Homebuyers Janice Ruhter and Jerry Rice, a married couple with a young child and a new baby on the way, were excited when they purchased their "dream home" in San Diego. But shortly after the couple moved in, strange things started happening.
They received $1,000 worth of bills for adult diapers and found their house re-listed for sale online. Then, Rice discovered online posts advertising sex with his wife — and worse, another ad asking men to break into the home and rape the female owner. The couple was terrified and had no idea who was harassing them.
After nearly a year of investigations, they discovered a local woman named Kathy Rowe had launched the terror campaign after losing a bidding war for the house against the couple. Rowe, 53, sought revenge through what she claimed were harmless "pranks."
"I may be the least liked person in San Diego County," Rowe said during an interview with ABC's 20/20. "A horrible, evil person who wanted to harm this nice couple. I did not intend to harm them."
Rowe plead guilty to stalking the married couple. She was sentenced in January to a year of home electronic surveillance and five years of probation, and ordered to stay away from the couple for 10 years. Despite her sentence, the couple continues to live in fear.
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Shortly after moving into their dream home, the young couple said strange things started happening.
A woman who had tried to buy the same house became very distraught after losing the property and began a terror campaign against them.
For a year, Kathy Rowe made the new owners' lives a living hell.
She sought revenge by harassing the couple and even posting online ads asking men to break into the home and terrorize them.
Rowe was sentenced in January to a year of home electronic surveillance and five years of probation, and ordered to stay away from the couple for 10 years.
