Ricardo López (stalker)
Uruguayan-American criminal (1975–1996) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dear Wikiwand AI, let's keep it short by simply answering these key questions:
Can you list the top facts and stats about Ricardo López (stalker)?
Summarize this article for a 10 year old
Ricardo López (January 14, 1975 – September 12, 1996), also known as "the Björk stalker", was an Uruguayan-American pest exterminator who attempted to murder the Icelandic singer Björk.
Ricardo López | |
---|---|
Born | (1975-01-14)January 14, 1975 Montevideo, Uruguay |
Died | September 12, 1996(1996-09-12) (aged 21) Hollywood, Florida, U.S. |
Cause of death | Suicide by gunshot |
Body discovered | September 16, 1996 |
Other names | "The Björk Stalker" |
Occupation | Pest exterminator |
Known for | Attempted murder of Björk and series of video diaries finishing with recorded suicide |
López was born in Montevideo, Uruguay, and moved to Lawrenceville, Georgia with his family at a young age, where he began working as an exterminator. He had poor self-esteem, was socially reclusive, and eventually developed an obsession with Björk in 1993, though he did not hope to be sexually engaged with her; he was particularly angry over her brief relationship with the English musician Goldie due to the color of his skin. Over the course of nearly nine months in 1996, he made video diaries about her and other topics at his apartment in Hollywood, Florida.
On September 12, 1996, López mailed a letter bomb rigged with sulfuric acid to Björk's residence in London, then returned home, recorded a final video diary explaining his motivations, and ended it by filming his suicide by gunshot. Hollywood police found his body and the videos four days after his death; they contacted Scotland Yard, who located the bomb in a London postal sorting office.[1] The parcel was safely detonated, while Björk was unharmed.