The Day Jennifer Aniston Faced A Stalker Who Claimed Her As His Bride: What Really Happened
Jennifer Aniston’s home turned into a crime scene when an alleged stalker smashed his car through her front gate. Police arrested 48-year-old Jimmy Wayne Carwyle, who had been fixated on the star and claimed she was his bride.
This is not the kind of Hollywood story anyone wants to write, but here we are: Jennifer Aniston has been dealing with a stalker situation that escalated from bizarre to dangerous, fast. It involves a cross-country drive, a PT Cruiser, delusions about marriage and kids, and a gate being smashed while Aniston was inside her home.
What happened at Aniston's house
On May 5, 48-year-old Jimmy Wayne Carwyle from New Albany, Mississippi allegedly rammed his Chrysler PT Cruiser into the gate of Aniston's Bel Air home. She was inside at the time. Authorities arrested him on the spot, and prosecutors say this was not his first attempt to reach her property.
How this started and what prosecutors say
According to prosecutors, Carwyle began bombarding Aniston with messages in March 2023 — voicemails, emails, social media posts — and the content got more delusional over time. In an October court hearing, prosecutor Blair Berk said Carwyle was just feet from Aniston when he crashed the gate, and that he had built a fixed fantasy life around her, including a plan to impregnate her with three children.
Berk argued that if Carwyle were released, treatment or supervision in Los Angeles would not be enough to keep him away from Aniston. She also flagged two earlier attempts to access the property as evidence this was escalating.
"There is simply no way to prevent him from carrying out his delusion if he walks out," Berk told the court.
Deputy district attorney William Donovan pushed for him to be committed to a state hospital, calling that option safer and more effective than anything else on the table. Prosecutors also said the volume and tone of his messages — which they describe as numbering in the thousands over more than a year — included explicit statements about sexual violence and warnings that he would not be stopped by doctors, others, or even the FBI.
What the defense argues
Carwyle's attorney, Robert Krauss, pushed for alternatives to locking him up, framing the behavior as the product of untreated psychosis and urging a focus on treatment and rehabilitation rather than punishment. He made a pitch for faith in due process — a pretty lofty line for a case with facts this troubling.
Carwyle's own words in court
In a recent hearing before Judge Cavalluzzi, Carwyle admitted he had not been in his right mind when he sent the messages and made the trip. He told the judge he is now on medication that helps him focus and said he understands his actions were wrong. When the judge pressed him on whether he would stick with treatment, he made a promise that is doing a lot of work here:
"You have my word."
The wife speaks — and the story gets weirder
After his arrest, Carwyle's wife, Julia, told the Daily Mail that her husband is obsessed with Jennifer Aniston, refers to her as his queen, and believes he was going to meet and talk with her. Julia said he left Mississippi in September to go to California and she has not seen him since. If that timeline sounds messy alongside the March 2023 start to his messages, it is — the gist is that his fixation had been building for more than a year before the crash.
Who he is outside of this case
Before all of this, Carwyle reportedly worked as an automotive service technician and led a relatively quiet small-town life in Mississippi. That changed once the messages started, the travel ramped up, and the plans became physical.
Where things stand now
Carwyle remains in jail on felony stalking and vandalism charges and is under strict orders to stay away from Aniston. The court has ordered a mental evaluation, and prosecutors are still pushing for a state hospital commitment. The defense wants treatment outside of incarceration. Everyone agrees he needs help; they just do not agree on where he should get it.
Quick timeline
- March 2023: Prosecutors say Carwyle begins sending Aniston messages across multiple platforms.
- September (per his wife): He leaves Mississippi for California; she says she has not seen him since.
- May 5: He allegedly drives a PT Cruiser into Aniston's Bel Air gate while she is home; arrested at the scene.
- October hearing: Prosecutors detail his delusions and prior attempts to reach her property; push for state hospital commitment.
- Recent hearing: Carwyle tells the judge he is medicated now and acknowledges he was not in his right mind; court orders a mental evaluation.
It is a scary situation, and the legal wrangling here is not academic — prosecutors genuinely believe he will try again if released. For now, the gate holds, the meds are reportedly in place, and the court has the next move.