“CSI: Miami” Star Eva LaRue Releases “My Nightmare Stalker: The Eva LaRue Story” on Paramount +
Eva LaRue, a talented and vivacious actress, has graced our TV screens for decades. From her beloved role as Dr. Maria Santos on “All My Children” to the sharp-witted detective Natalia Boa Vista on “CSI: Miami,” she became a familiar face in millions of homes. But behind the Emmys and the red-carpet smiles, a horrifying real-life drama was unfolding—one that would last for twelve agonizing long years and redefine the meaning of fear for her and her family.
Eva LaRue’s Tale of Terror
This wasn’t a plot from a crime procedural. It was a relentless campaign of horrific psychological terrorism waged against Eva LaRue as well as her young daughter, Kaya. This was perpetrated by a man they had never met. The story is a chilling reminder that for celebrities, the fine line between adoration and obsession can be extraordinarily and terrifyingly thin.
How Did Eva LaRue’s Stalking Nightmare Begin?
The terror started back in 2007 with a single, chilling letter. Sent to her manager and publicist, the sick note was filled with gruesome details of violence and graphic threats of rape and murder. It was signed “Freddie Krueger,” which is a grotesque nod to the iconic horror film villain. For LaRue, who was a single mother to 5-year-old daughter Kaya, this was the beginning of a real-life nightmare.
What started as one letter soon became a flood. The stalker, later identified as James David Rogers from Ohio, sent 37 letters between 2007 and 2015. Each one was more depraved than the last, filled with pages of detailed, sickening fantasies of violence against both mother and daughter. LaRue told People magazine:
“It was the most heinous, most deplorable, most sickening, most terrifying threats.”
The sense of safety in her own home was shattered. One nerve-wracking letter arrived directly at her house, declaring, “I have finally found you.” LaRue and Kaya moved three times, but the stalker always found them.
The constant fear and anxiety took a toll on every aspect of her life, even contributing to the end of her third marriage. LaRue told Fox News Digital:
“You become your own prisoner.”
How the Stalker Escalated His Reign of Terror
For years, Eva LaRue carried this terrifying secret alone, shielding her young daughter from the horrific details. But in 2015, the stalker’s focus shifted, addressing a letter directly to a then-teenage Kaya, stating, “Now I have my eye on you too.”
The most terrifying escalation occurred in 2019. Rogers began calling Kaya’s high school—18 times—pretending to be her father, trying to find out her location. He left monstrous voicemails, again using the “Freddie Krueger” pseudonym, threatening to “rape her, molest her, and kill her.” The illusion of safety was completely gone. The threat was no longer contained to letters; it was actively trying to breach the walls of their lives.
Kaya, looking back, expressed awe at her mother’s strength. “During times when I was most afraid, I would look to her to feel grounded, to feel that things were going to be OK,” she told Fox News Digital. “I don’t know how she handled it all.”
How Was Eva LaRue’s Stalker Finally Caught?
The breakthrough came from a place you might not expect: a discarded Arby’s soda straw. After the stalker’s calls to the school, the FBI was able to intensify its investigation. Using DNA collected from the letter envelopes, agents utilized genetic genealogy databases, such as 23andMe and Ancestry, which led them to a town in Ohio.
Through surveillance, they identified James David Rogers. After he left his workplace one day, they followed him to an Arby’s and collected a straw he threw away. The DNA was a perfect match. In November 2019, after twelve years of terror, Rogers was finally arrested.
In 2022, he pleaded guilty to multiple counts of stalking and mailing threatening communications. At his sentencing, he offered a hollow apology, telling LaRue, “I hope you can put this behind you and at some point never think about me again.” Rogers was sentenced to 40 months in federal prison and released in 2024.
Eva LaRue’s New Docuseries
For Eva LaRue, his release is a stark reminder that the system needs reform. She is now a fierce advocate, hoping her story, detailed in the two-part Paramount+ docuseries “My Nightmare Stalker: The Eva LaRue Story,” will spark change, calling for more comprehensive stalking laws and a national database to protect other victims from enduring the same psychological terrorism she and her daughter survived.
“My Nightmare Stalker: The Eva LaRue Story” dropped on November 13, 2025. It covers LaRue’s story and shines light on what law enforcement officials can and can’t do. She hopes that by sharing her plight, it will increase public awareness and encourage anti-stalking laws to be tougher, enacted upon, as well as much harsher sentences for stalkers.
