ST. LOUIS — Angela says she often felt ignored and dismissed by law enforcement and even some friends and family when she reported a stranger was threatening to rape, assault and kill her online.
Now, that stranger has been identified as Robert Merkle – a serial cyberstalker now serving federal prison time for doing the same thing to multiple women across the country.
The I-Team began reporting on Merkle years ago, exposing how the state’s laws fail to protect victims like Angela and how law enforcement lacks training on the issue.
Angela is now partnering with a retired St. Louis police detective to raise awareness and lobby for improvements. Together, they are supporting a bill filed Thursday by Sen. Tracy McCreery that would create a 15-person task force to study ways to beef up cyberstalking laws and training for police.
The task force would include law enforcement representatives, victim’s advocates and survivors of cyberstalking like Angela.
McCreery filed the bill on the first-ever National Day of Action for Stalking Awareness – a day Angela said helps bring awareness to the psychological trauma stalking victims endure.
“Unfortunately, these types of cases can escalate quickly and those cases can end up in murder-suicides,” retired St. Louis Detective Mark Kurkowski said.
He spent 10 years of his nearly 30-year career investigating domestic violence cases and agrees police need more training on how to deal with stalking victims and build cases.
“Technology plays a big role in stalking cases, and with artificial intelligence and deepfake technology, and some of the other technologies are out there, the state statutes just aren't keeping up,” he said.
Merkle was never convicted of stalking Angela, who asked the I-Team to only use her first name.
“I was one victim of many here in the city, and we all had different experiences when reaching out to the police department,” she said.
For her, “it was very much dismissed.”
This marks the third time the bill Angela and Kurkowski support has been filed.
“The saying, third time's the charm is what I'm really leaning into right now,” Angela said.
The judge's words following Merkle's sentencing are among the reasons Angela isn't giving up. Federal judge Stephen Clark told Merkle: "If the law allowed me, I would impose a much longer term."
“I'm not trying to be a hero,” she said. “I just know that it is a harrowing experience to live through and we can do better.”