Margaret Mary Ray
Encyclopedia
Margaret Mary Ray was best known for stalking
American
television talk show
host David Letterman
and retired astronaut
Story Musgrave
.
, which her mother said manifested itself in her late twenties. Mental illness
had run in Ray's paternal family. Schizophrenia had plagued Ray's father, who died of a heart attack. Both of her older brothers also suffered from schizophrenia, and both took their own lives in 1973 and 1977.
Ray briefly enrolled in a nursing
program at Marquette University
, then married and had five children. After her marriage disintegrated in the mid-1980s, she developed an obsession
with David Letterman.
, stolen from his driveway, with her three-year-old son. She claimed she was Letterman’s wife and that her son was their child. Over the next several years, she was arrested a total of eight times on trespassing and other counts. She left cookies and an empty whiskey bottle in the foyer of Letterman's Connecticut
home, and left books and letters in his driveway. At one point, he found her sleeping on his tennis court. One local police officer claimed he had dealt with Ray so often, they were on a first-name basis. She was eventually sent to Niantic State Prison for 10 months for harassing Letterman.
Ray’s exploits became a staple of supermarket tabloids and Letterman himself publicly treated it as a joke. In 1993, before taking his late-night show
to CBS, Letterman's "Top 10 things I have to do before I leave NBC" included, "Send change of address forms to that woman who breaks into my house." Another quip occurred on Letterman's first show on CBS
, where he joked that because of him being on the air an hour earlier every day, Ray was breaking into his house that much earlier than normal. However, in an interview with Barbara Walters
, Letterman noted he never mentioned Ray's name on the air, and said that he had great compassion for her, often declining to press criminal charges against her. "I wasn't comfortable with the humanity of that," he said.
, to whom she wrote letters, made telephone calls, and sent packages. In 1994, she posed as a reporter and interviewed him at the Johnson Space Center in Houston
. In September 1997, she showed up at his home in Osceola County, Florida
. She claimed she and Musgrave were writing a book together: "I love Dr. Musgrave ... I would die for him." Ray eventually served time in Florida for harassing him as well.
, living on Social Security
disability
benefits and performing odd jobs. In October, she committed suicide
by kneeling on a railroad track in front of an oncoming train.
Both Letterman and Musgrave publicly expressed sympathy upon her death.
Stalking
Stalking is a term commonly used to refer to unwanted and obsessive attention by an individual or group to another person. Stalking behaviors are related to harassment and intimidation and may include following the victim in person and/or monitoring them via the internet...
American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
television talk show
Talk show
A talk show or chat show is a television program or radio program where one person discuss various topics put forth by a talk show host....
host David Letterman
David Letterman
David Michael Letterman is an American television host and comedian. He hosts the late night television talk show, Late Show with David Letterman, broadcast on CBS. Letterman has been a fixture on late night television since the 1982 debut of Late Night with David Letterman on NBC...
and retired astronaut
Astronaut
An astronaut or cosmonaut is a person trained by a human spaceflight program to command, pilot, or serve as a crew member of a spacecraft....
Story Musgrave
Story Musgrave
Franklin Story Musgrave is an American physician and a retired NASA astronaut. He is currently a public speaker and consultant to both Disney's Imagineering group and Applied Minds in California.-Personal life:...
.
Early life
Ray suffered from schizophreniaSchizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by a disintegration of thought processes and of emotional responsiveness. It most commonly manifests itself as auditory hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions, or disorganized speech and thinking, and it is accompanied by significant social...
, which her mother said manifested itself in her late twenties. Mental illness
Mental illness
A mental disorder or mental illness is a psychological or behavioral pattern generally associated with subjective distress or disability that occurs in an individual, and which is not a part of normal development or culture. Such a disorder may consist of a combination of affective, behavioural,...
had run in Ray's paternal family. Schizophrenia had plagued Ray's father, who died of a heart attack. Both of her older brothers also suffered from schizophrenia, and both took their own lives in 1973 and 1977.
Ray briefly enrolled in a nursing
Nursing
Nursing is a healthcare profession focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life from conception to death....
program at Marquette University
Marquette University
Marquette University is a private, coeducational, Jesuit, Roman Catholic university located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1881, the school is one of 28 member institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities...
, then married and had five children. After her marriage disintegrated in the mid-1980s, she developed an obsession
Obsessive love
Obsessive love is a state in which one person feels an overwhelming obsessive desire to possess another person toward whom they feel a strong sexual attraction, with an inability to accept failure or rejection...
with David Letterman.
David Letterman
Ray first made the news in 1988, when she was arrested for driving Letterman's PorschePorsche
Porsche Automobil Holding SE, usually shortened to Porsche SE a Societas Europaea or European Public Company, is a German based holding company with investments in the automotive industry....
, stolen from his driveway, with her three-year-old son. She claimed she was Letterman’s wife and that her son was their child. Over the next several years, she was arrested a total of eight times on trespassing and other counts. She left cookies and an empty whiskey bottle in the foyer of Letterman's Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
home, and left books and letters in his driveway. At one point, he found her sleeping on his tennis court. One local police officer claimed he had dealt with Ray so often, they were on a first-name basis. She was eventually sent to Niantic State Prison for 10 months for harassing Letterman.
Ray’s exploits became a staple of supermarket tabloids and Letterman himself publicly treated it as a joke. In 1993, before taking his late-night show
Late Night with David Letterman
Late Night with David Letterman is a nightly hour-long comedy talk show on NBC that was created and hosted by David Letterman. It premiered in 1982 as the first incarnation of the Late Night franchise and went off the air in 1993, after Letterman left NBC and moved to Late Show on CBS. Late Night...
to CBS, Letterman's "Top 10 things I have to do before I leave NBC" included, "Send change of address forms to that woman who breaks into my house." Another quip occurred on Letterman's first show on CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
, where he joked that because of him being on the air an hour earlier every day, Ray was breaking into his house that much earlier than normal. However, in an interview with Barbara Walters
Barbara Walters
Barbara Jill Walters is an American broadcast journalist, author, and television personality. She has hosted morning television shows , the television newsmagazine , former co-anchor of the ABC Evening News, and current contributor to ABC News.Walters was first known as a popular TV morning news...
, Letterman noted he never mentioned Ray's name on the air, and said that he had great compassion for her, often declining to press criminal charges against her. "I wasn't comfortable with the humanity of that," he said.
Story Musgrave
After being released from prison in the early 1990s, Ray's attentions shifted to astronaut Story MusgraveStory Musgrave
Franklin Story Musgrave is an American physician and a retired NASA astronaut. He is currently a public speaker and consultant to both Disney's Imagineering group and Applied Minds in California.-Personal life:...
, to whom she wrote letters, made telephone calls, and sent packages. In 1994, she posed as a reporter and interviewed him at the Johnson Space Center in Houston
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
. In September 1997, she showed up at his home in Osceola County, Florida
Osceola County, Florida
Osceola County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2000, the population was 172,493. The U.S. Census Bureau 2006 estimate for the county is 244,045, making it the 17th fastest-growing county in the United States. Its county seat is Kissimmee.- History :Osceola County was...
. She claimed she and Musgrave were writing a book together: "I love Dr. Musgrave ... I would die for him." Ray eventually served time in Florida for harassing him as well.
Post-prison life and suicide
In August 1998, she was released and she settled in Hotchkiss, ColoradoHotchkiss, Colorado
Hotchkiss is a Statutory Town in Delta County, Colorado, United States. The population was 968 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Hotchkiss is located at ....
, living on Social Security
Social Security (United States)
In the United States, Social Security refers to the federal Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance program.The original Social Security Act and the current version of the Act, as amended encompass several social welfare and social insurance programs...
disability
Disability
A disability may be physical, cognitive, mental, sensory, emotional, developmental or some combination of these.Many people would rather be referred to as a person with a disability instead of handicapped...
benefits and performing odd jobs. In October, she committed suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
by kneeling on a railroad track in front of an oncoming train.
Both Letterman and Musgrave publicly expressed sympathy upon her death.