Ricardo López (stalker)
Ricardo López (January 14, 1975 – September 12, 1996), also known as "the Björk stalker", was an American pest exterminator who attempted to murder the Icelandic singer Björk.
Ricardo López | |
|---|---|
López in a video diary from January 1996 | |
| Born | January 14, 1975 |
| Died | September 12, 1996 (aged 21) Hollywood, Florida, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Suicide by gunshot |
| Body discovered | September 16, 1996 |
| Other names | "The Björk Stalker" |
| Occupation | Pest exterminator |
| Known for | Attempted murder of Björk and series of video diaries finishing with recorded suicide |
López was born in Montevideo, Uruguay, and moved to Lawrenceville, Georgia, with his family, where he began working as an exterminator. He had poor self-esteem, was socially reclusive, and he eventually developed an obsession with Björk in 1993, though not hoping to be engaged with her; he was particularly angry over her brief relationship with the English musician Goldie due to the color of his skin. Over the course of nearly nine months in 1996, he made video diaries about her and other topics at his apartment in Hollywood, Florida.
On September 12, 1996, López mailed a letter bomb rigged with sulfuric acid to Björk's residence in London, then returned home, recorded a final video diary explaining his motivations, and ended it filming his suicide by gunshot. Hollywood police found his body and the videos four days after his death; they contacted the Metropolitan Police, who intercepted the package. Björk was unharmed.