LOS ANGELES (AP) – A jury hearing a case against an Ohio man charged with stalking Gwyneth Paltrow is hearing about pornographic messages he sent the actress in 1999.
Paltrow’s former bodyguard Dennis Bridwell on Tuesday read some of the explicit messages Dante Soiu (Soy-YOU) sent the Oscar winner roughly 17 years ago.
Soiu’s attorney, Lynda Westlund, repeatedly objected to Bridwell’s testimony, which were part of a previous case against the 66-year-old that resulted in him being sent to a mental institution for several years. Westlund argued they were too prejudicial.
The current case only focuses on Soiu’s recent messages. He sent Paltrow 66 letters and packages between 2009 and 2015. Several contained religious messages, his desire to marry her, and some referenced her death.
Judge Mark E. Windham ruled the messages could be important for jurors to understand Paltrow’s fear of Soiu.