Lana Del Rey can’t seem to catch a break when it comes to invasive and for lack of a better term, creepy as fuck, fans.
Following his arrest last year for camping in Del Rey’s garage, 19-year-old Zachary Self has now been sentenced to 84 days in prison after pleading no contest to stalking. Self was discovered in Del Rey’s home by a construction worker before he was able to come face to face with the singer in November. In addition to the near three months jail time, Self is barred from going near Del Rey for a decade, will be on probation until 2021 and must spend a year in a residential program following his release.
While there was apparently no threat of violence towards the singer, Self proclaimed to have a spiritual connection to Del Rey, having told police that he became obsessed with her under the influence of hallucinogenics. Detectives added that “Based on ramblings in his [laptop] notes, he was clearly infatuated with Lana.”
Self was tracked down after fleeing the property when police discovered that he left behind a court citation for a previous offence – a burglary which took place in Kansas. Detectives used the name (Self) on the citation to track down the 19-year-old. What they found were photos Self had posted online of himself on the balcony of the singer’s home.
The singer has not commented, but it isn’t the first time that she has had to take legal action against fans. Just last week, news broke that she won a restraining order against two Russian fans, Nataliia Krinitsyna and Iuliia Vladimirovna Pozdina, after testifying in a court case. Prior to obtaining the restraining order, Del Rey had hired a full time body guard and moved homes to escape the women, however they found her new residence and resumed sleeping outside her house, screaming her name in the middle of the night.
In a separate incident just days after Self was discovered in the singer’s home, two of Del Rey’s cars were stolen from her house by Icess Floyd. Floyd has since been charged with two counts of burglary and two counts of felony joyriding.
Del Rey isn’t the only pop star of recent times who has had threatening encounters with stalker-fans. In 2010 a Russian student by the name of Anastasia Obukhova wrote a letter to Lady Gaga saying “You come to my dreams. I want to die and I want to die together with you. I am not Mark Chapman. It is not only you who will die. I will shoot a bullet through my head too.” Gaga obtained a restraining order soon after Obukhova attempted to make it to the backstage area of one of her shows.
Del Rey is reported to have feared for her safety following this recent run of events. Considering the long list of celebrity stalking situations (some of which have ended in tragedy) it’s hardly surprising.
Lana Del Rey released her fourth album, Honeymoon, last year.