Theresa Saldana, known for her role in the Martin Scorsese Raging Bull, was violently attacked on March 15, 1982, outside her West Hollywood apartment by a man obsessed with her after seeing her in that film and Defiance. Arthur Richard Jackson, a 46-year-old drifter from Aberdeen, Scotland, posed as Scorsese’s assistant to obtain Saldana’s address before ambushing her in person.
The Brutal Stabbing Incident and Heroic Intervention
Jackson waited outside Saldana’s home armed with a hunting knife and stabbed her repeatedly as she tried to unlock her car. The violence was so extreme that the knife bent during the attack. Several bystanders witnessed the incident, but only Jeff Fenn, a delivery man, intervened by pulling the knife away and helping Saldana. Paramedics took her to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where most of her blood had drained and her heart had stopped.
Survival, Legal Proceedings, and Imprisonment of Arthur Jackson
Saldana underwent emergency heart and lung surgery and required 26 pints of blood to survive the assault. Jackson was arrested and tried for attempted murder and inflicting great bodily injury. During the trial, Los Angeles prosecutor Michael Knight recalled,
“Jackson would just sit there and stare at Theresa.”
Jackson received the maximum sentence of twelve years, which was later extended after he mailed threatening letters to Saldana from Vacaville State Prison. One such letter, sent to producer Jonathan Felt, warned,
“I am capable of alternating between sentiment and savagery, romance and reality. Police or FBI protection for T. S. won’t stop the hit squad.”
Aftermath: Jackson’s Further Charges and Saldana’s Life Beyond the Attack
Following his incarceration, Jackson was extradited to Britain to face murder charges related to a 1967 London bank robbery. Meanwhile, Saldana rebuilt her life, marrying actor Phil Peters and having a daughter, Tianna Saldana Peters. During an interview while six months pregnant, she expressed contentment, saying,
“Newly married, having a baby — my mom’s first grandchild. We have a lot of exciting things happening. I don’t live my life thinking about Arthur Jackson. I really don’t.”
Career Highlights and Final Years of Theresa Saldana
Theresa Saldana earned a Golden Globe nomination in 1994 for Best Supporting Actress, portraying Rachel Scali in the television series The Commish. She passed away on June 6, 2016, at 61, after battling pneumonia.
