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| “ | I like to spread my bounty. | „ |
| ~ Russell Lowery bragging about stalking multiple women. |
Russell Lowery, also known as "Giovanni", is the main antagonist of the Law & Order episode "Stalker". He is a violent sexual predator who stalks and eventually murders Andrea Blake.
He was portrayed by Stephen Gavedon, who also portrayed Nicholas Taylor in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
Biography[]
Early life[]
While serving a prison sentence for credit card fraud, Lowery worked as a telemarketer as part of a life skills training program, selling products from Homebody Furniture over the phone. When Andrea Blake buys Homebody products from him, he instantly becomes obsessed with her, using her credit card number to find out her address, phone number, and buying habits.
He finds out that his supervisor has been embezzling from the company, and blackmails him into letting him use his computer to send obscene emails to Blake, signing them "Giovanni". He then escalated to making obscene phone calls to her, and despite her changing her email address and phone number several times, he always managed to find her again.
After he was released from prison, he found a job as a doorman at a nightclub, but was fired after he was arrested again for assaulting a woman. While being held at Riker's Island Prison, he found Blake's address through voter registration records.
"Stalker"[]
After being released on bail, Lowery starts harassing Blake in person, following her everywhere she goes and making repeated hang-up calls to her house. Frightened, Blake goes to the NYPD's 27th Precinct and tells Detectives Lennie Briscoe and Rey Curtis that Lowery is stalking her again, and that she fears he will kill her. While concerned for her, Briscoe and Curtis tell her there is nothing they can do, as Lowery is not technically doing anything illegal.
Desperate, Blake throws herself down a flight of stairs, and tells Briscoe and Curtis that Lowery did it. After briefly investigating Lowery, the detectives come to suspect another man, Louis Dutton, before ultimately finding out Blake injured herself and dropping the investigation. Shortly afterward, Lowery breaks into Blake's apartment and stabs her to death. Before she dies, Blake calls 911 and identifies Lowery as her assailant. Briscoe and Curtis arrest Lowery, and Executive Assistant District Attorney Jack McCoy and Assistant District Attorney Jamie Ross charge him with second-degree murder and attempted murder.
The case runs into trouble, however, when Lowery's attorney convinces the trial judge to exclude Blake's 911 call because she had previously lied about Lowery attacking her. Feeling guilty about not being able to save Blake, Briscoe lies under oath that he had suspected Lowery of committing the first assault. Curtis refuses to compromise his professional ethics, however, and testifies that he disagrees with his partner. McCoy manages to salvage his case by cross-examining Curtis in such a way that he does not have to reveal that Briscoe lied. Lowery is found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment without parole.
Trivia[]
- Blake's stalking case is inspired by the death of Cindy James.
External links[]
- Russell Lowery on the Law & Order Wiki
