Conan’s stalker has ties to Peabody

PEABODY – A priest ordained at St. John the Baptist Church in Peabody is due back in court today for allegedly stalking late night talk show host Conan O’Brien.Rev. David Ajemian, 46, was arrested in New York City on Nov. 2 while trying to get into a taping of the Conan O’Brien show on which Red Sox slugger David Ortiz was a guest. Ajemian was charged with stalking in the fourth degree and two counts of aggravated harassment in the second degree.Manhattan District Attorney’s Office spokesman Barbara Thompson said Ajemian was remanded pending a psychiatric evaluation and is due back in court today.According to court documents, Ajemian told police he wanted to be famous and he allegedly sent letters and postcards to O’Brien’s home address and to 30 Rockefeller Plaza from September 2006 through Nov. 2, 2007. According to the complaint, Ajemian sent a letter on April 26, 2007 that he signed “Padre” in which he wrote: “And remember Frank Costello once dodged a bullet in your building and so can you.” The letter continued by saying, “John McEnroe, a fellow student with me once upon a time at Trinity School in Manhattan, assaulted me once in seventh grade when I wouldn’t give up my seat to him? Coming to Boston next week for an old-timers tournament at BU and I’ll be in the stands waiting his confession.”In another letter Ajemian allegedly sent to O’Brien, referenced a trip to New York to see O’Brien’s show.”This is your priest stalker again, the one who has been tracking you through space and time, from Mather house to St. Lawrence to The Majestic. I paid $250 to fly down to N.Y.C. yesterday just to have a spot in the audience in the dimming hope that you might finally acknowledge me,” he wrote. “I’m told by some officious little usher people that you’re overbooked and to get the **** off the premises!!! Is this the way you treat your most dangerous fans??? You owe me big time pal. I want a public confession before I even consider giving you absolution.”In a more recent letter, Ajemian asked NBC Universal Security Manager Thomas McFadden why he “chose to raise this matter” with his superiors after he left a clear message indicating he would cease all contact.”I should have known that the ties I have to Conan through his parents, hometown church, his alma mater and even his very home mean nothing in a world like ours,” he wrote.A spokesman at St. John the Baptist Church in Peabody confirmed Ajemian was ordained at there, but declined to comment further.At the time of his arrest, Ajemian listed his address as St. Mary-St. Catherine of Siena Church in Charlestown neighborhood. On Thursday that church also declined to comment on the incident.A press release issued by the Archdiocese of Boston read: “The Archdiocese of Boston can confirm that Rev. David Ajemian was arrested in New York City on Nov. 2, 2007 and is presently in the custody of New York City authorities. As a result of his arrest, the Archdiocese has placed Father Ajemian on leave and he is no longer able to exercise public ministry.”According to the statement released by the Archdiocese it has cooperated and will continue to cooperate with New York authorities. The Archdiocese declined to comment further “out of respect to all parties involved, and in light of the pending legal proceedings.”