he Jacqueline Ades case is a striking example of obsession escalating into criminal behavior. After going on a single date with a man she met on the millionaire dating app Luxy, Ades became fixated, sending him roughly 159,000 text messages over ten months, sometimes peaking at 500 messages per day. When he stopped responding, her messages turned threatening, including a gruesome text about harming him, and in April 2018, she broke into his home while he was abroad, even taking a bath in his tub.
Legally, Ades was found guilty except insane on charges of stalking and criminal trespassing in 2019. She was sentenced to time served—having already spent over a year in jail—plus ten years of probation, with a key component being mandatory mental health treatment. Her jailhouse interviews, in which she called her victim her “soulmate,” underscored the delusional mindset behind her actions.
Psychologists classify Ades’ behavior as erotomania, a condition in which someone believes another person is in love with them despite clear evidence otherwise. By 2026, her case is widely cited in law and psychology courses as a cautionary tale of how obsessive delusions can intersect with criminal behavior, emphasizing the importance of early intervention and mental health treatment to prevent escalation.
