Officials said he has no other known criminal convictions. {{start_at_rate}} {{format_dollars}} {{start_price}} {{format_cents}} {{term}}, {{promotional_format_dollars}}{{promotional_price}}{{promotional_format_cents}} {{term}}. Elizabeth Smart serves as an executive producer.[10]. Related:Watchmen Actors Family Speaks Out, Convinced He Was Murdered. "Just like an animal, he stalks his victims, waits for the right time and takes them," Downes said. "We'll take it from the time he was born and go forward. 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. [3], Richard Marc Edward Evonitz was born at Providence Hospital in Columbia, South Carolina, to Joseph and Tess Ragin Evonitz. The investigation into Evonitz as the killer of the three girls in Virginia didnt end with his death. Authorities found the fingerprints of Krista Lisk inside one of his vehicles, further incriminating him in the heinous murders. Neighbors in Columbia said he was friendly and quiet. In the late 90s, Hope Marie Crowley was a 17-year-old waitress working at a pancake joint in Massaponax, Virginia. : r/standwithusa. [4], On September 9, 1996, Evonitz abducted 16-year-old Sofia Silva from her front yard near Loriella Park in Spotsylvania County. South Carolina kidnapping survivor Kara Robinson reveals tips for 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. Richard Marc Edward Evonitz was born on July 29, 1963, at Providence Hospital in Columbia, South Carolina, to Joseph Evonitz and Tess Ragin Evonitz. This included one of Richards sisters, to whom he reportedly confessed the three murders. Police also were puzzled to find holes cut in the crotch of many of the pieces. Their bodies were found five days later. Evonitz's criminal career lasted at least 15 years. Evonitzs criminal career reportedly started the year before he tied the knot with Bonnie Lou Gower. After her escape, Kara helped lead authorities to her abductors apartment. For instance, Kara noticed Hopes hairbrush lying around, with a few red hairs on it. Usually, Evonitz was more careful. Who was Richard Evonitz's wife? Kara Robinson's kidnapper was married twice Friends and neighbors described the Evonitzs as a pleasant couple, especially Richard was known as someone who was friendly and loved animals. 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. The sisters disappeared from their yard on May 1, 1997. Eventually, the Columbia native tied the knot with Hope Marie Crowley in 1999. The New York Daily News said that investigators thought the deaths were related to Silvas. WARNING: Content of a disturbing nature ahead. 2d ago Kristen and Jennifer, his two daughters, were born in 1968 and 1971, respectively, and he was the first of three children. Kara said: At the same time he put a gun up to the right side of my neck and to come with him or he would shoot me., Related:Woman Seen Handcuffed at Disneys Hollywood Studios. We're going to take our time. 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. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much 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. By the time he died, he had progressed from indecent exposure to murder. 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. She began working with the Richland County Sheriff's Department as a school resource officer. 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. With the help of two men in a car in the apartment complex, she reached the nearby police station and reported everything. Photo Illustration by Luis G. Rendon/The Daily Beast/ReutersAlex Murdaugh, the once-prominent member of a legal dynasty in South Carolina's Lowcountry, has been convicted of murdering his wife and son in June 2021.Murdaugh, 54, was found guilty of all four counts against him on Thursday in connection with the deaths of his 52-year-old wife, Maggie, and their 22-year-old son, Paul, near the . According to the New York Daily News, Evonitz pulled up and began conversing with her under the guise of selling magazines, before brandishing a gun at her and forcing her into a Rubbermaid container in the back of his car. Smith said detectives found evidence in their South Carolina searches that Evonitz was stalking other girls in Spotsylvania. I just went into survival mode, she told Oxygen. The conversation took place before he killed himself after a police chase in Florida. Kristin Lisk was a 15-year-old who was finishing up her first year of high school and like playing soccer. 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. We focus on bringing you all things fun so you can plan your theme park vacation, enjoy Disney at home, and more. After two days, Kara launched her daring escape while Evonitz slept: Kara said: There was a solid 30 seconds of me looking at the door and thinking, how am I going to do this?'. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! The Girl Who Escaped: The Kara Robinson Story. Meanwhile, 20-year-old Hope Marie Evonitz (ne Crowley) was utterly devastated by her husbands death and the shocking revelations made by the police, yet she refused to believe he had done anything wrong. "Mike," she asked, "was Marc really on vacation? Crowley was working as a waitress at Aunt Sarahs Pancake House in Massaponax when they met. There is not any information on how he spent his early day. Her sister Kati Lisk was just 12 and enjoyed playing the clarinet and drawing, local outlet. "They were in fear of him," Downes said. On June 24, 2002, Richard Evonitz abducted the then-15-year-old Kara Robinson. Nevertheless, the couple tied the knot in 1999 and moved into a small garden apartment in Columbia, South Carolina. Furthermore, the police found a lockbox containing news clippings and notes related to Kati, Kristin, and Sofias murders, along with writings mentioning the locations near their houses. As Spotsylvania detectives await results of DNA and other scientific tests to determine whether Evonitz killed Sofia Silva, 16, in September 1996, and Kati Lisk, 12, and her sister, Kristin, 15, in May 1997, investigators are just now beginning to piece together the past of this seemingly normal man -- a husband who was twice awarded the Navy Good Conduct Medal during an eight-year service career -- to see if he really was a lifelong predator who kept his crimes secret. With his wife gone and their Columbia apartment empty, he could play out his fantasies of domination and control. Gower and Evonitz had been neighbors in Columbia and she was a friend of his younger sister. 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. We don't know if this is our guy. ", "Suspect stated he has a problem with masturbating in front of girls," the report said. Evonitz was in the Navy and was married twice to much younger wives, with both living unaware of his crimes. On June 24, 2002, 15-year-old Kara Robinson was at a friends house in Lexington County, South Carolina preparing for a day at the lake. He forced her to watch the evening news to see if there was a report of her kidnapping. End came with love, fear, horror - Fredericksburg.com He married his first wife, Bonnie Lou Gower, in 1988 but suffered a severe financial crisis after their divorce in 1996. EXCLUSIVE: Kara Robinson Chamberlain was 15 when serial killer Richard Evonitz kidnapped her at gunpoint and took her back to his home while his wife was at Walt Disney World Throughout her ordeal, Robinson focused on her abductor and her surroundings to gather information she could use. Another strange DNA quirk happened with the case. Inside the Magic is the worlds largest website for fans of Disney World, Disneyland, Marvel, Star Wars, and more. He had urges but he could control them. As they released a police dog, he put the gun in his mouth and pulled the trigger.. It seemed that Evonitz delighted in outsmarting police, in making his crimes as daring as possible. He forcefully held Kara in his Besides, the DNA samples collected from the apartment also matched the ones found on the three victims. The 16-year-old Courtland High junior wanted to go to cosmetology school and loved the color purple. 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? In his wifes absence, he abducted 15-year-old Kara Robinson from her friends yard in Columbia at gunpoint. California judge faces review for handcuffing 13-year-old in court Birth date from SSDI as Marc E Evonitz, SSN 251-04-4170. "He was someone who just blends in. 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. After watching The Girl Who Escaped: The Kara Robinson Story, you might be looking for more details on what happened to Richard Evonitzs first and second wife. 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. Because I felt like, Wow, Im actually giving these families something that they never wouldve gotten without me. Just the closure of knowing that the person responsible for their daughters death is no longer here.. 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. ", ON THE WEB: For previous stories in this series, visit fredericksburg.com, To reach JIM HALL: 540/374-5433 jhall@freelancestar.com. Screenshot from True Crime Daily YouTube, Teen survives abduction by serial killer, now thrives in law enforcement. Investigators were able to track the serial killer to Sarasota, Florida, where a high-speed chase ensued. November 18, 2021 . Police describe his victims as "low-risk," meaning that they did nothing to put themselves in danger. In Columbia, he worked at an air compressor company and lived blissfully with Hope, who doted on him. In 2010, Robinson graduated from the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy, reported WISTV.com. She shared with People: It was one of the most important things thats ever happened to me, she says. Richard Evonitz Obituary (2014) - Fredericksburg, VA - The Free Lance When he was convicted for exposing himself in Florida at age 23, Evonitz told the arresting officer that he had uncontrollable urges. Three years after Bonnie Lou Gower left Richard Evonitz, he remarried Hope Marie Crowley. Richard Gere's Wife Offers New Health Updates After His Hospitalization 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. Because it brought home the importance of what I did. There were additional guns, ropes, and other murder equipment discovered, as well as notes indicating that Evonitz was on the lookout for other victims. "She was able to give us information down to the exactness of what was in the apartment.". He declared bankruptcy after losing the majority of his money as a result of the divorce. On June 27, 2002, police finally caught up with him in Florida, where he led them on a high-speed chase, and finally cornered him, wrote the New York Daily News. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. Once the officers accompanied the 15-year-old to the apartment complex, a maintenance worker pointed them to Richards apartment. When Kara Robinson escaped her captor, Richard Evonitz, she helped police uncover a serial killer. However, little headway was made in the case until Robinson led police to Evonitz. r/standwithusa 5 min. Kristian Bruun stars as Richard Evonitz in the terrifying film. Robinson, then 15, was watering plants at a friends house in Colombia, South Carolina, on June 24, 2002, when her companion walked inside. 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. Police were puzzled by the underwear. To Evonitz, they were scouting expeditions. While searching his apartment, they found evidence connecting him to all three murders,according to the Free Lance Star. [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. Glod previously worked at the Montgomery Journal in Maryland. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! 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. 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. ", But he added, "This is the best lead we've had out of the 12,000 leads to come out.". Who was Richard Evonitz's wife? Kara Robinson's kidnapper was married twice pic.twitter.com/zcsbeDwBv4. How does the aftermath of derailed train in Ohio mirror Netflix's White 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. However, until Robinson led investigators to Evonitz, little progress was made in the investigation. Hope Marie Crowley Now: Where is Richard Evonitz's Wife Today? Evonitz's two sisters grew up in the same household, and neither caused the heartaches he did. The Girl Who Escaped: The Kara Robinson Story. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. Actually, he, too, had taken a week's vacation, a secret break. 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. You can cancel at any time. Inside Evonitzs apartment, authorities made a chilling discovery.