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Obsessed Fan Sent Threatening Letters to Demand Meeting with Idol
11 Nov
Summary
- Teenage extortionist sent threatening letters to actress Betty Grable
- Demanded $25,000 in diamonds and $5,000 cash to meet her
- Claimed he only wanted to see movie stars, not hurt Grable
In early 1943, a series of threatening letters were sent to rising Hollywood star Betty Grable, then 26 years old and celebrated as World War II's pinup girl. The first letter, dated February 6, demanded that Grable gather $25,000 in uncut diamonds and mail them to an address, threatening "your life or great bodily harm" if she did not comply.
A second letter, sent on March 9, instructed Grable to meet the extortionist at a specific location, again threatening that she "will not be alive on the 20th" if she did not bring $5,000. The FBI took over the case, setting a trap at the designated meeting spot. On March 19, agents in disguise as gravediggers and gardeners apprehended 18-year-old Russell Eugene Alexanderson of Omaha, Nebraska, as he attempted to retrieve the package.
Alexanderson admitted to sending the letters but claimed he never intended to harm Grable, saying he only wanted the money to enable him to see movie stars. He was sentenced to five years' probation, but in May sent another threatening letter demanding $500. This time, he was sent to prison.
Despite the harassment, Grable went on to star in dozens more films, becoming the highest-paid American woman in 1946 and 1947. She died in 1973 at the age of 56 from lung cancer.
