In 1999, Ohio teenager Penny Chang was stalked and killed by her older brother’s best friend, Scott Strothers. Strothers pled guilty and was sentenced to 23 years to life in prison, but Penny’s parents felt the doctors who treated Strothers should have also been held responsible for her death. And another stalking story about TV newspeople who attracted the wrong kind of viewer attention. “48 Hours" Correspondents Erin Moriarty and Troy Roberts report. This classic "48 Hours" episode last aired on 10/25/2003. Watch all-new episodes of “48 Hours” on Saturdays, and stream on demand on Paramount+. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Chapter 1: Who was Penny Chang and what led to her tragic death?
My mom said, Scott shot Penny. And I was like, is she okay? And my mom was just like, no, she's not okay.
Penny was a bright and trusting 15-year-old.
She was neat. She was a neat little girl.
But to Scott Struthers, a family friend, Penny became an obsession. He started stalking her. There were threats.
How many phone calls?
Oh, 100 times a week, baby.
Scott was arrested, hospitalized. He's in their psychiatric ward writing, how cool will you look when I walk up and blow your brains out? Then the unthinkable. Erin Moriarty has some tough questions. Are the doctors who treated him responsible for Penny's death? Are her parents? And they are the familiar faces on your local news. Are they in danger?
Nobody knows right now how many news anchors get stalked.
A stalker chased this reporter out of town.
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Chapter 2: How did Scott Struthers become obsessed with Penny Chang?
She's definitely pretty much a typical American girl. I mean, talked on the phone for hours. She was neat. She was a neat little girl.
A child who thrived in her adopted community, where no one would have predicted what happened.
Shaker Heights is an affluent suburb. It's very diverse. There's a lot of old money. And I think people don't like to think things like this happen in places like that. You know, we've learned they do.
Mike Tobin, a reporter for the Cleveland Plain Dealer, says the problems began for the Chang family in the summer of 1998. Penny had a summer job working alongside Scott Struthers, her brother's best friend since middle school. How would you describe Scott back then?
Very shy. Very quiet. you know, really odd, really, you know, unorthodox sense of humor that I just found hilarious.
Scott had almost grown up at the Chang house. and went on to become Shawn's college roommate. He's just so nice, and he's just such a close friend of my brother's. Which is why no one was too concerned when Scott and Penny spent a lot of time together, although Penny was only 15 and Scott was 21. Did your parents think anything of it, that they were spending a lot of time together?
No. Why would they think a 21-year-old boy, friend of my brother, would be a threat to my 15-year-old sister?
But the family didn't realize how serious Scott's feelings were. Penny was pretty important to him.
Yeah, and I think you see that in the journals where Penny, at least for that summer, was his life.
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