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Matthew Haviland, 30, of North Kingstown, Rhode Island, was sentenced to 21 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Connecticut. In September 2019, Haviland had pleaded guilty to stalking and two counts of transmitting a threat in interstate commerce.
“The Constitution protects everyone’s right to free speech, but there is a hard line between free speech and the stalking and harassment committed in this case,” said United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling.
The name of the professor was not released, but the woman was targetted by Haviland due to her public pro-choice on abortion stance.
According to court documents, on March 10, 2019, Haviland sent the professor a string of about 28 emails containing threatening messages including, “I will enjoy raping your body after you’re dead. And that will only be the start.”
Haviland also sent emails on March 15, 2019, to the professor’s university accusing the people there of being “evil” and suggesting that someone should “bomb your school.”
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