Actor Michael Douglas and his movie-star wife Catherine Zeta-Jones, pictured, appeared in court to testify in a hearing for a woman alleged to have stalked and threatened Zeta-Jones
Posted on 07/29/2004 5:36:50 AM PDT by Area Freeper
LOS ANGELES - A crazed stalker with a fatal attraction to Michael Douglas terrorized his wife, Catherine Zeta-Jones, threatening to "cut her to bits" or blow her up "so pieces of her head look like President Kennedy's," according to bombshell court testimony yesterday. Douglas and his movie-star wife took the stand to reveal terrifying details from phone calls and letters they said were written by aspiring psychologist Dawnette Knight, 32.
In a case that seems almost ripped from the script of Douglas' chilling 1987 film "Fatal Attraction," Knight allegedly took up her poisoned pen because she was infatuated with the 59-year-old actor.
The letters threatened that Zeta-Jones' murder would be "the biggest entertainment story of all time" and accused the sultry actress of having sex with George Clooney, her co-star in "Ocean's Twelve," and "marrying Michael for his money."
Several letters, which Zeta-Jones read aloud in court, referred to cutting or slicing her up "like Sharon Tate," the Charles Manson victim - or "slashing her throat like Nicole Simpson."
"We are going to slice her up like meat on a bone and feed her to the dogs," said one letter.
Another, a mock obituary, had the word "good-bye" next to Zeta-Jones' picture and called her a "whore gold digger" who would be "solemnized ASAP in a Catholic Church in Wales."
Douglas testified that at first he tried to spare his wife the horror of the threats, hoping the police could deal with them quietly. "I was shocked, scared and stunned," Michael Douglas said. But he decided to keep it quiet. "I did not want to create a furor," he said.
And he did not tell Zeta-Jones. "I felt it would upset her tremendously without having any form of results," he said.
Between reading the letters, Zeta-Jones also talked about the nightmare at the hearing, held to determine whether Knight should stand trial.
"It's really hard to keep telling you how I feel. I'm running out of words," said a gutsy Zeta-Jones, who stared down Knight between recounting the grisly threats that left her with breath-stealing panic attacks. "It's so satanic a terrorist threat. I can't imagine how a sane human being could hold these images in her head."
The stalker is accused of terrorizing the Oscar-winning Welsh actress for more than a year, tracking her around the world.
Knight admitted being "infatuated with Michael Douglas" in a letter of apology she wrote to Zeta-Jones after her arrest in June, but she pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Knight, who is being held on $1 million bail, is charged with one count of stalking and 24 counts of threatening Zeta-Jones between January 2003 and May 2004. If convicted, she could face 19 years in prison.
The alleged stalker even tracked down Zeta-Jones in Amsterdam, where she was shooting the yet-to-be-released "Ocean's Twelve" in May and phoned death threats to her hotel, triggering horrible panic in the star.
In court, the 35-year-old actress said: "I felt like I was about to faint. I couldn't breathe. My hands were sweating and tingling. I called my husband and told him, 'I think I'm going to have a heart attack or a stroke. I have to see a doctor.'"
Zeta-Jones was "joyed and relieved" when Knight was caught and jailed, but "it will affect me for the rest of my life," she said, wiping a tear with her finger.
Knight played with the braids in her hair as Zeta-Jones spoke.
The threat letters were sent to friends and relatives of the glamorous Hollywood couple. Some of the earliest ones went to the home of Michael's father, Kirk Douglas, who did not tell his son right away in an attempt to shield the stars.
Michael Douglas was touched by his dad's courage. "I was deeply concerned for him because he's 87 years old and he was trying to protect Catherine and myself, and I was concerned about the stress this was putting on him," he said.
Douglas first learned of the death threats in March 2004, when a call was made to a Bermuda hotel owned by Douglas and his mother. The desk clerk who took the call said "a woman with a Southern-type accent said she was going to kill Catherine," Douglas testified.
After Douglas learned of the previous threats, he spoke to police, who said he had to tell Zeta-Jones.
The stars were particularly chilled by some of the stalker's personal knowledge of them.
One letter described the front hall of the Douglas' apartment in detail. Another described a nanny who had worked for them. "The proximity made us terrified," Michael said. I felt very vulnerable."
Knight's defense attorney Richard Herman tried to make light of the threats, and suggested to Douglas that female stalkers "are not dangerous."
Prosecutor Debra Archuleta later countered, to objections from Herman, "Wasn't that the premise of 'Fatal Attraction?' And she was very dangerous!"
Actor Michael Douglas and his movie-star wife Catherine Zeta-Jones, pictured, appeared in court to testify in a hearing for a woman alleged to have stalked and threatened Zeta-Jones
Has anyone else ever thought that some of the folks attracted to mental health careers were drawn to that area because they had their own serious problems they were attempting to resolve?
No picture of the stalker? She sounds like one scary b*tch. Let's not forget the psycho who killed Rebecca Schaefer, sent to the slammer by what's her name, who failed to nail OJ.
I have my own attraction for her! And she has a great golf swing!
It`s called Islam.
Unless Douglas had an affair with the nutcase stalker, I don't think the analogy's apt.
That is very true. I had a parent commit suicide when I was a child, and ever since then I had a great interest in the mind and psychology. I have noticed in my 57 years that nutballs gravitate to psychiatry.
Sort of like leeches gravitating to the Democrat/Socialist/Commie party! ;-)
That whole situation is terrible. I pray for her safety. No one should have to deal with idiots like that.
It`s called Islam. the moors.
It's called john-john moore!
Braids?
Although I like Catherine Zeta-Jones very much; it seems that these celebrities are almost setting themselves up to be targets.
Are they sure it isn`t Maureen Dowd?
A picture of the stalker is on the link.
LOL! I think that was the first thought for a lot of us.
Photo of "Dawnette Knight"
The picture looks like the singer "Seal" in drag.
Hahahahaha! Someone had to do it :-)
I'm so sorry. The correct answer is "Moops."
Oscar-winning actress Catherine Zeta-Jones recounted her terror at the hands of a stalker who threatened to 'slice her up like meat on a bone' in a crime that would make 'entertainment history.' Struggling to maintain her composure while testifying at a preliminary hearing July 28, 2004, the actress recalled how at one point she feared having a heart attack or a stroke because of the death threats contained in letters and telephone calls. Zeta-Jones is shown at a film premiere, June 9. Photo by John Hayes/Reuters 
Oscar-winning actress Catherine Zeta-Jones was driven to the brink of a nervous breakdown by death threats in letters and phone calls apparently sent by an obsessed fan, her husband, Michael Douglas , told a court on July 28, 2004. Zeta-Jones arrives to the premiere of the DreamWorks film 'The Terminal' in Beverly Hills, California, June 9, 2004. Zeta-Jones stars in the film with Tom Hanks . (John Hayes/Reuters) 
Welsh actress Catherine Zeta Jones arrives for the 76th annual Academy Awards in this Feb. 29, 2004 file photo, in Los Angeles. Zeta-Jones took the stand for more than 3 hours Thursday, July 29, 2004, at a preliminary hearing in Los Angeles regarding the numerous death threats she had received from Dawnette Knight, who was arrested on June 3 at her Beverly Hills apartment. (AP Photo/Chirs Pizzello) 
Actor Michael Douglas and his movie-star wife Catherine Zeta-Jones, pictured, appeared in court to testify in a hearing for a woman alleged to have stalked and threatened Zeta-Jones(AFP/Getty Images/File/Kevin Winter) 
Richard P. Herman, the attorney for Dawnette R. Knight, the alleged stalker of actress Catherine Zeta-Jones, speaks with reporters during a lunch break of a preliminary hearing to determine if Knight should stand trial at the Criminal Courts Building in downtown Los Angeles, California July 28, 2004. Zeta-Jones and her husband, actor Michael Douglas both testified at the hearing. REUTERS/Jim Ruymen 
Richard P. Herman, the attorney for Dawnette R. Knight, the alleged stalker of actress Catherine Zeta-Jones, speaks with reporters during a lunch break of a preliminary hearing to determine if Knight should stand trial at the Criminal Courts Building in downtown Los Angeles, California July 28, 2004. Zeta-Jones and her husband, actor Michael Douglas both testified at the hearing. REUTERS/Jim Ruymen 
Richard P. Herman, the attorney for Dawnette R. Knight, the alleged stalker of actress Catherine Zeta-Jones, speaks with reporters during a lunch break of a preliminary hearing to determine if Knight should stand trial at the Criminal Courts Building in downtown Los Angeles, California July 28, 2004. Zeta-Jones and her husband, actor Michael Douglas both testified at the hearing. REUTERS/Jim Ruymen 
Richard P. Herman, the attorney for Dawnette R. Knight, the alleged stalker of actress Catherine Zeta-Jones, speaks with reporters during a lunch break of a preliminary hearing to determine if Knight should stand trial at the Criminal Courts Building in downtown Los Angeles, California July 28, 2004. Zeta-Jones and her husband, actor Michael Douglas both testified at the hearing. REUTERS/Jim Ruymen 
Dawnette Knight, charged with making criminal threats against actress Catherine Zeta-Jones, appears in Los Angeles Superior Court in this Tuesday, June 29, 2004, file photo taken in Los Angeles. Knight has sent Zeta-Jones a letter apologizing for 'any distress' she had caused and asking for forgiveness, a defense lawyer said. Michael Douglas testified Wednesday that he felt shocked, frightened and vulnerable after learning that his wife, actress Catherine Zeta-Jones, had received death threats, and she was so terrified that she had fainting spells and difficulty breathing. Knight was, in handcuffs, and sat quietly throughout Wednesday's proceedings, which will determine whether there is enough evidence to order her to trial.(AP Photo/Nick Ut) 
Actor Michael Duglas is driven away from the Los Angeles Criminal Courts building after testifying in the preliminary hearing in a stalking case against Dawnette Knight, Wednesday, July 28, 2004. Knight was arrested June 3 and charged with one felony count of stalking and 24 felony counts of making criminal threats against Douglas' wife, actress Catherine Zeta-Jones. (AP Photo/Nick Ut) 
Actor Michael Duglas, left, is driven away from the Los Angeles Criminal Courts building after testifying in the preliminary hearing in a stalking case against Dawnette Knight, Wednesday, July 28, 2004. Knight was arrested June 3 and charged with one felony count of stalking and 24 felony counts of making criminal threats against Douglas' wife, actress Catherine Zeta-Jones. (AP Photo/Nick Ut) 
The woman charged with stalking Catherine Zeta-Jones has never even killed a goldfish, and has written the actress a letter of apology saying she was infatuated with Michael Douglas, her lawyer said on June 29, 2004. Zeta-Jones is seen posing for photographers in Rome's Villa Aurelia, May Photo by Alessia Pierdomenico/Reuters 
A woman accused of threatening Hollywood star Catherine Zeta-Jones, seen here, has sent her a letter apologising for the 'distress' and asking for forgiveness, the woman's lawyer said(AFP/File/Tiziana Fabi)
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