Black Label: Stalker

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Ricardo López believed he knew Björk. He had never met her, never spoken to her, never been in the same room with her. But through obsessive consumption of her music, her interviews, and her public appearances, he constructed an entire relationship in his mind — one that demanded his loyalty, then his anger, and finally his violence.

Between 1993 and 1996, López recorded over twenty hours of video diaries from his small apartment in Hollywood, Florida. These tapes documented a slow psychological unraveling in real time. What started as adoration became entitlement. What began as devotion curdled into rage when López learned Björk was in a relationship with another artist. In his mind, this was a betrayal of him personally.

The Björk case stands as one of the earliest and most extensively documented examples of parasocial obsession turning violent. López spoke directly to his camera, constructing elaborate justifications for what he planned to do. He researched methods. He tested materials. He kept working, day after day, toward a goal that made complete sense in his distorted worldview.

On September 12, 1996, López mailed a package to Björk's London address. It contained a hollowed-out book filled with sulfuric acid, designed to spray in her face when opened. Then he returned to his apartment, pressed record one final time, and ended his own life.

The package was intercepted by Scotland Yard after López's body was discovered. Björk never saw it. But the twenty-two hours of video López left behind reveal something chilling: how obsession can hide behind the mundane routines of ordinary life, how fixation can grow in isolation until it becomes indistinguishable from purpose.

This episode examines not just what López did, but how he got there. It traces the warning signs that were never seen, the psychological patterns that repeat across stalking cases, and the specific dangers of parasocial attachment in the early internet era. Through his own recorded words and the investigation that followed, we piece together a portrait of obsession unchecked.

Content Warning: This episode contains discussions of stalking, violence, and suicide.

For more Black Label episodes, visit patreon.com/obscuracrimepodcast/ or subscribe on Apple Podcasts.

For help with stalking situations, contact the Stalking Prevention, Awareness, and Resource Center (SPARC) at stalkingawareness.org.

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