Evonitz and his second wife then moved to Columbia, where he found work at Armstrong Compressed Air Services, based 80 miles away in Spartanburg. His belongings connected him to the abduction and murder of three girls whod been taken from their homes in Virginia years earlier: Sofia Silva, 16, in 1996, and sisters Kristin, 15, and Kati Lisk, in 1997. 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. This allows us to bring you the most interesting, entertaining, and unique entertainment experiences, covering theme parks, movies, TV, video games, and special events. Downes and other detectives are familiar with the psychological labels that have been attached to Evonitz, terms like bipolar, hebephile, fantasy-driven or psychopath. Evonitz took the girl to his apartment, where they were alone because his wife and mother were vacationing at Walt Disney World, and carried the container inside. However, unknown to her and their family, Richard had a sinister side and abducted, raped, and murdered three young girls between 1996 and 1997 in Spotsylvania County, Virginia. Who is Kara Robinsons Husband? The sisters disappeared from their yard on May 1, 1997. He used his mother's car when he abducted Kara. But Evonitz eventually fell asleep, and Robinson was able to slip out of her restraints and make a run for it. The pursuit ended when Evonitz ran over spike strips and was forced to exit his vehicle. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. What do you think about Karas amazing story? 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. Make sure you join Kara Robinson Chamberlain after the premiere for a live conversation on her Instagram! Or purchase a subscription for unlimited access to real news you can count on. The pursuit of Evonitz began when the 15-year-old he kidnapped at gunpoint managed to escape from handcuffs and slip out of his apartment in Columbia on Tuesday morning. In Spotsylvania, Maj. Howard Smith said the Lisk-Silva Task Force -- composed of FBI agents, state police and Spotsylvania and King George County deputies -- has been doubled in size and also will try to learn "everything this guy has done in the last 10 or 15 years.". Along the way, he called his sister and confessed to killing someone and committing "more crimes than he can remember," according to the Washington Post. On June 24, 2002, Hope and Richards mother were away on vacation at Disneyland, California. ", "Suspect stated he has a problem with masturbating in front of girls," the report said. 'The Monster' Richard Marc Evonitz was a rapist and a stalker, and he may be worse. [2], After high school, Evonitz worked briefly as the manager of a Jiffy Lube, before joining the United States Navy. His first wife was Bonnie Lou Gower and his second wife was Hope Marie Crowley. Once the officers accompanied the 15-year-old to the apartment complex, a maintenance worker pointed them to Richards apartment. Authorities found the fingerprints of Krista Lisk inside one of his vehicles, further incriminating him in the heinous murders. He was married twice. At that point, my brain shut off my emotions. Richard Marc Evonitz forever changed the way area residents view the community. Evonitz hid the souvenirs of his crimes in a locked footlocker in his bedroom. Was it some sort of uniform that he wore when committing his crimes? Ultimately, as noted earlier, Kara led detectives to Evonitzs apartment, but he had already fled. Kristin Lisk was a 15-year-old who was finishing up her first year of high school and like playing soccer. She joined The Post in 1997 as a two-year intern covering policing and courts in Loudoun County, Va. She later covered local and national education. Does She Have Kids? But she changed her routine that Monday. They were scenes of him, wearing the underwear and pleasuring himself. Ginny and Georgia star Katie Douglas stars as Kara Robinson. The film starred Katie Douglas as Kara Robinson, Cara Buono as Debra Robinson, and Kristian Bruun as Richard Evonitz. According to the New York Daily News, her elder sister was inside but had not heard anything. r/standwithusa 5 min. Evonitz's wives were curious about the blue trunk, yet never opened it. Robinson escaped his apartment after being raped and notified police. PRIVACY POLICY. 2d ago To Evonitz, they were scouting expeditions. Smith said detectives found evidence in their South Carolina searches that Evonitz was stalking other girls in Spotsylvania. Related:Watchmen Actors Family Speaks Out, Convinced He Was Murdered. The kidnapper took Robinson to his apartment, where he repeatedly sexually assaulted her and held her captive for 18 hours. After his time in the U.S. Navy ended, he settled down in South Carolina and began. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! Members of the task force have tracked down some of the tag numbers he mentioned in notes and will be interviewing their owners to see if anyone remembers seeing him. Kristian Bruun stars as Richard Evonitz in the terrifying film. 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. The notes contained the addresses of two other young girls and descriptions of them, The Associated Press reported. Based on Karas testimony and the evidence obtained from the apartment, the police began tracking Richard and located him in Sarasota, Florida. In 2002, the 15-year-olds life took a devastating turn after being abducted by Richard Evonitz from her friends home in Columbia, South Carolina. But what happened to the man who abducted her? Sofia Silva//Image Credit: RTL Zwei In 1987, Richard allegedly exposed himself and masturbated in front of a 15-year-old girl in Orange Park, Florida. 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. [5], Evonitz is suspected of a 1994 abduction and rape and a 1995 rape in Spotsylvania, Virginia. He fled, then committed suicide while surrounded by police in Florida. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. To her, they were harmless sightseeing trips. According to The Associated Press, the notes included the addresses and descriptions of two more young females. They are recounted here in detail that some may find disturbing. The couple was in Mexico to celebrate Silva's 40th birthday when Gere was diagnosed with . Not just that, the teenager mentally noted her kidnappers doctor and dentists contact details posted on the refrigerator. document.getElementById("ak_js_1").setAttribute("value",(new Date()).getTime()); Actor: Arno Greeff Age, Parents, Brother, Wikipedia -Biography, Ethnicity, Family, Height, Net worth, Birthday, Who is Vessa Rockliff -Daly Cherry Evans Wife? He spoke about Evonitz last year at a meeting of the International Homicide Investigators Association in Las Vegas. I was really, really angry, she told producers. He had grown arrogant, police said. In 2010, Robinson graduated from the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy, reported WISTV.com. Police were puzzled by the underwear. I just ran, she said. Police have learned that Evonitz carefully plotted the who, where and when of his crimes. No one answered the door today, and Evonitz's sister and mother have declined to comment. On June 24, 2002, Richard Evonitz abducted the then-15-year-old Kara Robinson. Born in July 1963 in Columbia, South Carolina, Richard Marc Evonitz was the oldest of Joseph and Tess Ragin Evonitzs three children. Richard Marc Evonitz was a rapist, serial murderer, and kidnapper who murdered three small children in Richland County, South Carolina, then kidnapped and raped a 15-year-old female. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. Evonitz's criminal career reportedly started the year before he tied the knot with Bonnie Lou Gower. In Columbia, he worked at an air compressor company and lived blissfully with Hope, who doted on him. He was honorably discharged and received medals, including the Navy Achievement Medal, which is given for leadership. Investigators suspected the the murders were linked to Silva's, The New York Daily News reported. Evonitz was the most dangerous of all predators--an invisible one. Richard Marc Edward Evonitz was born on July 29, 1963, at Providence Hospital in Columbia, South Carolina, to Joseph Evonitz and Tess Ragin Evonitz. Two days after Robinsons bold escape, she found out that Evonitz had killed himself. The kidnapper took Robinson to his apartment, where he repeatedly sexually assaulted her and held her captive for 18 hours. He took her to his home before raping her repeatedly, then tied her to the bed before falling asleep, allowing her to the opportunity to escape and alert authorities. "Obviously, we're all anxious and want to solve this, but we're also very cautious," Smith said. " Richard Marc Edward Evonitz (July 29, 1963 - June 27, 2002) was an American serial killer, kidnapper, and rapist responsible for the deaths of three teenaged girls in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, and the abduction and rape of a 15-year-old girl in Richland County, South Carolina. By Daniel S. Levine - February 26, 2023 03:04 pm EST. 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. That was how he planned it. He believed he could do whatever he wanted. Evonitz married Bonnie Lou Gower from 1988 to 1996, and then his second wife Hope Marie Crowley from 1999 till his death. 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. Screenshot from True Crime Daily YouTube, Teen survives abduction by serial killer, now thrives in law enforcement. He was horrified and disgusted with himself. 0. From that knowledge, this community may gain some insight into how such crimes could be prevented in the future. Evonitz's criminal career lasted at least 15 years. The man held a gun to her head and threatened to shoot her if she screamed. 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 . You can view a clip below: Today, Kara runs a website, where she offers hope and encouragement to other survivors.. Per a Washington Post report, she later expressed that she had no idea her husband was a. His name appeared on only one list, a list of newly issued Spotsylvania County business licenses. Evonitzs wife was still at The Most Magical Place on Earth while the entire sordid situation unfolded. This helped the police track down his location. In 2010, Robinson graduated from the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy. He entered a plea of no contest and was sentenced to three years' probation. The small village, near the border of Pennsylvania, was one of the filming locations used for the Netflix adaptation of Don DeLillo's White . In the late 90s, Hope Marie Crowley was a 17-year-old waitress working at a pancake joint in Massaponax, Virginia. Richard Evonitz was reportedly married to Bonnie Lou Gower from 1988 to 1996. Birth date from SSDI as Marc E Evonitz, SSN 251-04-4170. I just went into survival mode, she told Oxygen. It's going to be quite extensive.". . Investigators said they might never have stopped Evonitz had Robinson not saved her own life, reported WISTV.com. [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. They will focus on possible links between Evonitz and unsolved crimes. The crime took place in September 1996. Sensing that there was no escape, he began calling relatives with cryptic confessions. On May 1, 1997, the sisters vanished from their yard. Just consider Richard Evonitz, the serial killer who abducted Kara Robinson, the subject of the new Oxygen special "Escaping Captivity: The Kara Robinson Story.". (function(e,t,n,r){var i=n.currentScript,s=null;if(i)s=i;else{var o=n.getElementsByTagName(r),u=o.length-1;for(var a=u;a>=0;a--)if(o[a].getAttribute("rel")==="skimlinks-ref-banner"){s=o[a];break}}s&&setTimeout(function(){var i=e[t]||(e[t]=[]),o={"imageUrl":"/banners/img/referral/higher_commissions/728X90.gif","wid":"07","creativeId":60710,"color":"grey","size":"728X90","domainId":"1601785","publisherId":137930,"bannerUrl":"/banners/js/referral/referral_banner.min.js","cdnUrl":"https://s.skimresources.com"};if(i.length===0){var u=n.createElement(r);u.src=o.cdnUrl+o.bannerUrl,u.async=!0,s.parentNode.insertBefore(u,s)}i.push({el:s,config:o})})})(this,"__skimlinksBanners",document,"script"); CONTACT US | ADVERTISE ON ITM "They knew if they did [open the trunk], bad things were going to happen.". Life is imitating art in East Palestine, Ohio, as the aftermath of a derailed train is drawing parallels with Netflix's White Noise. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! "She was so, so alert," Metts said. "We'll take it from the time he was born and go forward. He took her to his apartment, raped her, forced her to smoke marijuana, and tied her to his bed. In the two years since his death, federal, state and local investigators have tried to link Evonitz to other crimes, compiling an inch-thick timeline of his life. To avoid confusion with a paternal uncle called Richard, he graduated from Irmo High School in 1980 at the age of 16. It was then that Evonitz drove up and started chatting to her under the pretense of selling magazines -- before pointing a gun at her and forcing her into a Rubbermaid container in the back of his car, the New York Daily News reported in 2015. It's never been determined if Evonitz was responsible for more than three murders. Most details that have emerged about Evonitz's life show a man who attracted little attention and was liked and respected by colleagues. Based on the evidence collected from his apartment, the police concluded that he had killed Silvia, Kristin, and Kati and intended to do the same with Kara. On May 1, 1997, Richard kidnapped 15-year-old Kristin Lisk and her 12-year-old sister, Kathryn Kati Lisk, from their front lawn after school. Police say now that those closest to him--his wives, sisters, mother, friends and co-workers--had no idea he was a killer. He was attacked by a police dog and ultimately shot himself while surrounded, rather than face the consequences of his actions. They had all gone missing in Spotsylvania County, Va., more than five years before Karas abduction. Usually, Evonitz was more careful. Both bodies were found five days later in a river. Evonitz was suspected of additional killings, and soon before committing suicide, he confessed to his sister to a dozen atrocities. Lifetime's 'The Girl Who Escaped: The Kara Robinson Story' is a gripping crime thriller movie that delves into the actual harrowing experiences of Kara Robinson. Eventually, the Columbia native tied the knot with Hope Marie Crowley in 1999. In other news, Celebrate Dr. Seuss's birthday with these 37 heartwarming quotes. Stranger abductions are extremely rare, yet the image of a mysterious stranger taking children in broad daylight has left an indelible impression on the public mind. Throughout her multi-day abduction, Kara gained her captors trust by learning details about him, including: finding out he was in the Navy, memorizing the addresses of his dentist and doctor from magnets on his fridge, and realizing a woman lived in the apartment with him. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. On June 24, 2002, Robinson, then 15, was watering the plants at a friend's home in Colombia, South Carolina, when her friend went inside. Inside Evonitzs apartment, authorities made a chilling discovery. Their bodies were found five days later in the South Anna River. Evonitz was born on July 29, 1963 meaning he was around 25 years old when he was married to Gower. She was 17 years old at the time and Evonitz was 36. [4], Evonitz was married twice, first to Bonnie Lou Gower from 1988 to 1996, then to Hope Marie Crowley from 1999 until his death. When he and his wife-to-be Hope Crowley moved from Virginia to Columbia in 1999, they . Evonitz was born on July 29, 1963 meaning he was around 25 years old when he was married to Gower. Richard Evonitz was married to Crowley from 1999 until his death on June 27, 2002. Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! Three years after Bonnie Lou Gower left Richard Evonitz, he remarried Hope Marie Crowley. [4], Following his stint in the Navy, Evonitz worked steadily at businesses that sold compressors and grinding equipment. Does She Have Kids. Evonitz has been suspected of other murders, and confessed a number of crimes to his sister shortly before committing suicide. During that time, she met 36-year-old Richard Marc Evonitz of Columbia, South Carolina, and love quickly blossomed between the two. Evonitz mentioned only scant details about that killing, but it was enough to determine that he was not referring to the slayings of three Spotsylvania County, Va., girls, Lott said. Though Hope does not publicly share many details about herself and has a minimal presence on social media, official records state that she is now in her 40s and resides in West Columbia, South Carolina. Following his service in the Navy, Evonitz worked for a number of companies that supplied compressors and grinding machines. 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. During the time of these killings, a serial killer was working in the area, Marc Evonitz. She would have recognized the souvenir. Hope Marie Crowley was taken aback when she learned that her husband was a criminal. Impulse was a ready excuse for Evonitz, but he was more complicated than that. {{start_at_rate}} {{format_dollars}} {{start_price}} {{format_cents}} {{term}}, {{promotional_format_dollars}}{{promotional_price}}{{promotional_format_cents}} {{term}}. According to the Free Lance-Star, they discovered evidence linking him to all three killings while investigating his residence. To learn more about Kara Robinson, watch Escaping Captivity: The Kara Robinson Story, on Oxygen. 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.