A 27-year-old woman has recently entered a guilty plea in her criminal case. The former University of Missouri-Kansas City student is accused of cyberstalking one of her instructors. She accepted a plea deal in her criminal defense, and she could face up to five years in prison when she is sentenced.
The woman was accused of stalking and threatening the instructor through various emails. Whatever event sparked her to begin sending these emails is unclear, but she supposedly sent over 100 emails to the instructor. In some of these emails, she purportedly threatened to torture, mutilate and even murder the instructor. The exact contents of the emails are unknown, but in one email in particular, she allegedly claimed to have “homicidal fantasies” about the instructor.
The instructor apparently obtained an order of protection through the county authorities, but the woman still kept sending emails. An FBI agent also supposedly became involved, but the woman allegedly continued the cyberstalking. The woman reportedly has a history of mental health issues, though she was found competent to stand trial.
In the plea deal she negotiated with prosecutors, she entered a plea of guilty to the felony cyberstalking charge in her criminal defense. In exchange, she will receive a sentence of up to five years imprisonment. Not every person accused of a crime in Missouri will be offered a plea deal and not every defendant should accept one simply because it is offered. Sometimes, these proposed deals may seem as if they have the person’s best interest in mind at first, but it is ultimately up to the individual to choose whether to accept the deal or formally contest the allegations at trial..
Source: The Kansas City Star, “Former UMKC student pleads guilty to cyberstalking instructor“, Mark Morris, Aug. 14, 2014