Actress Gwyneth Paltrow testified on Monday against the man accused of stalking her for 17 years.
Advertisement
Soiu now stands accused of felony stalking charges after reportedly filling up her mailbox with 66 letters between 2009 and 2015.
The Oscar-winner was the first witness called and authenticated 48 of the letters, many of which contain religious messages and statements referencing Paltrow’s death.
Deputy District Attorney said that the case has gone on for 17 years and Paltrow’s sense of security has been shattered by this man.
He was originally brought to trial in 2000, and was found guilty due to insanity, so he served his sentence in a mental facility. He was, however, re-arrested previous year after sending the actress new correspondence.
FILE – In this November 7, 2015 file photo, Gwyneth Paltrow attends LACMA 2015 Art+Film Gala at LACMA in Los Angeles.
In another, Soiu is accused of writing: “I have a goal: to marry Gwyneth Paltrow and take care of her”.
In February 2010, she sent her private security to go check on Soiu in OH to assess the threat.
The recent batch letters described Soiu’s intention to marry the actress as well as a pair of earrings he sent her in 2009 as a Christmas gift, some second-hand clothes and a Weight Watchers cookbook.
His public defender told the court the references to Paltrow’s death “should be interpreted in the Christian sense that, yes, one must spiritually die and relinquish a sense of self before one can receive God’s grace”, CBS News reports. He allegedly sent almost 70 threatening letters and packages to the actress beginning in 2009, the same behavior that had landed him in a hospital before.
“If I was his victim, I would be very afraid of him”, Saunders said at the time.
His lawyer said Soiu has simply written letters to Paltrow, and that recent letters haven’t included pornography.
“What you have on your hands here is lonely old guy who’s writing letters and is basically harmless (with) no history of violence”, defense lawyer Lynda J. Westlund said.
“I’m scared because the communications completely defy logic”, she said. “To me it means exactly what it says, ‘If you reject me, something awful is going to happen to you, ‘” Paltrow testified in a measured voice.
The actress has been stalked for 17 years by this man!
Paltrow won an Oscar for her role in “Shakespeare in Love” in 1999. They were there to cheer on Gwyneth’s rocker ex Chris Martin, the children’s father, and his band Coldplay perform with Beyonce and Bruno Mars during the half-time show spectacular.
Soiu, who is from suburban Columbus, Ohio, shook his head during portions of Segall’s opening statement and Paltrow’s testimony.
Advertisement
Paltrow, who testified for about three hours, told the court she feared for the safety of her family and said at least one of the letters had arrived directly to her Los Angeles home.
