Man accused of stalking Jennifer Aniston appears in court shirtless
FILE – Jennifer Aniston arrives at the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sept. 15, 2024, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, file)
LOS ANGELES – A defense attorney this week questioned the mental competency of a man accused of ramming his vehicle into the front gate of actress Jennifer Aniston’s Bel Air home.
Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Keith L. Schwartz suspended criminal proceedings against Jimmy Wayne Carwyle pending a mental competency evaluation and ordered him “not to have any contact with Jennifer Aniston” and to “stay 100 yards away from her residence.”
An attorney representing Carwyle entered a not guilty plea on his behalf just before telling the judge that she was asking the court to declare a doubt about Carwyle’s competency.
Carwyle — who appeared in a Los Angeles courtroom shirtless — was charged Wednesday with one felony count each of stalking and vandalism, along with an aggravating circumstance of the threat of great bodily harm.
Jimmy Wayne Carwyle, right, gestures next to attorney Toral Malik during an arraignment in Los Angeles, Thursday, May 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, Pool)
He was arrested around 12:30 p.m. Monday by officers from the Los Angeles Police Department’s West Los Angeles station after private security guards helped detain him outside the “Friends” star’s home in the 900 block of Airole Way.
Prosecutors said he crashed into the front gate of the home, “causing substantial damage.”
According to the District Attorney’s Office, Carwyle has allegedly been harassing Aniston since March of 2023 by “sending her unwanted social media, voicemail and email messages.”
Carwyle allegedly made multiple social media posts referencing the actress, with some of them referring to her as his wife.
“Stalking is a crime that can quickly escalate from harassment to dangerous, violent actions, threatening the safety of victims and our communities,” District Attorney Nathan Hochman said in a statement. “My office is committed to aggressively prosecuting those who stalk and terrorize others, ensuring they are held accountable.”
Carwyle has remained behind bars since his arrest.
He is set to appear at the Hollywood courthouse May 22 for mental competency proceedings.
Carwyle faces up to three years in prison if he is convicted as charged, according to prosecutors. (With CNS report)
