During Hsu’s criminal arraignment on March 5, 2007, Special Deputy Assistant State's Attorney Ricki Goldstein asked Judge Barbara Bellis to increase the amount of Hsu’s bond to $2 million.
"The defendant set the victim up to be abducted and raped by a complete stranger," Goldstein said. "There is an admission; there was a confession to police officers."
In response, Hsu's lawyer, Deputy Assistant Public Defender Dawn Bradanini, asked that Hsu's bond be lowered to $250,000, based mostly on his prominent reputation and standing in the community.
"He is a prominent individual, and he has been embarrassed by this situation," Bradanini said.
Leaning in favor of the prosecution, Judge Bellis increased Hsu’s bond to $1 million and ordered him to undergo a psychiatric evaluation.
Following his arraignment, Hsu remained behind bars at the Bridgeport Correctional Center. On May 9, 2007, Hsu’s new lawyer, Richard Bello, filed a motion before the court asking that Hsu’s bond be lowered, because his client was suffering from "manic-depressive bipolar disorder."
"Extensive diagnostic tests need to be done to get to the bottom of this medical and psychological problem," Bello said. "When you read his letters of recommendation, when you understand Mr. Hsu's background, he's an individual who is superbright, yet he stands before the court arrested for a horrendous crime and a $1 million bond. How do you understand that?"
Despite opposition from the prosecution, Stamford Superior Court Judge Robert Devlin lowered Hsu’s bond to $400,000, but not before imposing several stipulations, which would require Hsu to undergo 30 days of in-patient treatment at SLS Health in Brewster, N.Y. Hsu was also ordered not to have contact with Donna Smith.
"You can talk the talk. Just because you tell me doesn't mean you accept it," Judge Devlin said. "I want you to understand this, and, one false step, and [the prosecutor] will be back here asking to increase the bond to $1 million or higher, and I'll do it."
Hsu remained free until Oct. 8, 2007, when he pled guilty in state Superior Court to first-degree attempted kidnapping and trafficking in personal identification information. After entering his plea, Hsu was sentenced to two and a half years in prison. Per his sentencing guidelines, he was ordered to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison and was banned from having any contact with Donna Smith.
Hsu’s case should serve as warning that in today’s society, stalking is no longer limited to trespassing and harassing phone calls. In the virtual world, a stalker can target any victim with just a few clicks of a mouse.
