Early Life
Robert John Bardo was born on January 2, 1970, at Edwards Air Force Base, California, U.S. He is currently 54 years old. Bardo was the youngest among the seven kids. Of the seven kids, Bardo was the youngest. His father, Philip, was a non-commissioned officer in the American Air Force. His mother was Japanese.
Moreover, the family moved a lot, and in 1983 they finally landed in Tucson, Arizona. It is said that Bardo had a challenging upbringing. After threatening to kill himself, he was mistreated by one of his brothers and placed in foster care. Bipolar disorder was identified in Bardo, who also had a history of mental illness in his family.
Moreover, he spent a month in a mental institution when he was 15 years old to deal with his emotional issues. In the ninth grade, Bardo left Pueblo Magnet High School and started working as a janitor at Jack in the Box. Likewise, Bardo had been arrested three times in the 18 months before the murder of Schaeffer on suspicion of various offenses. Bardo’s neighbors also said that he had acted in an odd and threatening manner toward them without cause.
Robert John Bardo – Murder
Before concentrating on Schaeffer, Robert John Bardo pursued Samantha Smith, a young peace activist who was killed in an aircraft crash in 1985. Robert John Bardo took to get entry to the set of the CBS television series My Sister Sam, in which Schaeffer had a leading role, after writing Schaeffer several letters.
Robert John Bardo met Schaeffer at her house on July 18, 1989. He was upset with her for taking part in a sex scene in the movie Scenes from the Class Struggle in Beverly Hills. And claimed she had “lost her innocence” and turned into “another Hollywood whore.” He paid her a visit at her flat and expressed his admiration for her.
After being turned away by Schaeffer, Robert John Bardostopped at a restaurant for breakfast before returning to the flat and rang the doorbell once more an hour later. Bardo shot Schaeffer in the chest when she pushed open the door. In Tucson, Arizona, where he was seen aimlessly wandering across traffic, Bardo was taken into custody.
Caption: Robert John Bardo’s news of a murdering
Source: MamaM!a
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Marcia Clark served as the state’s attorney in the case; she later took the primary role in the O. J. Simpson murder trial. Bardo resided in a sensitive needs unit (SNU), which houses prisoners with special requirements such as gang members, renowned criminals, and sex offenders. The U2 song “Exit” was played in the courtroom as evidence because Bardo claimed it had influenced the murder throughout the trial. (with Bardo lip-synching the lyrics).
When Bardo killed Schaeffer, he had a crimson paperback edition of The Catcher in the Rye in his possession, which he threw onto a building’s roof as he left. He argued that it was only a coincidence and that he wasn’t trying to be like Mark David Chapman. He had a copy of the song with him on December 8, 1980, when he shot and killed John Lennon.
Robert John Bardo – Aftermath
The U.S. Congress created the Driver’s Privacy Protection Act. And it prevents state Departments of Motor Vehicles from releasing the residence addresses of state residents. As a result of Bardo’s actions and his means of acquiring Schaeffer’s address. Following the murder, the nation’s first anti-stalking state laws, such as California Penal Code 646.9, were passed. This case served as some of the inspiration for the Law & Order: Season 2 episode “Star Struck.”
Caption: Robert John Bardo’s murder case
Source: Newspapers.com
On his way to breakfast on July 27, 2007, Bardo was stabbed 11 times in the maximum-security wing of Mule Creek State Prison in Amador County, California. At the location, two shivs were discovered. According to officials, he was treated at the UC Davis Medical Center before being sent back to prison. Another prisoner serving 82 years to life for second-degree murder was the attack suspect.
As of 2023, Robert John Bardo has been imprisoned at the Avenal State Prison in Avenal, California, serving a life sentence.