Gwyneth Paltrow's alleged stalker is the same man who sent the Academy Award-winning actress lewd messages and sex toys 17 years ago, according to testimony presented at his trial on Tuesday.
Dante Soiu, who is accused of sending Paltrow 66 letters and packages between 2009 and 2015, has pleaded
not guilty to felony stalking, The Associated Press reported.
The 66-year-old's recent messages were described by his attorney Lynda Westlund as “biblical and religious ramblings” made in an attempt to minister to the Oscar-winning actress, the wire agency said.
But Paltrow's former bodyguard, Dennis Bridwell, testified Tuesday about explicit messages and various sex toys Soiu reportedly sent to Paltrow 17 years ago. Those messages were part of an earlier Paltrow stalking case against Soiu that resulted in him spending years in a mental institution. He was re-arrested last year.
Westlund objected to Bridwell’s testimony, saying it was too prejudicial and inflammatory for the jury to hear and has no bearing on the current case. Judge Mark E. Windham allowed the testimony, saying it might add context for the jury to understand Paltrow’s fear of Soiu, the AP said.
On Monday, Paltrow took the stand, breaking down in tears briefly as she read excerpts from Soiu’s more recent letters, which “described his love for the actress, assured her their ‘marriage’ was ordained, chastised her about
religion and God,” CBS News reported.
"The content of his letters was very, very scary to me — very disturbing to me," Paltrow said.
Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney Wendy Segall said Soiu became dangerously obsessed with Paltrow in 1999, CBS reported.
"He said in the letters that my body was full of sin and he would take a scalpel and cut it out of me. The letters were full of references to death and sex, which to me was very disturbing," Paltrow said of the earlier letters.
Westlund insists the correspondence was misunderstood.
"He is trying to do what he thinks he was born to do, minister to people, and he is actually quite aggressive about it," she said during opening arguments. "What we have here on our hands is a lonely old guy who is writing letters. He certainly doesn't mean anyone any harm."
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