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Idaho man charged with cyberstalking Mass. professor after taking her class on psychosis
Edward John Kay of Rigby, Idaho was arrested Thursday.
A 53-year-old Idaho man is facing charges that he cyberstalked a Massachusetts professor for five months after taking her online course on psychosis, officials announced.
Edward John Kay of Rigby, Idaho was arrested Thursday and made an initial appearance in federal court in Idaho on Friday. He was charged with one count of cyberstalking, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts announced.
Authorities allege Kay met the professor in January 2025, when he enrolled in an online course she was teaching on psychosis through the university’s extension school.
“It is alleged that, after one Zoom meeting with the victim and one virtual class session, Kay became fixated on the victim, dropped the course, and proceeded to harass and intimidate the victim over email and LinkedIn for the following five months,” the U.S. Attorney’s office said.
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Between January and June, Kay allegedly sent the professor more than 80 communications over email and LinkedIn, expressing “adoration and love” for her and mentioning her minor child by name.
The communications include one on April 1, when Kay allegedly sent the professor a message on LinkedIn, according to federal prosecutors.
“I miss you-truly, deeply- with all of my heart and soul,” he allegedly wrote. “That day I saw you on Zoom…You were the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. Not just appearance. Everything. Your presence. Your mind. Your light. To gain you…and then to lose you like that? It devastated me.”
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He allegedly included university offices on some emails, including the university president, and he was banned from taking courses at the university.
If convicted, Kay is facing up to five years in prison for the charge of cyberstalking. He will appear in federal court in Boston on the charge at a later date, the U.S. Attorney’s office said.
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