", ON THE WEB: For previous stories in this series, visit fredericksburg.com, To reach JIM HALL: 540/374-5433 jhall@freelancestar.com. 0. The film starred Katie Douglas as Kara Robinson, Cara Buono as Debra Robinson, and Kristian Bruun as Richard Evonitz. Hope Marie Crowley Now: Where is Richard Evonitz's Wife Today? 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. Downes, the FBI profiler, is a resident of Spotsylvania who joined what would become the Lisk/Silva task force in 1996, one day after Sofia Silva's disappearance. So he deviated from his plan. At the police station, she spotted Evonitz's supervisor, Mike Augustine of Armstrong Compressors. Have something to tell us about this article? She shared with People: It was one of the most important things thats ever happened to me, she says. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. That was how he planned it. Hope Evonitz resided in Caroline County at the time, and she was aware of the slayings. At that point, my brain shut off my emotions. 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. But Evonitz eventually fell asleep, and Robinson was able to slip out of her restraints and make a run for it. What do you think about Karas amazing story? Sensing no way of escape, Richard shot himself dead before he could be arrested. Does She Have Kids. The man held a gun to her head and threatened to shoot her if she screamed. Kara said: That was probably the fastest my heart was beating the entire time I was there. When arrested a month later, he pleaded no contest to the charge of a charge of lewd and lascivious behavior in the presence of a child and was ordered three years of probation. Evonitz was born on July 29, 1963 meaning he was around 25 years old when he was married to Gower. This helped the police track down his location. For some reason, she did not walk at her regular time. With the help of two men in a car in the apartment complex, she reached the nearby police station and reported everything. None of it contained telling DNA evidence. In broad daylight, Robinson was abducted by a stranger who had pulled up in his car and approached her, ostensibly to hand her some magazines . In 2010, Robinson graduated from the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy, reported WISTV.com. "It is kind of scary that some guy was out there looking at me, one of the girls described in the notes told the The Free Lance-Star, according to the AP report. His first wife was Bonnie Lou Gower and his second wife was Hope Marie Crowley. To avoid confusion with a paternal uncle called Richard, he graduated from Irmo High School in 1980 at the age of 16 and was known as Marc. She began working with the Richland County Sheriff's Department as a school resource officer. [4], On September 9, 1996, Evonitz abducted 16-year-old Sofia Silva from her front yard near Loriella Park in Spotsylvania County. Years later, while on the run in South Carolina, he told his sister Kristen that he had abducted and raped a 15-year-old girl, as police charged. ", One exception that investigators have focused on is Evonitz's 1988 conviction for exposing himself to a teenager and her toddler sister in Florida. Not just that, the teenager mentally noted her kidnappers doctor and dentists contact details posted on the refrigerator. Evonitz's wives were curious about the blue trunk, yet never opened it. She freed herself from the constraints Evonitz placed on her while he slept before escaping. 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. [3], Richard Marc Edward Evonitz was born at Providence Hospital in Columbia, South Carolina, to Joseph and Tess Ragin Evonitz. Related:Mother on Flight From Disney World Told to Glue Mask to Childs Face. Related: 'Mandalorian' Actor Facing Underage Sexual Assault Lawsuit. By matching the countless DNA samples found in Richards apartment and car with the ones found on his three victims, the investigators concluded that he was the one who had murdered them years ago and intended to do the same with Kara. Richard Marc Evonitz, was born on July 29, 1963 in Columbia, South Carolina. If she had picked the simple lock, as police later did, she would have found evidence of her husband's crimes. Metts said the girl led detectives to the apartment and picked Evonitz out of a photo array. Most children are kidnapped by someone they know, per the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. On one of those trips in Hanover County, he discovered an isolated bridge over the South Anna River on State Route 738. 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. The pursuit ended when Evonitz ran over spike strips and was forced to exit his vehicle. Three years after Bonnie Lou Gower left Richard Evonitz, he remarried Hope Marie Crowley. Keep supporting great journalism by turning off your ad blocker. Besides, the DNA samples collected from the apartment also matched the ones found on the three victims. 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 loyalness was reflected when she disagreed with believing her husband's acts. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! She was 17 years old at the time and Evonitz was 36. Next year, the FBI will invite law enforcement officers from places where Evonitz lived or traveled to be part of an investigators working group in Quantico. This four-part series is based on interviews with investigators and members of Evonitzs family, and a review of public documents from Florida, South Carolina and Virginia. I want to know why he didnt get me.. But that brazen kidnapper, the one operating in the clear light of day, does exist. Deep within some of the tapes were scenes that Evonitz recorded. Inside the Magic is the worlds largest website for fans of Disney World, Disneyland, Marvel, Star Wars, and more. Indeed for the families involved, and for many others in the community, any review of these cases would be painful. It seemed that Evonitz delighted in outsmarting police, in making his crimes as daring as possible. He took her to his apartment, tied her, and forced her to smoke marijuana before repeatedly raping her for the next eighteen hours. I just went into survival mode, she told. His wife and mother were out of town on a trip to Walt Disney World, according to a 2002 Washington Post article. "But with us, there was a level of trust. 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. Evonitz reportedly abducted the teenager while his second wife, Hope Marie Crowley, was on vacation. 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. Dawn was breaking when Evonitz fell asleep and Robinson recognized her chance to flee. But inside Evonitz's apartment, detectives found a Fredericksburg, Va., newspaper from the day after the Lisk abductions and notes about the girls, along with directions to a location near their home. Richard Evonitz. Their bodies were found five days later. Other houses in the area where he lived will also be searched, he said. 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. 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? He used his mother's car when he abducted Kara. Authorities found the fingerprints of Krista Lisk inside one of his vehicles, further incriminating him in the heinous murders. When Kara Robinson escaped her captor, Richard Evonitz, she helped police uncover a serial killer. We don't know if this is our guy. From Evonitz's notes police learned that Kara, his South Carolina victim, was not his first choice that day in June 2002. 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. Two days after Robinsons bold escape, she found out that Evonitz had killed himself. Crime News is your destination for true crime stories from around the world, breaking crime news, and information about Oxygen's original true crime shows and documentaries. 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. His violence didn't burst from within him unexpectedly. There is no information available on how many of the assets he actually possesses. Screenshot from True Crime Daily YouTube, Teen survives abduction by serial killer, now thrives in law enforcement. They prefer a much simpler label: predator. Related:What Should Guests Do If an Animal at Animal Kingdom Escapes? 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. Staff writers Patricia Davis and Josh White and researcher Bobbye Pratt in Washington contributed to this report. Was it some sort of uniform that he wore when committing his crimes? Evonitzs criminal career reportedly started the year before he tied the knot with Bonnie Lou Gower. 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. Robinson, then 15, was watering plants at a friends house in Colombia, South Carolina, on June 24, 2002, when her companion walked inside. In 1996, Gower left Evonitz for a man in California. We're going to take our time. She began working with the Richland County Sheriff's Department as a school resource officer. 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. Elizabeth Smart serves as an executive producer.[10]. They also found evidence he was stalking other girls in Virginia, according to The Associated Press. Evonitz married Bonnie Lou Gower from 1988 to 1996, and then his second wife Hope Marie Crowley from 1999 till his death. As he drove from his South Carolina home to Georgia and into Florida last week, Richard Evonitz knew he was only a few steps ahead of police trying to arrest him in the rape of a 15-year-old girl. Glod previously worked at the Montgomery Journal in Maryland. No one answered the door today, and Evonitz's sister and mother have declined to comment. Evonitz had known his first wife since she was in the sixth grade. From all accounts, officials said, Evonitz exhibited no violent behavior in childhood, and he got along well in the Navy and at work. Does She Have Kids? They also found evidence he was stalking other girls in Virginia, according to. It's never been determined if Evonitz was responsible for more than three murders. Big Changes Are Coming to Disneys Paid Genie+ Service, Michael Keatons Morbius Role Is an Easter Egg, Inside the Magic Your Ultimate Source for Themed EntertainmentCoverage, Watchmen Actors Family Speaks Out, Convinced He Was Murdered, Mandalorian Actor Facing Underage Sexual Assault Lawsuit, Woman Seen Handcuffed at Disneys Hollywood Studios, Iconic Disney Trains Left Brilliantly Vandalized at EPCOT.