Hey guys, looking for some insight on the road ahead.
I have become the subject of a adult schizophrenic man’s delusions after encountering him in an online video game some seven years ago. I don’t know him in person. Don’t even live in the same country as him. Wasn’t even friends with him on the game. Merely beat him in the game a couple of times and called his YouTube videos lame, as he would constantly beg people for large sums of money which was weird. I did not realize this was a sign of schizophrenia and potentially triggered his obsession with me.
He had some sort of psychotic break in which I guess his medication wore off, and took to YouTube uploading videos in which he would harass basically anyone who he felt had wronged him in his life. Teachers, people on the video game, professional athletes, ex-girlfriends, the list is extensive and yes, some local to him have already filed restraining orders or pressed charges. He’s been in and out of jail this past year for stalking an ex-girlfriend.
He uploaded several videos accusing me of abusing children, saying I got him arrested by sending doctored evidence to his local police, and supposedly drove him to attempt suicide several years ago. There are vague death threats, clips where he claims to love me, and other rants where he believes I am sent by God to destroy him.
He eventually found where I worked and bombarded our HR department with very disturbing emails detailing the injuries from his suicide attempt, and demanded them to fire me. I worked for an extremely large company who is paranoid about their reputation on social media, and lost my job based on his accusations even as others in the company, including the CEO, attempted to stand up for me. Whole thing was embarrassing and pitted people in the company against each other.
Because my ex-employer had given into his demands, he took this as a sign that this behavior was okay and has continued to stalk me throughout the year. I have woken up to discover he’s broken into my online shopping accounts and made fraudulent purchases on my credit card - which thankfully have been cancelled/refunded. He still posts on his personal blog about me to this day, recently taking to Twitter and continuing his rampage.
I’ve saved absolutely everything - his videos, his blog posts, his crazy emails to my old employer, his numerous attempts to break into my accounts, his fraudulent purchases, my previous employment contracts, internal documents showing how long our current project is set to last, and a private phone call with my CEO admitting I was fired due to these false accusations. I’m young & tech savvy. Everything is saved, organized, and sorted on a Google drive.
I indeed received a small settlement from the company after consulting with a lawyer. However, it really doesn’t make up for what’s essentially a lost career. Was making close to 50k y/r and expected to be with the company for the long haul. I have been out of work since April and have not had any job opportunities since, attempting to live frugally on savings.
I have consulted with a firm that specializes in civil litigation, and they have assured me that all of this guy’s behavior constitutes as criminal activity for which I can receive restitution. I have reported him to his local county sheriff’s office and am expecting a call from the investigator any day now.
For those whose loved ones have had criminal charges pressed on them, or have pressed charges on loved ones for their behavior, I’m wondering what to expect from this whole ordeal.
I’m also wondering how to talk to my parents about this situation. I’m just under 30 and any attempt to explain how serious this situation is, results in my folks dismissing it. My parents actively discouraged me from hiring a lawyer, even after I was successful in receiving a settlement. My mom in particular has a very concerning blank stare any time I try to talk to her about this, and she makes a tangible effort to change the subject and not look me in the eye. They have told me to my face that this isn’t a big deal, I’ll be able to easily find work again, and only if I get stalked, harassed, and fired from a second job will they attempt to help out. It’s very bizarre and I’m tired of screaming at my mom, asking her why she tried to convince me not to report a crime against her own kid.