Who was Richard Evonitz? Meet the American serial killer, kidnapper and rapist who kidnapped Kara Robinson in the C5 film

RICHARD Evonitz was an American serial killer who kidnapped and raped young girls.

The monster plays a role in the true crime thriller The Girl Who Escaped: The Kara Robinson Story – here’s everything you need to know.

Who was Richard Evonitz?

Richard Marc Edward Evonitz was an American serial killer, kidnapper and rapist.

He was responsible for the deaths of at least three teenage girls in Spotsylvania County, Virginia.

When he realized that his latest victim had escaped from the house where he was holding her captive, he fled to Florida.

However, thanks to the testimony of the girl who escaped, law enforcement was able to locate Evonitz, and after he was surrounded by police, he killed himself.

Investigators later discovered notes in his apartment with the addresses of other young girls and their descriptions.

People who knew him described Evonitz as a well-respected, married Navy veteran — he was twice awarded the Navy Good Conduct Medal.

However, according to the Washington Post, he had previously been in trouble with the law for masturbating in front of a teenage girl.

How long did Richard Evonitz keep Kara Robinson captive?

In 2002, Kara was watering flowers alone in her friend’s front yard in the middle of the day when a man pulled into the driveway.

The strange man asked Kara, then 15, if he could give her some magazines.

She opened up about what happened to her in the 2021 true crime documentary Escaping Captivity: The Kara Robinson Story.

“He leaned over to hand it to me,” she recalled in the two-hour special.

“As he leaned in, I felt a red flag somewhere in my head, and at the same moment I felt that red flag, I felt a gun pressed to the side of my neck.

Kara remembered studying everything about her captor and his belongings as she lay in his room with her hands and ankles bound.

“I can’t explain where it came from, there was just this voice telling me that my options were to do as I was told and flee and survive or panic and fight and maybe to die,” she said.

While I was being attacked, it felt like something had happened to someone else. I kind of turned off my brain and left my body

Kara RobinsonEscape from Captivity: The Story of Kara Robinson

“So I resolved to stay as calm as possible for as long as possible.”

At some point, Kara remembered that there was a weapon nearby, but she thought twice about it before realizing that “there was little chance that I would win this fight.”

The next morning, with her captor asleep in bed next to her, Kara managed to free herself from the bonds and run out of the house.

Outside, she managed to flag down a car and have the two men in the vehicle drive her to the Richland County Sheriff’s Department.

Kara was held captive by the murderer for a total of 18 hours.

Looking back, the mother of two said her story is one of hope.

“Even the negative things that happen to us, we can decide if that’s something that defines us or if it’s something that refines us,” she said.

“It’s about choosing your path forward, taking that power back into your own hands and reclaiming your life.”

Who were Richard Evonitz’s victims?

Evidence found by police in his apartment linked Evonitz to the kidnappings and murders of three girls besides Kara – Kati Lisk, 12, Kristin Lisk, 15, and 16-year-old Sofia Silva.

Sofia Silva

Sofia Silva, whose goal was to attend cosmetology school, was sitting on her family’s doorstep doing homework when Evonitz kidnapped her on September 9, 1996.

According to the New York Daily News, her older sister was present within the next few hours but heard nothing.

Police initially treated the case as a missing person case until Silva was found dead in a swamp for about five weeks.

Kati Lisk and Kirsten Lisk

The Lisk sisters were kidnapped from their garden by Evonitz on May 1, 1997.

Kirstin was just finishing her first year of school and enjoyed playing soccer, while Kati enjoyed drawing and playing the clarinet.

Their bodies were found in a nearby river several days later, with investigators suspecting the killings were related to Silva’s killings.

Kara Robinson

On June 24, 2002, Kara Robinson was kidnapped from her friend’s front yard in broad daylight by Evonitz.

But the next morning, she heroically escaped while the killer slept and led the police to the killer.

When did Richard Evonitz die?

Evonitz fled to Florida after realizing that Kara had escaped his clutches.

But her testimony led to the police tracking him down.

After being surrounded by police during a chase, Evonitz took his own life on June 27, 2002 at the age of 38.

Where can I watch The Story of Kara Robinson in the UK?

You can watch The Girl Who Escaped: The Kara Robinson Story on Channel 5.

It will be broadcast on Saturday, May 11, 2024, between 10:00 p.m. and 11:40 p.m.

Don’t worry if you miss it – you can watch the film after it airs on the channel’s streaming service My5.