morgan” but the real reason isn’t because we are strong (we’re not), it’s because we have to keep fighting – if we don’t who will be next? Which young woman like Morgan will have to suffer the same fate? What family will suffer the rest of their lives with the same kind of pain that our family is suffering? I can’t stand the thought, and neither can Steve so we have to keep fighting and we will until the day we die.
Predatory stalkers are a particularly dangerous breed – they are cold and calculating. It is very frightening, and that fear is what stalkers want to create…they want to believe they can control you. We need to come up with good ways for people to take back that control, and get these predators in jail, that’s where I hope raising the awareness, and having other stalking victims come forward to tell their stories about their feelings, about what worked, and what didn’t work, and that will all help others in the long run. Thank you all for helping to make the change is this world that needs to be seen.
