There were additional guns, ropes, and other murder equipment discovered, as well as notes indicating that Evonitz was on the lookout for other victims. To Evonitz, they were scouting expeditions. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! When investigators searched Richard Evonitzs South Carolina apartment, they discovered his connections to the brutal murders of three innocent young girls in the 90s. Investigators were able to track the serial killer to Sarasota, Florida, where a high-speed chase ensued. When he abducted and killed his first victim, Sofia Silva, his first wife was on holiday in California. By then, Richard had already fled, but Kara could identify the hairbrush with Hopes hair, which became crucial evidence in the investigation. "But with us, there was a level of trust. This confirmed to the police that Richard was the one who had sexually assaulted and killed Silvia, Kristin, and Kati in 1996 and 1997. At that point, my brain shut off my emotions. Thankfully, Kara exhibited immense bravery despite her trauma and managed to escape Richards house the following day. You have permission to edit this article. The bridge was four miles from U.S. 1 and 31 miles from his home near Massaponax Baptist Church in Spotsylvania. When Evonitz looked for her, she was not there. On May 1, 1997 Evonitz kidnapped 15 and 12 years old Kristin and Kati Lisk from their home, also in Virginia. 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. Evonitz married Bonnie Lou Gower from 1988 to 1996, and then his second wife Hope Marie Crowley from 1999 till his death. whod been taken from their homes in Virginia years earlier: Sofia Silva, 16, in 1996, and sisters Kristin, 15, and Kati Lisk, in 1997. Her body was found five weeks later in a King George County creek. Have something to tell us about this article? Evonitz hid the souvenirs of his crimes in a locked footlocker in his bedroom. "She was able to give us information down to the exactness of what was in the apartment.". 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. Eventually, she began befriending Robert and winning his confidence, even offering to sweep his apartment floor. He was horrified and disgusted with himself. Richard Evonitz was reportedly married to Bonnie Lou Gower from 1988 to 1996. Are you watching the premiere of The Girl Who Escaped: #TheKaraRobinsonStory? For some reason, she did not walk at her regular time. After gagging her, he repeatedly raped Kara over the next eighteen hours and forced her to smoke marijuana. Three days after kidnapping Robinson, authorities caught up to Evonitz in Florida and a high-speed ensued, ending when Evonitz shot himself and died. From all accounts, officials said, Evonitz exhibited no violent behavior in childhood, and he got along well in the Navy and at work. According to the Associated Press, one of the females depicted in the notes told The Free Lance-Star, Its sort of alarming that this person was out there staring at me. Im curious as to why he didnt see me. There were additional guns, ropes, and other murder equipment discovered, as well as notes indicating that Evonitz was on the lookout for other victims. When he was convicted for exposing himself in Florida at age 23, Evonitz told the arresting officer that he had uncontrollable urges. Evonitz abducted 15-year-old Kara Robinson Chamberlain three days before his death. He married his first wife, Bonnie Lou Gower, in 1988 but suffered a severe financial crisis after their divorce in 1996. Evonitz was born on July 29, 1963 meaning he was around 25 years old when he was married to Gower. He forced her to watch the evening news to see if there was a report of her kidnapping. Friends and neighbors described the Evonitzs as a pleasant couple, especially Richard was known as someone who was friendly and loved animals. Her sister Kati Lisk was just 12 and enjoyed playing the clarinet and drawing, local outlet The Free Lance Star reported in 2002. Youve undoubtedly heard of Ted Bundy, John Wayne Gacy, Dennis Rader, Richard Ramirez, and Eileen Wuornos some of the most well-known serial killers in American history but there are also less well-publicized serial murderers, and one of them has a bizarre Disney connection. His mother described the moment she realized he had betrayed her: With her son on the run, she returned from Disney World to her home in Columbia. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. When he used that route, he passed hundreds of other potential dumping sites--country roads, farm fields and logging trails. When police interviewed Hope Evonitz after her husband's death, they said she was controlled and emotionless. Inside a lockbox in the apartment, they found the hints to the Lisk killings. Richard forced the teenager into a plastic bin, drove her to his apartment, and tied her hands and feet. But when she escaped, Richard feared his arrest and fled, eventually killing himself to evade arrest. While Richard seemingly remained inactive for the next few years, he struck again in June 2002. Kara Robinson was abducted by serial killer Richard Evonitz from her friend's yard in 2002. 2d ago After Richard Evonitz was discharged from the Navy, the couple moved to Fredericksburg. He described another girl in the same neighborhood: her appearance, how she walked each day on certain streets, how her parents were gone during the day, how she entered her home through a rear door. Eventually, the Columbia native tied the knot with Hope Marie Crowley in 1999. Authorities said Evonitz pulled up in his mother's green Pontiac Firebird and offered to sell her some magazines. During that time, she met 36-year-old Richard Marc Evonitz of Columbia, South Carolina, and love quickly blossomed between the two. Richard Evonitz was reportedly married to Bonnie Lou Gower from 1988 to 1996. As a result, it should be under $100,000 USD. Smith said detectives found evidence in their South Carolina searches that Evonitz was stalking other girls in Spotsylvania. Most details that have emerged about Evonitz's life show a man who attracted little attention and was liked and respected by colleagues. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. The man held a gun to her head and threatened to shoot her if she screamed. Evonitz was the most dangerous of all predators--an invisible one. He declared bankruptcy after losing the majority of his money as a result of the divorce. No one answered the door today, and Evonitz's sister and mother have declined to comment. Hope Evonitz rode with her husband on some of these trips. He spoke about Evonitz last year at a meeting of the International Homicide Investigators Association in Las Vegas. Pic- survivor Kara Robinson Richard Marc Evonitz born July 29, 1963 was a serial killer, kidnapper andrapistresponsible for the deaths of three girls inSpotsylvania County, Virginiaand the abduction and rape of a 15-year-old girl inRichland County, S.Carolina. He served as a sonar technician and received a Good Conduct Medal before being honorably discharged after eight years of service. special that premiered September 26 and is now streaming. She was reportedly 17 years old. "No signs of the monster.". Kara Robinson Chamberlain, a kidnapping survivor, now reaches thousands of viewers on TikTok with her advice about overcoming trauma. During the time of these killings, a serial killer was working in the area, Marc Evonitz. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. "Of all the people in my 24 years that I've ever investigated, he's probably the most evil," said Dempsey of the King George Sheriff's Office. Richard Marc Evonitz was a devoted spouse who delighted in working with animals and amusing people. She was 17 years old at the time and Evonitz was 36. He was the first of three children; two sisters, Kristen and Jennifer, followed him in 1968 and 1971. Richard Marc Evonitz forever changed the way area residents view the community. 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. After an 18-hour ordeal, the girl heard Evonitz snoring and was able to escape, authorities said. He pulled a gun. Hope Evonitz wonders if the trophy box was her husband's way of trying to keep his demons under lock and key. Birth date from SSDI as Marc E Evonitz, SSN 251-04-4170. He also will host an FBI "working group" on Evonitz next year. The information shed stored in her head proved invaluable in confirming his identity. Moreover, Richard admitted that he often had uncontrollable sexual urges and would look for and target teenage girls. "He was somebody who felt everything closing in on him. What they won't do is excuse him. They hope to understand him and connect him to other crimes he may have committed. Inside were trophies so damning that he risked all to retain them. The notes contained the addresses of two other young girls and descriptions of them, The Associated Press reported. Per a Washington Post report, she later expressed that she had no idea her husband was a murderer, though he did allegedly confess to his sister just prior to his death. Yet, despite her traumatic ordeal, she kept an alert mind and noted all the details of her surroundings. Known as Marc to avoid confusion with a paternal uncle also named Richard, he graduated from Irmo High School in 1980 at age 16. Richard Marc Evonitz forever changed the way area residents view the community. I just went into survival mode, she told Oxygen. Authorities found the fingerprints of Krista Lisk inside one of his vehicles, further incriminating him in the heinous murders. In 1987 he ran into trouble with the law when he exposed himself to a 15-year-old girl and he was arrested one month later when his ship returned to port. Silva, a 16-year-old with ambitions of attending cosmetology school, was doing homework on her familys doorway on September 9, 1996, when Evonitz abducted her. Police records in Clay County say he "confessed both orally and written to his guilt. 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. Most children are kidnapped by someone they know, per the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Meanwhile, discovering her escape, Evonitz fled to Florida. He fled, then committed suicide while surrounded by police in Florida. 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. . He was trolling for potential victims and the best places to dispose of their bodies. The crime took place in September 1996. According to The Associated Press, the notes included the addresses and descriptions of two more young females. Later, when he fled from police after Kara's escape, he stole license plates and shaved his goatee to hide his identity. Both bodies were found five days later in a river. "If he kept everything locked in there, maybe it wouldn't come out again," she said. She would have recognized the souvenir. You can view a clip below: Today, Kara runs a website, where she offers hope and encouragement to other survivors.. The 12-year-old Spotsylvania Middle School student played clarinet and hoped to be a cartoonist. Inside was a copy of The Free Lance-Star from 1997, with front-page news of the disappearance of the Lisk sisters. Inside the Magic consists of multiple writers & videographers living near both Disneyland and Walt Disney World theme parks and around the world. [6], On May 1, 1997, Evonitz abducted sisters Kristin, 15, and Kati Lisk, 12, from their front lawn after school. In September 1996, Sofia Silva, 16, disappeared from her front porch in Spotsylvania County. 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. Watch Escaping Captivity: The Kara Robinson Tale for more information on this case and Robinsons story. 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. ", "Suspect stated he has a problem with masturbating in front of girls," the report said. 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. You can cancel at any time. So he deviated from his plan. About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features NFL Sunday Ticket Press Copyright . In 1996, Gower left Evonitz for a man in California. Per the article, Kara said, From that moment I kind of realized that he would probably not let me go and it would be up to me to get out and escape. "They knew if they did [open the trunk], bad things were going to happen.". None of it contained telling DNA evidence. This allows us to bring you the most interesting, entertaining, and unique entertainment experiences, covering theme parks, movies, TV, video games, and special events. Glod previously worked at the Montgomery Journal in Maryland. Investigators said they might never have stopped Evonitz had Robinson not saved her own life, The investigation into Evonitz as the killer of the three girls in Virginia didnt end with his death. 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. Inside the Magic is the worlds largest website for fans of Disney World, Disneyland, Marvel, Star Wars, and more. The pursuit ended when Evonitz ran over spike strips and was forced to exit his vehicle. Evonitz made scouting trips and careful notes of what he saw. Evonitz's wives were curious about the blue trunk, yet never opened it. Robinson escaped his apartment after being raped and notified police. #onthisday pic.twitter.com/OIcfpFebnS. Following his service in the Navy, Evonitz worked for a number of companies that supplied compressors and grinding machines. When Virginia officers looked through his Columbia, S.C., apartment, they searched for an afghan they knew he owned in Spotsylvania. She was eventually able to escape and share information with authorities. At the time of Kara's abduction and subsequent sexual assault, Evonitz's wife of three years, Hope Marie Crawley, was visiting Walt Disney World Resort. . As they released a police dog, he put the gun in his mouth and pulled the trigger.. Other houses in the area where he lived will also be searched, he said. She began working with the Richland County Sheriff's Department as a school resource officer. 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. 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. The small village, near the border of Pennsylvania, was one of the filming locations used for the Netflix adaptation of Don DeLillo's White . Kara was forced into a storage bin, where she amazingly kept her wits about her, remembering the turns the vehicle, a green Pontiac Firebird, took and even memorizing the storage bins serial number. 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. At 15, the Spotsylvania High School freshman played soccer and had an affinity for ladybugs. Gower and Evonitz had been neighbors in Columbia and she was a friend of his younger sister. In the past few years, he returned to South Carolina and recently moved into a small garden apartment with his 19-year-old wife. Inside his apartment they found a locked foot-locker with newspaper clippings about the unsolved murders of three girls: Sofia Silva and sisters Kati and Kristin Lisk. As they released a police dog, he put the gun in his mouth and pulled the trigger.. She suffered a panic attack when Evonitz put her back in the container while he called his wife, who was at Walt Disney World with his mother. 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. Today, 19 years after her harrowing ordeal, Kara Robinson Chamberlain is married with two sons -- and 219,700 fans on, , where she seeks to spread hope and encouragement to other survivors, she notes at. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Richard Evonitz had a pattern of committing crimes while his wives were absent. A few days later, they were found dead in a river. PRIVACY POLICY. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. Based on Karas testimony and the evidence obtained from the apartment, the police began tracking Richard and located him in Sarasota, Florida. Evonitz's criminal career reportedly started the year before he tied the knot with Bonnie Lou Gower. Once the police closed in on him on June 27, a high-speed car chase followed, ending with him shooting himself dead to avoid arrest. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. However, little headway was made in the case until Robinson led police to Evonitz. On May 1, 1997, the sisters vanished from their yard. And while Evonitz was described by those who knew him as a well-respected, married Navy veteran who was twice awarded the Navy Good Conduct Medal, the 38-year-old had actually been in trouble with the law before, for masturbating in front of a teen girl, The Washington Post reported. He chose strangers to abduct and kill. LIKE BLUEBEARD, the character in the old European fable, Marc Evonitz had a secret life hidden behind lock and key. 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. Bluebeard's wives were curious about the locked room and eventually looked inside. by Competitive-Club4848. Richard served as a Sonar Technician for eight years before receiving two Good Conduct Medals and an honorable discharge. Police now know that Evonitz spent hours traveling the back roads of South Carolina and Virginia. In the late 90s, Hope Marie Crowley was a 17-year-old waitress working at a pancake joint in Massaponax, Virginia. Bluebeard hid the bodies of his murdered wives behind one of the locked doors in his castle. 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 prefer a much simpler label: predator. Richard Marc Evonitz committed suicide after being apprehended by the police 20 years ago. He forcefully held Kara in his apartment and sexually assaulted her repeatedly for eighteen hours, but luckily, she escaped the following morning. 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. Another strange DNA quirk happened with the case. Consider serial murderer Richard Evonitz, the subject of the upcoming Oxygen special Escaping Captivity: The Kara Robinson Story, who kidnapped Kara Robinson. 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. Who is Kara Robinsons Husband? In 1987 he ran into trouble with the law when he exposed himself to a 15-year-old girl and he was arrested one month later when his ship . Their bodies were found five days later in the South Anna River. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. Three years after Bonnie Lou Gower left Richard Evonitz, he remarried Hope Marie Crowley. Three years after Bonnie Lou Gower left Richard Evonitz, he remarried Hope Marie Crowley. Serial killer, Richard Marc Evonitz, killed himself while surrounded by police in June 2002. 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. 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. ", But he added, "This is the best lead we've had out of the 12,000 leads to come out.". An article about Karas harrowing ordeal noted that she was outside watering flowers for a neighbor: when a car drove past and came back moments later, pulling into the driveway. 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. He forcefully held Kara in his Richard Marc Edward Evonitz was born on July 29, 1963, at Providence Hospital in Columbia, South Carolina, to Joseph Evonitz and Tess Ragin Evonitz. Later, he worked at companies that manufactured compressors and grinding equipment. Through evidence discovered after Robinsons brave escape, Evonitz was tied to the Silva and Lisk murders. Throughout her ordeal, Robinson focused on her abductor and her surroundings to gather information she could use.