Man sentenced to 5 years for stalking an Indy couple
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A man accused of stalking an Indianapolis couple, threatening them with phone calls and letters, along with sending them gross packages in the mail, is headed to federal prison.
41-year-old Patrick Kearney has been sentenced to five years in federal prison after a three-year long stalking and harassment campaign against an Indianapolis couple, whose names were not shared by prosecutors, the Department of Justice said Wednesday.
Kearney originally met a female who court documents call “Victim One” in the early 2000s when they both attended the same university. Kearney attempted to court Victim One but was turned down. The two wouldn’t see each other again even after graduation. She later married her husband who was identified in court papers as “Victim Two.”
In September 2019, prosecutors say Kearney sent anonymous letters to Victim One’s Indiana home. The letters contained harsh language and said that she should have died during the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Kearney would later send 22 additional letters containing similar abusive language.
Prosecutors said Kearney called the woman’s phone 357 times, and made an additional 47 phone calls to Victim Two. He left 155 voicemails on their phones, including one to Victim Two that said, “You and her should be shot in the f****** head.”
In addition, on May 16, 2022, Kearney mailed a package of cockroach poison from Arizona, with a note saying the couple should eat it.
Kearney also threatened to ruin the couple’s wedding sometime in 2022. The harassing messages would continue until Oct. 4, 2022, when he was arrested
In addition to his prison sentence, Kearney must spend three years on probation and pay a $500 fine.
“This serious federal prison sentence is an appropriate consequence for the defendant’s years’ long campaign of cruel threats and harassment. He chose to terrorize an innocent couple and rob them of safety and peace, driven by his toxic mix of entitlement and resentment,” said Zachary Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, “As we near the end of Stalking Awareness Month, we must raise awareness that stalking crimes can manifest in many forms as our digital world evolves.”