There's something about true crime shows that brings interest to viewers. The latest to get released is Lifetime's The Girl Who Escaped: The Kara Robinson Story, a true story about a teenager who escaped from a serial killer. Surprisingly, the movie comes from Elizabeth Smart, who was also a kidnapping survivor and had a TV movie about it called I Am Elizabeth Smart.
If this is your first time hearing about Kara Robinson and her story, we're sure you've got questions. And we're here to answer those questions.
Is The Girl Who Escaped: The Kara Robinson Story Real?
Unfortunately, yes. The Girl Who Escaped: The Kara Robinson Story is based on the true story of Kara Robinson's harrowing escape from a serial killer when she was only 15 years old.
Robinson was forced at gunpoint to get into the storage bin in the back seat of a man's Trans Am as she was watering the plants outside her friend's house. The man had asked offered her a pamphlet and asked where her parents were. When she said that her friend's mother was not around, that's when the kidnapping happened.
Despite her situation, however, Robinson did not panic. Instead, she started memorizing details of the kidnapping, such as the radio station he was listening to, the number of turns the car made, and the cigarettes that her captor smoked.
When they got to the apartment, Robinson continued to remain vigilant. She memorized the man's doctor and dentist names that were taped to his fridge, even as she was assaulted over the next 18 hours.
How Did Kara Robinson Escape?
When Robinson earned the trust of her abuser, she offered to do his chores. The man allowed her to clean the house while he fell asleep. This was when Robinson was able to free her hand and leg from the restraints and quietly slip outside the front door.
She immediately found a couple of people in the parking lot, who helped her get to the police station. This was when she gave them all the information she collected.
Police were then able to identify the man as Richard Evonitz. Unfortunately, when they reached his apartment, Evonitz had already fled.
Who Was Richard Evonitz?
As police conducted a search in Evonitz's apartment, they found newspaper clippings about the unsolved murders of three other teenage girls: Sofia Silva, Kristin Lisk, and Kati Lisk. The trio were also abducted from their front yards and discovered dead just a few days later. Police knew right then that Evonitz was a serial killer.
They managed to trace Evonitz in Sarasota, FL from West Columbia, SC. This led to a high speed chase and a confrontation. When Evonitz realized he was already surrounded by the police, he committed suicide.
Where Is Kara Robinson From The Girl Who Escaped: The Kara Robinson Story Now?
After leading the police to Evonitz's home, Robinson received a reward money of $150,000 for helping solve the three murders. In the succeeding summers, she did administrative work with the sheriff's department. This eventually led her to start being involved in investigating child abuse and sexual assault cases.
When she met executive producer, Elizabeth Smart, and other survivors, Robinson decided to switch careers and become a victims' advocate. She now has two children with her husband, Joe Chamberlain.
Robinson also continues to be a public speaker. She hosts a podcast called A Survivor's Guide to True Crime and has a TikTok account where she shares how to heal from trauma.
In an interview with People magazine:
"I realized that up to maybe more than a third of our population of women are experiencing [some sort of trauma]. And they may never get the opportunity to sit down and to talk to someone who really understands what they went through. And I thought, if I can do that, if I can bring that to other women in some way, shape or form, that would just be the epitome of my purpose, if I could just help other people."
You can now watch The Girl Who Escaped: The Kara Robinson Story on Lifetime.
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