Alexa Ray Joel Stalked; Billy Joel Hires Body Guard After Cyberthreats and Stalking
Alexa Ray Joel, daughter of crooner Billy Joel, was the victim of cyberthreats and stalking made by a Minnesota woman.
Sheryl Finley, 40, sent over 60 Facebook messages to the 27-year-old singer, varying in nature from "pedophilia [and] sadistic-sexual behavior" to "violent physical assaults and murder," according to court records cited by the New York Post.
However, Billy Joel was not ready to stand idly by as his daughter became more and more frightened. After hiring a body guard for Alexa Ray, Joel contacted Paul McCartney who recommended the use of Net Defence, an internet security firm, to hunt down the culprit, reports the Daily Telegraph.
The investigation led to the discovery of Finley, who had been masquerading under the Facebook name "Rick Steenfield," states the Huffington Post.
Local authorities in Austin, Minnesota, tracked down Finley, finally finding her naked in a local wooded area. According to the New York Post, Finely, who had previously spent time in a mental institution back in 2010, told authorities that the threats were not something she intended to carry out "during this life."
The Daily Telegraph reports that Finley's chargers include felony for stalking electronically by false impersonation as well as gross misdemeanor for repeatedly stalking through electronic messages. Finley has pleaded not guilty and awaits pretrial on May 3.
