Two Springfield residents appear on new Netflix series, 'I Am A Stalker'

Two episodes of the new Netflix original series "I Am A Stalker" feature cases which occurred in Springfield over the last 10 years. The series was rated No. 4 on Netflix's top 10 list, as of last Tuesday.

The series features convicted stalkers telling their stories through formal interviews.

Episode four, "Close to Death," tells the story of Terry D. Morrison, and episode eight, "Obsessive Tendencies," follows the path of Deketrice Jackson.

The Springfield Police Department defines stalking as "the act of a person who, on more than one occasion, follows, pursues or harasses another person, and actively engages in conduct that causes the victim to believe the offender will cause physical harm or mental distress to them."

'Close to Death'

In June 2015, Morrison was sentenced to four years of incarceration for aggravated stalking of his now ex-girlfriend after violating a restraining order.

Over the course of two years, Morrison became "possessive" and "violent" with his ex-girlfriend, referred to as "Sadie" in the episode. While "Sadie" does appear on camera, she uses this alias to protect her identity.

The episode chronicles the two's relationship from their meeting via an online dating service in 2013 to Morrison's incarceration.

After Morrison's sentencing, the Springfield Police Department re-filed charges that connected Morrison with the death of a woman at a Springfield hotel.

According to previous News-Leader reporting, on Sept. 23, 2011, SPD was called to the Homestay Inn on Glenstone Avenue in reference to a possible gunshot. Springfield woman Pristina Tyner was found lying near a stairwell, bleeding from the head. She died at Mercy Springfield hospital two days later.

During a search of the hotel room Tyner was staying in, officers found a piece of paper with Morrison's phone number on it. Morrison was originally charged in Sept. 2011 in connection with the death, but charges were dismissed that December.

One reason why the police felt confident in re-filing the case was because "Sadie" told them that Morrison had confessed to her about killing Tyner.

Springfield Police Department Violent Crimes Sgt. Scott Hill, featured in the episode, said he interviewed "Sadie" prior to the trial.

"If (Morrison and 'Sadie') were close, maybe he shared information about this homicide with her," Hill said in the episode. "When I interviewed her, she broke down in tears. She brought up the one point where he did tell her that he did kill (Tyner), so it became very important at the trial for the jurors to listen to a recent relationship of someone (who) he'd confessed to that he did murder the victim in this case."

"Sadie" testified in court, detailing this confession and Morrison's behavior toward her.

Morrison was sentenced to life in prison, plus 100 years in March 2018. Today, he lives at the Jefferson City Correctional Center.

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'Obsessive Tendencies'

Jackson was sentenced to four years of incarceration for first-degree stalking in 2018.

The episode presents Jackson's stalking tendencies with women since she was 10 years old.

Jackson grew up in Wisconsin's foster care system. In interviews conducted inside the Chillicothe Correctional Center, Jackson described how she often felt unworthy and unloved during her childhood. This, she believes, is why she clings to others.

In 2008 Jackson moved to Springfield and started a relationship with a woman named Rachel.

Over time, Jackson became confrontational and obsessive over Rachel, leading to their breakup, according to Christine, Rachel's mother who appears on screen.

Rachel and Christine both obtained restraining orders against Jackson but she continued to harass them.

Jackson was arrested by Springfield Police Department officers in 2018, as she was parked outside of Rachel's house.

Two years into her sentence, Jackson was released on parole. As of Dec. 2021, Johnson worked at a Springfield restaurant.

"I'm going to stay out of prison. I'm going to not ever be obsessed with anyone again, and I just want to take a day at (a) time," Jackson said in episode eight. "I've been avoiding old friends ... alcohol ... and women. It's just been better to just work on myself and get on my feet."

Attempts to reach Jackson for comment were unsuccessful.

Several Missouri criminal justice system officials made appearances in the two Springfield-based episodes, including Will Worsham, owner of Worsham Law Firm and former assistant prosecutor for Greene County.

Worsham told the News-Leader that the series' producers reached out to him via email about one year ago, asking him to review Jackson's case and act as the "legal expert" for the episode.

As someone who has worked in the criminal justice system for 20 years, Worsham said cases of stalking are actually quite rare. Rather, cases that involve violations of ex parte restraining orders, like Jackson's, are more common.

Welfare of survivors was 'paramount'

Zoe Hines, series producer for Transistor Films, a production company involved in the series, told the News-Leader via email that when it came to locating convicted stalkers in the United States for the series, the process was "long and complex."

First, the production team identified individuals who were convicted of a stalking or related offense. Hines said the team sent hundreds of letters to inmates, gauging their potential interest. Before production began, consent letters from the relevant departments of corrections were obtained.

Next, the team approached the survivors of those associated with each case.

"Throughout production, the welfare of those affected by these devastating crimes was treated as paramount," Hines said. "And this was very much taken into account when it came to our decision about whether or not to move forward with a story."

Hines said the team is glad to see the series doing well.

"As we'd always hoped, the series has people talking," Hines said. "Not about Hollywood's persistent suitor, rewarded for his efforts. Or the hopeless romantic, refusing to take no for an answer. But about the realities of this devastating crime."

"I Am A Stalker" was released on Netflix this year. The series was a co-production between Netflix and the Crime & Investigation Network in the United Kingdom. Season one includes eight episodes that are about 45 minutes long.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Netflix series 'I Am A Stalker' features two Springfield residents