Man accused of stalking Murrysville rock singer to remain jailed in Westmoreland

Lacey Sturm knows she and others in her industry could be a potential target.

The decorated rock singer said Monday following a court hearing for an Ohio man accused of stalking her that she understands the relationship between music and mental health.

“I make rock music, and there’s a risk because it reaches people with mental health issues,” Sturm said. “For me, I want to help people. My heart is full to get him the help he needs. This is something I don’t take lightly.”

Her alleged stalker, Anthony A. Carpenter, 43, of Rutland, Ohio, was jailed in Westmoreland County without bond in May after police said he made multiple trips to Sturm’s Murrysville home. The trips occurred after Carpenter sent dozens of emails, including several that contained threats through a fan website administered by Sturm’s family to tout her music.

Sturm, according to her web page, is an accomplished musician and the lead singer of the alternative and Christian rock band Flyleaf, which gained national acclaim throughout the early 2000s including rankings on the Billboard charts and platinum albums. As a solo artist in 2010, she was nominated a Grammy award for best gospel song.

Carpenter was charged with two misdemeanor counts of stalking, trespassing and a summary harassment offense. His lawyer said Carpenter should be given the opportunity to be released from jail as he awaits trial.

“These are misdemeanor level charges and he his being held without bond,” said Carpenter’s lawyer, assistant public defender Michael Garofalo. “There has to be some bond set. This isn’t a death penalty case.”

Prosecutors opposed bond contending Carpenter, citing his fandom and potential mental health issues as a potential threat to Sturm and the community.

“We’re concerned he will continue to return to the jurisdiction,” said Assistant District Attorney Anthony Iannamorelli.

Sturm’s husband and music collaborator, Joshua Sturm, testified Carpenter sent as many as 100 emails through a fan website and at least three times, in April and again in May, appeared at the front door of a property they own in Murrysville. Several of the emails contained descriptions of violence and Carpenter’s professed love for the singer, Sturm said.

“I love you forever and I will get to you, whatever it takes,” Sturm read from one of the emails. Another read, “I am not giving up on our love. We are simply meant to be.”

He told the judge he has not disclosed the content of the emails to his wife.

Murrysville patrolman Justin Susich said police first received a report that Carpenter was spotted on the Sturm’s property on April 19 and again a day later.

A month later, in May, police were notified that Carpenter was again spotted near the Sturm’s property and the next day, security personnel at the Franklin Regional School District reported a man who matched his description was seen walking on the school’s campus before he was intercepted at a nearby pizza parlor.

On May 21, Susich said Carpenter was again on the Sturm’s property and can be seen on security video ringing the doorbell at the home’s front door.

Lacey Sturm did not testify nor did she enter the courtroom on Monday. Prosecutors declined to call her as a witnesses, saying her participation in the hearing would reward Carpenter for his behavior.

No trial date for Carpenter has been scheduled. Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Tim Krieger ordered Carpenter undergo a psychological examination and rejected the defense’s request for bail.

“You seem to be a very committed individual. If all that happened, those are not the actions of a reasonable man,” the judge said. “We need to understand what is going on. Clearly, if the evidence is to be believed, you are obsessed.”