Is Lifetime's 'Stalker In The Attic' True? Real-Life Cases Exhibit Similarities

On Sunday night, Lifetime premiered "Stalker in the Attic." Those who tuned in to watch the premiere may have found themselves wondering if the new crime movie was based off of a true story or mimicked real-life events in some way. How much truth is in the new movie that stars Jen Landon as Mel Carver and Joshua Close as Ben Shields?

As stated on the official Lifetime website, the movie is centered around a single mother (Landon) who breaks up with her boyfriend (Close). However, after doing so, he moves out and "strange things start happening in her house that threaten her safety and well-being."

According to Bustle, Lifetime and the film's writer, Barbara Kymlicka, have not officially announced that it was modeled after real-life events, but there have been several news stories that are seemingly quite similar to the plot and could have served as inspiration.

As reported by WWLVT, 21-year-old Taylor Broussard had been "suspected of living and hiding in his ex-girlfriend's attic before attacking her." Law enforcement came to this conclusion due to the fact that "bedding, water bottles, food" and other things were found in the upstairs room.

At the time, the Lafourche Parish Sheriff's Office stated that he had forced his way into her home prior to the attack. Additionally, it was said that a juvenile had also been home at the time of the event. Eventually, the woman was able to escape and called authorities from a neighbor's home.

In addition to the aforementioned case, USA Today also reported on another instance that had several similarities. In 1941, an elderly man had been killed inside his home. Initially, police did not have a motive or suspect, but throughout the investigation, they learned that a man had been living upstairs unbeknownst to the owner.

As stated in the publication, he had "kept one panel unlocked to the crawlspace above the home, and would lock it from the inside when he retreated to his attic abode."