There is a fine line between fandom and fan obsession. Charles Nagel, supposedly an aspiring songwriter from Philadelphia, crossed that line when he began stalking and harassing actress Kathryn Erbe (ex-Law & Order: Criminal Intent). On Friday, Nagel was found guilty, but was cleared of interstate stalking charges.
Nagel went so far as to convince his 12-year old daughter to say that she, not her dad, drew a picture of a cockroach on a picture of Ms. Erbe's daughter, coupled with a caption balloon that says, "I'm ugly". I cannot see how a child at that age can buy into her father's delusions to take such steps, and so I believe the younger Nagel was coerced somehow into taking the rap for the graffiti. Nagel himself has claimed he was duped by an online "imposter". Right. The jury didn't buy that defense one iota. While there have been people pretending to be others, including other celebrities, on social sites like Facebook & MySpace, it's easy to tell an imposter from the real star. Seeing as how I am not on either of those sites, I couldn't give you an honest, first-hand account, but if you asked the right questions....!
What Nagel needs, more than anything, is psychiatric help. Jail isn't going to be much help unless he seeks treatment and reconciles himself to the fact that he was in the wrong.
For implicating his own child in his delusional actions, Nagel earns the weasel ears.
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