Sounak Sengupta
Investigation Discovery’s ‘Obsession: Dark Desires: Campaign Trail of Fears’ features stalking survivor Kathleen Krueger recounting the horrid decade of harassment and fear meted out to her family by a deranged stalker in New Braunfels, Texas, during the mid-1980s and 90s. She talked about how the couple tried to fend the stalker off in an era predating the anti-stalking laws and how her experience helped her push the necessary state legislation.
Who is Kathleen Krueger?
Kathleen (Tobin) Krueger is the wife of the late former US Ambassador and Senator Robert “Bob” Charles Krueger. The couple were married for 39 years and birthed three children together, including daughters Mariana, Sarah, and son, Christian. She served two terms as a City Council Member in New Braunfels, Texas, and as Mayor Pro-tem. However, she and her late husband were subject to a horrific ordeal of stalking and harassment in the mid-1980s for almost a decade.
It all began in 1983 when Bob decided to run for the Senate seat from Texas, and the couple was looking for a pilot to navigate them across the state for meetings and other campaign-related stuff. Kathleen recounted how they chose Thomas “Tom” Humphrey as their campaign pilot – a mistake that would haunt them for the rest of their lives. Tom was polite and devoted to the campaign, lending his hand in all possible ways. However, when the New Braunfels Democrat lost the 1984 Senator race, he took it hard.
Kathleen recounted, “For months, he came to our house daily in apparent grief and depression.” She and Bob decided to help the devoted employee by allowing him to rent the home directly in front of their residence. But he took their kindness and sympathy in the wrong way, dropping in unannounced almost daily and even when Bob was out of town. When the Congressman asked Tom to respect their privacy, Kathleen alleged the former pilot “snapped.”
She recounted, “First came calls in the middle of the night, with a crazed Tom Humphrey shouting obscenities, assuming other personalities and rambling pointlessly.” He would keep ringing their doorbell, leaving threatening messages in their voicemail, and calling them in the middle of the night. Kathleen added, “I would cower alone, refusing to open the door while he repeatedly rang the doorbell and just stood there, sometimes up to 20 minutes. I am still terrified of being alone with our two little girls.”
Where is Kathleen Krueger Now?
Kathleen recounted a particularly scary incident when a deranged Tom flew a small plane too close to the house – revving the engine and causing the window panes to vibrate. This happened in Texas when there were no anti-stalking laws in place, and the authorities could not do anything unless he physically attempted to hurt the couple. However, he went to prison for short stints twice, lasting for weeks at most.
The FBI arrested Tom in 1992, using a narrow law that forbids verbal harassment after he left a particularly threatening message about killing Bob. He was sentenced to a year in prison. The survivor said, “Last summer, during release from prison – eight years after this began – he put a letter in our mailbox. It said, ‘Look how close I can get to you. See, I could kill you right now if I wanted.'” While Tom served his sentence, Kathleen pushed for the legislation, sponsored by Bob, that would make stalking a federal crime in most cases.
By March 1993, around 30 states had passed laws designed to stop harassment before it escalated to violence. The surge in stalking cases that ended in death or injury had led to a spate of state anti-stalking laws, with the remaining states, including Texas, considering similar bills. Kathleen’s case was one of the pivotal reasons behind the state ultimately passing legislation against stalking and related violence.
According to reports, the couple went abroad to central Africa after Bob was appointed the US Ambassador to Burundi in May 1994. He became the US Ambassador to Botswana and concurrently Special Representative of the Secretary of State to the Southern African Development Community till 2000. When they returned to New Braunfels, Texas, Tom had disappeared from their lives for good. According to reports, Kathleen resides in New Braunfels and recently lost his husband on April 30, 2022.
Read More: Where is Stalker Tom Humphrey Now?
