Stalking, in law, the willful, malicious, and repeated following and harassing of one individual by another. Stalkers usually are males who give unwanted pursuit to females. Some stalking cases involve persons who become unreasonably preoccupied with a celebrity or other stranger, but most stalkings are committed by obsessive former boyfriends and former husbands. Sometimes stalkings lead to violence, which ranges from physical abuse to murder. (In a famous stalking case, singer John Lennon was killed by an obsessed fan). Many states have enacted antistalking laws.