CANFIELD, Ohio - The teacher who was ambushed and killed Wednesday morning ironically filed a civil lawsuit against the suspect one year ago today (Wednesday).
Canfield police issued a murder warrant for 64-year-old Robert McLaughlin of Painesville just hours after the murder of Stacey Sutera.
Detectives suspect that years of stalking ended in the brutal murder of the Canfield woman. Gunned down in the parking lot of her home.
In a civil lawsuit filed by the teacher against McLaughlin, the victim's attorney lays out the stalking case that allegedly included public humiliation of the victim.
Canfield Police Chief Chuck Colucci says, "There's a long history with the two. It began with a friendship and it escalated in to criminal charges. And unfortunately we're now dealing with the death of our victim."
Despite a protection order through Mahoning County Court, court documents say in October of 2010 the 64-year-old man distributed "tart cards", similar to business cards, depicting a cartoon female posed in a sexually graphic way. On the back of the card the victim's name, telephone number, and address. McLaughlin sent the cards to the teacher's employer and staff members at the Mahoning County Career and Technical Center where she worked, as well as neighbors and restaurants.
Three websites were also created that the victim's attorney says put out false and defamatory information about the teacher.
After Canfield police detectives requested information from the website "Get Revenge on Your Ex," detectives were advised that Robert McLaughlin had established the Internet websites and purchased a number of items to allegedly terrorize Stacey Sutera.
One of the items included a used condom delivered to the victim on June 17, 2010.
The lawsuit goes on to say that the 64-year-old Painesville man, who the victim met through her sister in 2000, also allegedly sent an e-mail to the victim indicating that he had visited Canfield, where the teacher resided, and saw her dogs in the yard.
Subsequent to the e-mail, one of the victim's dogs was killed.
Years of terror and stalking that culminated in the murder of a teacher who lived in fear, possibly knowing this day would come.
