Rebecca Schaeffer - The "My Sister Sam" Murder

 

Rebecca Lucile Schaeffer was born in Eugene, Oregon on November 6, 1967.  She was the daughter of Benson, a child psychologist, and Danna, a community college professor.  As a junior in high school, she began her modeling career, appearing in a slew of commercials and department store magazines.  With her parents' blessings, she moved to New York when she was only 16.  

Shortly after signing with a prominent modeling agency, Schaeffer was cast on the long-running soap opera Guiding Light, and later, its CBS sister show One Life to Live.  These small roles led to her being cast in the Woody Allen film Radio Days, though all but one of her scenes wound up on the cutting room floor.

In 1986, Schaeffer appeared on the cover of Seventeen magazine.  It caught the attention of the folks at Warner Brothers, who were casting a new series starring Mork and Mindy veteran Pam Dawber.  Schaeffer was quickly signed to the project, a sit-com called My Sister Sam.  It was an initial hit for the Tiffany network, but it was ultimately canceled just two years later.

After the series ended, Schaeffer continued to find small roles on the big screen.  In late 1989, she was being considered for the role of Michael Corleone's daughter in Francis Ford Coppola's ill-conceived Godfather 3.  On the morning of July 18th, she was at her apartment awaiting a script from the studio when she opened her door for Robert John Bardo.  The 19-year-old had traveled from his home in Tucson to meet his favorite star, whom unbeknownst to Schaeffer, he'd been stalking for two years.  Finding her home address had been as simple as going to the DMV.

After a brief conversation, Schaeffer sent a dejected Bardo on his way.  He returned one hour later, and since Schaeffer was still awaiting the overdue script, she opened the door one last time.  Bardo shot her at point-blank range, later stating that her final words were simply "why, why?"  She was rushed to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead.  

Rebecca's parents returned her to her native Oregon, where she was laid to rest in Portland's Ahavai Sholom Cemetery.

Location: Row #232, Plot #75

Bardo fled to Tucson, where he was arrested the next day.  He was returned to Los Angeles, where he went on trial for the murder, ultimately pleading guilty.  He is currently serving a life sentence in Avenal, California.

Rest in peace, Rebecca.

Trivia

• The inscriptions read "Beloved daughter and courageous spirit" as well as "I am so wise to think love will prevail.  I am so wise."  The latter quote is attributed to Schaeffer herself, shortly before her death.
  
  
• There haven't been many books written about Rebecca's life or the case itself, but you can find one on Amazon.
  
  
• Pam Dawber and her My Sister Sam co-stars appeared in a public service announcement advocating for stricter gun laws.  You can see a clip of it on YouTube.
  
  
• In response to the killing, California passed the first anti-stalking law in 1990.  Since then, every state has passed similar legislation.
  
  
• At the time of her death, Schaeffer was dating director Brad Silberling.  The experience would later influence his 2002 film Moonlight Mile, which tells the story of a man coping with the death of his fiance.  Check out the trailer on YouTube.
  
  
• During Bardo's trial, the state was represented by Marcia Clark, who would become famous just a few years later in the case against OJ Simpson (he did it).
  
  
• Rebecca's mother Danna passed away in 2022.  She was laid to rest next to her daughter
  

* Editor's Note: While this blog was created to display the photos I've taken in my travels, the photo in this article is courtesy of Find a Grave.  While I did travel to Oregon to pay my respects, a winter storm and icy roads prevented me from accessing the cemetery.