Yet, despite her traumatic ordeal, she kept an alert mind and noted all the details of her surroundings. However, until Robinson led investigators to Evonitz, little progress was made in the investigation. To learn more about Kara Robinson, watch Escaping Captivity: The Kara Robinson Story, on Oxygen. special that premiered September 26 and is now streaming. Lott declined to say what details have led him to believe that Evonitz was not referring to the Lisk slayings when he talked to his sister. The image of the shadowy stranger snatching children in broad daylight made a lasting impact on the collective consciousness, but the truth is stranger abductions are very rare. When she explained that her friends mum wasnt home, Evonitz moved closer and said he was handing out brochures. On May 1, 1997 Evonitz kidnapped 15 and 12 years old Kristin and Kati Lisk from their home, also in Virginia. Nevertheless, the couple tied the knot in 1999 and moved into a small garden apartment in Columbia, South Carolina. Kristin and Katis bodies were found five days later, and the police reportedly found a strand of Sofias hair on the older Lisk sisters body. As she looked at them, he forced her at gunpoint into a green plastic storage container in the car's trunk. Are you watching the premiere of The Girl Who Escaped: #TheKaraRobinsonStory? They were scenes of him, wearing the underwear and pleasuring himself. Robinson spoke to Elizabeth Smart from Crime Watch Daily about her kidnapping and how she managed to escape Evonitzs clutches and helped the police catch him. Police also were puzzled to find holes cut in the crotch of many of the pieces. He took her to his apartment, raped her, forced her to smoke marijuana, and tied her to his bed. However, little headway was made in the case until Robinson led police to Evonitz. The last days of Richard Marc Evonitz, suspect in the Lisk-Silva slayings "He was just a normal person on the outside," Lott said. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. As they released a police dog, he put the gun in his mouth and pulled the trigger.. An article about Kara's harrowing ordeal noted that she was outside watering flowers for a neighbor: Kara Robinson Chamberlain, a kidnapping survivor, now reaches thousands of viewers on TikTok with her advice about overcoming trauma. He forced her to watch the evening news to see if there was a report of her kidnapping. What Should Guests Do If an Animal at Animal Kingdom Escapes? I wanted to gather as much information as I could to figure out where I was and who he was to identify him later., Related:Iconic Disney Trains Left Brilliantly Vandalized at EPCOT. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! When 15-year-old Kara Robinson arrived at the Richland County Sheriffs Department on June 25, 2022, little did the police expect that she would lead them to a serial killer. They are recounted here in detail that some may find disturbing. They will focus on possible links between Evonitz and unsolved crimes. Deep within some of the tapes were scenes that Evonitz recorded. Keep supporting great journalism by turning off your ad blocker. To her, they were harmless sightseeing trips. Their continuing work has unlocked some of the mystery that surrounds the man: the why behind his crimes, and the nature and extent of his dangerous perversions. He filed for bankruptcy in 1997, unable to keep up with bills following a divorce, and had a house foreclosed in 1999 following a failed business venture, but at the time of his death, Evonitz had been working at an air-compressor company since moving to South Carolina a few years earlier. l "Escaping Captivity: The Kara Robinson Story. The Associated Press stated at the time that investigators quickly discovered proof that Evonitz was responsible for the killings of three girls in Virginia: Sofia Silva, 16, Kristin Lisk, and her sister Kati Lisk. Police think while his 20-year-old wife was on vacation, Mr. Evonitz kidnapped a 15-year-old girl at gunpoint on June 24, forced her to his vehicle, drove her to his Columbia apartment and. Who was Richard Evonitz's wife? Kara Robinson's kidnapper was married twice Birth date from SSDI as Marc E Evonitz, SSN 251-04-4170. The crime took place in September 1996. Popular: Who is Vessa Rockliff -Daly Cherry Evans Wife? For some reason, she did not walk at her regular time. Who is Vincent Paterno? Because of that, we do not have any information about how he was on the social media platform or his lifestyle. While searching his apartment, they found evidence connecting him to all three murders, "It is kind of scary that some guy was out there looking at me, one of the girls described in the notes told the, And while Evonitz was described by those who knew him as a well-respected, married Navy veteran who. He was the first of three children; two sisters, Kristen and Jennifer, followed him in 1968 and 1971. She was 17 years old at the time and Evonitz was 36. Lifetime brought The Kara Robinson Story to screens this February, a chilling true crime story of how a teenager escaped the clutches of serial killer Richard Evonitz. In 2002, the 15-year-old's life took a devastating flip after being kidnapped by Richard Evonitz from her good pal's dwelling in Columbia, South Carolina. Two days after Robinsons bold escape, she found out that Evonitz had killed himself. Richard Marc Evonitz, was born on July 29, 1963 in Columbia, South Carolina. [7], On June 24, 2002, Evonitz abducted 15-year-old Kara Robinson Chamberlain from a friend's yard in Columbia, South Carolina, after holding a gun to her head and then forcing her into a plastic bin. Known as Marc to avoid confusion with a paternal uncle also named Richard, he graduated from Irmo High School in 1980 at age 16. She began working with the Richland County Sheriff's Department as a school resource officer. End came with love, fear, horror - Fredericksburg.com When Kara Robinson managed to flee her captor, Richard Evonitz, she was able to assist authorities in the hunt for a serial murderer. That was two years ago. The Girl Who Escaped: The Kara Robinson Story. Evonitz, 38, said he had killed someone and that he had committed "more crimes than he can remember," Richland County, S.C., Sheriff Leon Lott said today. Authorities apprehended Evonitz in Florida three days after he kidnapped Robinson, and a high-speed chase occurred, culminating with Evonitz shooting himself and dying. Ultimately, as noted earlier, Kara led detectives to Evonitzs apartment, but he had already fled. In September 1996, Sofia Silva, 16, disappeared from her front porch in Spotsylvania County. Kara now a 35-year-old motivational speaker miraculously escaped, ultimately leading police to the would-be murderers Columbia, South Carolina apartment. She is expected to be alive with her age close to 41. Lifetimes The Girl Who Escaped: The Kara Robinson Story is a gripping crime thriller movie that delves into the actual harrowing experiences of Kara Robinson. Evonitz may have gone on in his life if not for the 15-year-old he spotted as she was watering flowers in a friend's Lexington County yard June 24. He filed for bankruptcy in 1997 after a divorce left him unable to pay his expenses, and the property was foreclosed on in 1999 after a failed business endeavor, although Evonitz had been working at an air-compressor firm since moving to South Carolina a few years before his death. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. He was a stranger to them. Once the officers accompanied the 15-year-old to the apartment complex, a maintenance worker pointed them to Richards apartment. Police now know that Evonitz spent hours traveling the back roads of South Carolina and Virginia. #onthisday pic.twitter.com/OIcfpFebnS Murderific True Crime Podcast (@MurderificBPC) July 29, 2019 Metts said the girl led detectives to the apartment and picked Evonitz out of a photo array. She was reportedly 17 years old. [2], In January 1987, Evonitz exposed himself and masturbated in front of a 15-year-old girl in Orange Park, Florida. After Richard Evonitz was discharged from the Navy, the couple moved to Fredericksburg. When it came to his net worth, he was just like the rest of us. They hadn't. On September 9, 1996, Silva, a 16-year-old who had dreams of going to cosmetology school, sat on her family's doorstep doing homework when Evonitz kidnapped her. When she led police back to Evonitz's apartment, he was gone. They had all gone missing in Spotsylvania County, Va., more than five years before Karas abduction. Two men she stopped in the parking lot took her to a sheriff's station. {{start_at_rate}} {{format_dollars}} {{start_price}} {{format_cents}} {{term}}, {{promotional_format_dollars}}{{promotional_price}}{{promotional_format_cents}} {{term}}. Sensing no way of escape, Richard shot himself dead before he could be arrested. Steve Dempsey of the King George County Sheriff's Office and a member of the task force that investigated the 1996 and '97 slayings of three Spotsylvania County girls: Sofia Silva and Kristin and Kati Lisk. Usually, Evonitz was more careful. Investigators suspected the the murders were linked to Silva's, The New York Daily News reported. That was how he planned it. Richard forced the teenager into a plastic bin, drove her to his apartment, and tied her hands and feet. He married his first wife, Bonnie Lou Gower, in 1988 but suffered a severe financial crisis after their divorce in 1996. Who was Richard Evonitz's wife? Kara Robinson's kidnapper was married twice As Police Closed In, Evonitz Admitted Crimes to His Sister Robinson was able to free herself while Evonitz was sound asleep, escape, and identify her abductor to the police using information she was able to find on Evonitz's fridge. Evonitz had known his first wife since she was in the sixth grade. With his wife gone and their Columbia apartment empty, he could play out his fantasies of domination and control. Three years after Bonnie Lou Gower left Richard Evonitz, he remarried Hope Marie Crowley. Following my escape, I was able to go to Virginia and meet with the families of the three girls, Robinson said. Her decomposed body was found a month later in a creek off State Route 3 in King George County. The case was first regarded as a missing person case rather than an abduction until Silva was discovered dead in a marsh five weeks later. Created in 2005, what started as a tiny central Florida-based website and short weekly podcast that allowed our audience to visit Walt Disney World virtually has grown into the publishing company it is today. Evonitz was born on July 29, 1963 meaning he was around 25 years old when he was married to Gower. His belongings, connected him to the abduction and murder of three girls. Evonitz married Bonnie Lou Gower from 1988 to 1996, and then his second wife Hope Marie Crowley from 1999 till his death. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. He was tracked to Florida on June 27 and was involved in a high speed chase by police to Sarasota, where he was surrounded and subsequently shot himself in the standoff. Still, Evonitz left no witnesses or clues. The information shed stored in her head proved invaluable in confirming his identity. From 1988 to 1996, Evonitz married Bonnie Lou Gower, and from 1999 till his death, he was married to Hope Marie Crowley. He chose strangers to abduct and kill. His first wife was Bonnie Lou Gower and his second wife was Hope Marie Crowley. Police describe his victims as "low-risk," meaning that they did nothing to put themselves in danger. Richard Evonitz was reportedly married to Bonnie Lou Gower from 1988 to 1996. She shared with People: It was one of the most important things thats ever happened to me, she says. In the late 90s, Hope Marie Crowley was a 17-year-old waitress working at a pancake joint in Massaponax, Virginia. Three years after Bonnie Lou Gower left Richard Evonitz, he remarried Hope Marie Crowley. When he and his wife-to-be Hope Crowley moved from Virginia to Columbia in 1999, they . At 15, the Spotsylvania High School freshman played soccer and had an affinity for ladybugs. 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He took her to his apartment, tied her, and forced her to smoke marijuana before repeatedly raping her for the next eighteen hours. In one swift movement, she moved the items [that were blocking the doorway], shoved the vacuum cleaner into the closet and slammed it shut, opened the front door and ran out. Dawn was breaking when Evonitz fell asleep and Robinson recognized her chance to flee. However, that brazen kidnapper, the one who operates in broad daylight, does exist. Police found her body in a pond weeks later. Inside the Magic consists of multiple writers & videographers living near both Disneyland and Walt Disney World theme parks and around the world. Tess Ragin had been told of her son's vacation but did not believe it. I knew if I woke him up and wasnt successful [in getting out] that would probably be when I would get hurt, and when his sadistic nature would kick in [she feared being shot in the back]., Related:Florida Man Arrested After Threatening to Blow Up Homes of Disney Executives. At that point, my brain shut off my emotions. Kara Robinson's Story: Who Were Richard Evonitz's Other Victims Later, when he fled from police after Kara's escape, he stole license plates and shaved his goatee to hide his identity. Robinson has publicly spoken about the terrifying ordeal, years before the Lifetime true crime movie aired. It's going to be quite extensive.". This made Richard a primary suspect in the murder investigation. Bluebeard's wives were curious about the locked room and eventually looked inside. As a result, it should be under $100,000 USD. Each week investigators from the FBI, the Virginia State Police and at least two local sheriff's offices met at the FBI office in Fredericksburg to plot strategy. Her brave act led the police to identify Richard as a serial killer who had murdered three other girls during the 90s. They also found evidence he was stalking other girls in Virginia, according to. Richard Evonitz was reportedly married to Bonnie Lou Gower from 1988 to 1996. The Girl Who Escaped: The Kara Robinson Story. A high-speed car chase followed to catch Richard, resulting in him running over spike strips on the highway and being attacked by a police dog. Her older sister was inside but hadn't heard a thing, according to the New York Daily News. But perhaps that pain will be bearable if these newly revealed facts help us to understand how a man capable of performing these misdeeds could live among us. He believed he could do whatever he wanted. We're going to take our time. He would not be able to join them, he said, because he had to work. When he used that route, he passed hundreds of other potential dumping sites--country roads, farm fields and logging trails. The couple was in Mexico to celebrate Silva's 40th birthday when Gere was diagnosed with . Lifetimes thriller movie The Girl Who Escaped: The Kara Robinson Story chronicles how Kara courageously escaped her captors home after being abducted and assaulted for eighteen hours, eventually helping the police identify him and his past crimes. But that brazen kidnapper, the one operating in the clear light of day, does exist. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. I just ran, she said. Hope Evonitz rode with her husband on some of these trips. I just went into survival mode, she told Oxygen. Evonitz was sentenced to three years of probation for this offense. Investigators soon found evidence that Evonitz was responsible for the murders of three girls in Virginia:Sofia Silva, 16; Kristin Lisk and her sister Kati Lisk, the Associated Press reported at the time. This allows us to bring you the most interesting, entertaining, and unique entertainment experiences, covering theme parks, movies, TV, video games, and special events. She began working as an assignment editor on the local desk in 2011. [6], On May 1, 1997, Evonitz abducted sisters Kristin, 15, and Kati Lisk, 12, from their front lawn after school. Who Were Richard Evonitz's Victims? Is He Dead or Alive? Evonitz reportedly abducted the teenager while his second wife, Hope Marie Crowley, was on vacation. Kristen and Jennifer, his two daughters, were born in 1968 and 1971, respectively, and he was the first of three children. The murders remained unsolved until 2002, when Evonitz abducted and raped a girl in South Carolina. There is no information available on how many of the assets he actually possesses. At the police station, she spotted Evonitz's supervisor, Mike Augustine of Armstrong Compressors. Later the authorities would prove he killed at least 3 . On June 24, 2002 Evonitz kidnapped 15-year-old Kara Robinson from a yard in South Carolina. Hope Evonitz wonders if the trophy box was her husband's way of trying to keep his demons under lock and key. ", "Suspect stated he has a problem with masturbating in front of girls," the report said. Hope Marie Crowley Now: Where is Richard Evonitz's Wife Today? They have not said whether they found similar evidence about the Silva killing, but they have previously said that scientific evidence links the two cases. Serial killer Richard Marc EVONITZ | Characteristics: Kidnapping - Rape Related:Watchmen Actors Family Speaks Out, Convinced He Was Murdered. According to the New York Daily News, her elder sister was inside but had not heard anything.