Stalked: Someone's Watching

Narrator: She thought she was finally free

from a bad relationship.

I just wanted to move on with my life.

Narrator: But she'd soon learn

that he wasn't about to let her go.

He told me, "I'm gonna kill anyone who gets in my way."

I will kill you.

Narrator: This is Angelica morales' story...

When a scorned ex-boyfriend won't take "no" for an answer.

I'm Dr. Michelle ward.

I'm a criminal psychologist, and I was stalked.

In fact, anyone can become a victim.

Over 3 million people are stalked

every year in this country.

Although many survive their ordeal, others don't.

These are their terrifying stories.

captions paid for by discovery communications

911!

Narrator: Angelica morales grew up in New York City

with her three younger sisters and mother, Ana.

My mom raised us, brought us to school every day.

Angelica's a beautiful person.

She was a very shy, sweet girl.

Angelica: I kept to myself.

They called me the serious sister

because I just loved to read and write poetry.

Narrator: In 2000,

Angelica's family moves from Brooklyn to staten island.

She enrolls in an advanced software analysis college,

where her love of caring for others

leads her to study medicine.

She always dreamed of becoming a medical assistant

and helping all the people.

Narrator: One day after class,

Angelica meets 20-year-old Joseph hannan,

who works at a toy store.

Sparks fly immediately.

We began dating right away.

Joe would come to my school and surprise me.

He would bring me lunch.

It was something that I had never experienced before.

Ana: Everything was happening too fast.

I had the mother's gut feeling

that something wasn't right about him.

Narrator: In spite of her mother's concerns,

Angelica soon moves in with Joseph.

But it won't be long before a troubling pattern emerges.

It was small things like, "what happened to you?

You don't look as pretty as the time I met you."

He told me I shouldn't do my hair a certain way,

dress a certain way.

I didn't like it.

It was like he was in control of everything.

He said my place is at the house and I should learn how to cook

and I should learn how to clean,

that I should not be going to school.

Book down.

So I just left and didn't graduate.

Dr. Ward: This is a textbook case

for a controlling personality.

Often parents and friends notice this behavior

before the victim actually will, but it doesn't go away.

It only gets worse.

They only get more and more controlling.

What is this?!

Narrator: In the months that follow,

Joseph's unpredictable temper intensifies.

Just anything get him mad. He would yell.

He would punch the walls. He would kick.

I loved him, and I thought maybe he would change.

But it did not happen.

First time he hit me, he told me he was sorry

and he would never do it again, that I just got him angry.

This is when we all think, "oh, my god.

Why doesn't she leave?"

But it's really not that simple.

This man just hit her over doing nothing.

Can you imagine what he's gonna do when she actually leaves?

So she stays.

But it doesn't stop.

He becomes more and more dangerous.

One time, I came home late, and he got really angry.

He locked me in the closet.

He just left me in there for three hours

and told me that I better learn my lesson.

I wanted to leave.

He did not want that, and if I left, he would kill me.

I was afraid.

So I just stayed.

Narrator: But one day, in January 2002,

after two long years of living together,

Angelica reaches her breaking point

and makes the difficult and dangerous decision

to leave Joseph.

I told him, "it's over."

I left the house, and I went back to live with my mom.

It was enough.

Enough is enough, and she left him.

I was thinking I could finally get my life back,

and I could start all over again.

Narrator: But she would soon learn

that Joseph wasn't going to let her go that easily.

In fact, his reign of terror has only just begun.

Hey!

Ana: He's psycho.

That's what came to my mind.

He's psycho.

He won't leave her alone.

It's like I'm in a nightmare and I'm gonna wake up, but I don't.

It just got worse... and worse.

Angelica!

Narrator: Angelica morales

has just left her abusive boyfriend of two years,

Joseph hannan, and is trying to heal.

I just wanted to move on with my life.

Narrator: But just one week later,

Joseph wants her back with a fiery intensity.

He would call and call and call.

All hours of the night.

He would show up, knocking on my door,

knocking on the window, begging for me to take him back.

He would leave balloons, dead flowers.

Everywhere it was written

"Joseph and Angelica till death do us part"

and that freaked me out.

Dr. Ward: There's nothing more threatening

to somebody like Joseph

than the fact that she's moving on,

the fact that she's able to go on with her life

and he doesn't have that control.

It's slipping away.

What scares me about this is he sending her flowers...

Dead flowers... and saying "till death do us part"

and I think he might actually mean it.

Angelica: It just became worse throughout the weeks.

I was going to the store and I'd look

and he was hiding behind a tree.

And I was like, "okay, this is getting a little more scary."

I would see him following us wherever we'd go at all times,

every day.

Leave me alone.

Narrator: Before long,

Joseph's unwanted presence becomes truly terrifying.

Angelica realizes that she must seek help.

I called the police, told them I'm being stalked.

I went to court and I got an order of protection,

but he didn't stop.

Every time I turned, he was there.

Every time I picked up the phone, it was him.

Narrator: Angelica informs authorities

that Joseph is continuing to stalk her.

Officers tell her that they can arrest him

any time he is caught violating the order.

They arrested him a couple of times,

gave him a couple hours in jail or a day or a week.

He would be released

and he'll come out and do it all over again.

I just felt alone. No one was gonna help.

Dr. Ward: Joseph has a few problems.

One, he's very controlling and aggressive,

but he also doesn't seem to fear

consequences or authority very much,

and this is a dangerous combination.

Narrator: Although Joseph is becoming a constant threat,

Angelica perseveres and fights to maintain her freedom.

You still have to continue your life.

I just wanted to move on.

Narrator: She returns to college and begins commuting to school

with her friend Matthew Martinez.

Eventually, it develops into more than just a friendship.

I mean, it was like something

you're waiting for your whole life.

I knew inside.

I was like, "she's the one. She's the best one I ever met."

Angelica was the first girl that he ever brought home.

The two of them together were a darling couple.

I was afraid he was gonna turn out to be like my ex-boyfriend,

but... he's nothing like him.

Matthew has a heart of gold.

Narrator: But her happiness is cut short

when Joseph learns of their budding romance.

Matthew: I started getting phone calls a lot, you know?

Every single day. Nonstop.

Hello?

He told me, "I'm gonna kill you and I'm gonna kill Angelica

"and then I'm gonna kill myself

and I will kill anyone who gets in my way."

Come on!

Angelica, she was throwing up she was so scared.

Angelica!

He was still coming up to my apartment, knocking on my door.

I would call the cops.

I would tell them, "you need to do something about this."

Narrator: But Joseph has figured out a way

to outsmart the police.

By the time they arrive, he's always long gone.

They basically told us,

"well, if you see him again, give us a call."

So you feel helpless.

What's it gonna take to put this guy away?