Obsessive Love

On July 18, 1989, Rebecca Schaeffer was murdered by Robert John Bardo, an obsessed fan who had been stalking her for three years. Bardo had become fixated on Schaeffer after his previous fixation, child peace activist Samantha Smith, was killed in an airplane crash. Bardo wrote several letters to Schaeffer, one of which was answered by an employee from Schaeffer's fan service. In 1987, Bardo traveled to Los Angeles in an attempt to see Schaeffer at the My Sister Sam set, but was turned away by CBS Television City security. Angry, he returned a month later armed with a knife but again security guards prevented him from gaining access to the actress. Bardo returned to his native Tucson and forgot about Schaeffer for a while; he became preoccupied by teen singers Debbie Gibson and Tiffany.

In 1989, after viewing Schaeffer's film Scenes from the Class Struggle in Beverly Hills, in which she appeared in bed with a male actor, Bardo became enraged and decided that Schaeffer should be punished for becoming "another Hollywood whore." Having read that Theresa Saldana's stalker, Arthur Richard Jackson, had obtained Saldana's address through a private investigator, Bardo approached a Tucson detective agency and paid them $250 to get her home address through California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) records. Bardo's brother helped him get a handgun because he was underage (Bardo was then 19).

Bardo then traveled to Los Angeles for a third time and, after locating Schaeffer's apartment, wandered the neighborhood asking passersby if Schaeffer actually lived there. Confident that the address was correct, he rang the doorbell. Schaeffer, who was preparing for an audition for a role in The Godfather III, answered the door. Bardo showed Schaeffer the letter and autograph she had previously sent him and, after a brief conversation, Schaeffer asked Bardo not to come to her home again. The two shook hands and Bardo left. He then walked to a local diner and ate breakfast. An hour later, Bardo returned to Schaeffer's apartment for a second time. Schaeffer answered the door again with "a cold look on her face," Bardo later said. Bardo pulled out a gun from a brown paper bag and shot her once at point-blank range in the chest in the doorway of her apartment building. Schaeffer screamed and collapsed in her doorway as Bardo fled. A neighbor phoned paramedics, who arrived to transport her to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Schaeffer was pronounced dead 30 minutes after her arrival. The following day, Bardo was arrested in Tucson, after motorists reported a man darting through traffic on Interstate 10. He immediately confessed to the murder.

Natal Charts

Natally Rebbecca was born with the Sun in Scorpio, a sign known for it's emotional strength and psychological toughness. There is a strong awareness around death and life's mysteries, and Scorpio is well acquainted with darkness. Mercury the planet that rules communication and the intellect is also in Scorpio, thus her mind questions everything. Rebbecca possesses an emotionally honest and penetrating view of life. What intrigues me with this case, is that Bardo was the one who hired a private investigator to find out where Rebbecca lived, and this is emblematic of Mercury in Scorpio. Rebecca's private (Scorpio) information (Mercury) was exposed, and this left her vulnerable to attack.

In Rebecca's chart Venus the planet of love and partnership is conjunct Uranus and Pluto, taking her relationships to new levels. Often when Venus contacts Uranus there is usually a need for freedom in relationships. Her choice of partner can be unconventional, or in the most extreme case the combination attracts unstable individuals or "nut jobs" like Bardo (Uranus). According to C.E.O Carter in Astrological Aspects there is high emotional tension inherent in this combination of planets, and it can incline to excitability. Externally it tends to danger of violence, attacks, or accidents if the rest of the nativity is of this kind. Concerning relationships of the Venus-Pluto kind there is an altogether different nature, it is often the case that these individuals are attracted to deep, dark and unfathomable people or they attract others by exuding these qualities. For many, this contact can often get themselves involved in 'highly 'fated' relationships. The Venus-Pluto type can attract people who are intensely jealous if they shows signs of non-committment. Rebbecca was born when Mars was in Capricorn and was square to Saturn in Aries, these contacts suggest that women with this aspect are prone to have relations with harsh, brutal or rough men, and often the perpetrator of the violence will have some rough and dominating aspects themselves.

Robert Bardo natally has his Sun in Capricorn square to Uranus, usually the hard aspects exhibit extreme self-will, and a strong urge to be different from others.  According to Carter, these individuals are difficult to be on the wrong side of. It is a common aspect to be found in gifted people although eccentric. Besides this contact,  Bardo has Venus the planet of relationships and attraction in aspect with Uranus and Pluto, the same combination as Rebecca and there is an inconsitancy in love, along with obsessive and compulsive desires.

The Synastry

When Rebecca Schaeffer and Bardo met on that fateful day, the planetary synastry was stimulated.  A synastry chart is an overlay of two natal charts, and the astrologer observes the angular relationship of the couple. In the chart Robert's Sun is conjunct Rebecca's Mars. and activates her natal Mars-Saturn. A Sun-Mars couple can get extremely heated and "fired up". Rebecca's Mars is square Robert's Uranus, and shows the sudden violence (Mars) that erupted unexpectedly (Uranus). In a 'normal' relationship analysis it would show that there was extreme self-will in the relationships. There is a Sun-Saturn contact between them that shows her defensiveness and limitations (Saturn) and he feels she is rejecting him (Sun). Robert's Venus is square Rebecca's Saturn, and again he feels rejected by her, and her Saturn appears cold, stern, and unaffectionate. One of the tightest aspects in the synastry chart is Robert's Pluto on Rebecca's Venus, he is dominating and jealous and his need for control and power is aroused by his unrelenting attraction towards her, and it describes the fatal and deadly attraction he had for her. Robert's Venus-Uranus-Pluto configuration is hauntingly symbolic of his previous fascination and obsession with another young girl, she (Venus) was suddenly killed in an aeroplane accident (Uranus rules aeroplanes and Pluto death). Rather than deal with his own feelings he transferred all his compulsions onto Rebbecca. And consequently he took this young woman's life by his own hands. The closeness vs freedom aspect is relavant to how this complicated configuration of planets has been acted out.

The Timing of the Event

In Rebecca's chart at the time of the fatal shooting she had transiting Pluto conjunct her Sun in Scorpio exactly. Pluto rules death, obsession, and survival, and the Sun represents the life force and the men in her life. Transiting Saturn and Neptune were conjunct natal Mars (anger, assertion, violence). Again Mars-Saturn is activated, and the predominant Venus-Pluto contacts across both charts, show a fated meeting, and the high possibility of violence or victimisation at this time. Transiting Chiron is opposed Mars exactly (physical wounding).

1.Sun-Pluto = Life crisis, powerful people, life involves fated events, life dramatically transformed, obsession with creative projects. She is drawn to power struggles or will have control issues with a man.
2.Mars-Saturn = Anger, violence, frustration, defensiveness.
3.Mars-Chiron = Physical Wounding.

In Roberts chart on the day of the shooting, transiting Pluto in Scorpio is trine his natal Mars in Pisces, this energy describes how his will is controlled and frighteningly it empowers him to take action. The gun (Mars) was easy for him to obtain through his brother. Transiting Saturn, Uranus and Neptune are conjunct his natal Sun and Venus. Thus rejection, idealised feelings of romance, and unpredictability in relationships are deeply affecting his self-image. Transiting Chiron is opposed Sun (wounded self-image). Again a picture forms around the emotions, and disturbances around the event.

1.Mars trine Pluto feeling empowered, healing, easy power, controlled energy, confident in his power.
2.Sun/Venus/Saturn Authority, creative blocks, a love relationship will be defined or it will end. Men from the past revisiting, a time of achievement.
3.Sun/Venus/Uranus A sudden love alliance, surprise meeting, self-willed, unpredictable.
4.Sun/Venus/Neptune high idealisation. Confusion in life, all these aspects seem to be highlighting his ego (Sun).
5.Sun-Chiron Self-image is wounded.