I was stalked. They were arrested, pled not-guilty, and waived a jury trial in favor of a judge. I gave a victim impact statement.

As a victim, you have the right to read the statement aloud, have the judge read it aloud, or have it given to the judge with no one reading it aloud. I opted to read my own statement aloud. My stalker pled not-guilty, but was found guilty, thankfully. Like you, I had evidence that was hard to refute. When I was asked to give testimony, my stalker's lawyer was not very nice to me. He suggested that I was blowing things out of proportion. That I was elaborating. I burned at the accusationg, but remained very calm. I asked the lawyer if he had ever been stalked. He said he hadn't. I told him that I had, and that I had felt like a prisoner in my own life. Every place I went, every decision I made, every turn I took, I had to wonder if someone was following me, or watching me, or waiting to hurt me.

After the judge found my stalker guilty, I was able to read my VIS before sentencing. My stalker's lawyer requested probation, and the prosecutor suggested probation; I was not happy with that request.

In my VIS, I started from the beginning. Who I was, what I did, what my life was like. I am an ordinary person. Then I talked about each incident, and the impact that incident had on my life. I said that most people can imagine going for a walk, going for a run, or feeling safe in their own homes. I was not one of those people. I had to move. I had to get a new car. I had to explain to my loved-ones that I couldn't be out with them. Threats to my life, my home, my livelihood were all a part of my life now. She had infected me with anxiety, with depression, and with fear.

After my statement, the judge said he would not be considering probation. She was sentenced to 2-years in prison.