‘I used to be kidnapped by serial killer, however one key act let me escape alive’
WARNING, DISTRESSING CONTENT: Kara Robinson Chamberlain was just 15 when she was kidnapped by serial killer Richard Evonitz, who had murdered three young girls – but she managed to escape and bring him to justice
A 15-year-old girl outsmarted a Navy veteran who worshipped Ted Bundy, chanting one simple mantra to herself repeatedly during 18 hours of torment and sexual assault.
Now mum to three children, Kara Robinson Chamberlain’s world was changed forever while tending to plants in her friend’s front garden in June 2002. Richard Evonitz, 38, approached the teenager offering her some “pamphlets.
“He said, ‘Are your parents home?’ and I said, ‘Well, this isn’t my house. This is my friend’s house,’ ” Kara told People. “And he said, ‘Okay, well, what about her parents, are her parents home?’ And I said, ‘No, her mom’s not home right now.'” Evonitz then brandished a gun, pressed it against her neck and bundled her into a large storage container in the rear seat of his motor, transporting Kara to his flat where he restrained her with handcuffs and gagged her.
But Kara remained calm, remembering how many corners he turned, the serial number on the plastic box and even which radio station was playing. During those 18 hours, Kara would outfox the bloke, repeating her mantra: “Gather information, wait for him to be complacent, escape.”
She memorised fridge magnets, the caged creatures he kept and attempted to build a connection by offering to tidy his flat. The man shared his home with his second wife, who was away at Walt Disney World during the abduction, according to The Washington Post.
Then Kara spotted her opportunity – Evonitz had fallen asleep. She said: “Fear barely even kicked in … the human will to survive and the survival mechanism really just can’t be underestimated.”
She managed to free one hand from a pair of handcuffs using her teeth and released a leather leg restraint at the foot of the bed, slipping through the front door after undoing two locks and racing across the car park.
Thankfully, she encountered two men who escorted her to the police station.
She recalled her thoughts during her daring escape: “I know he has the gun right beside him, and he’s going to see me running, and he’s going to shoot me in the back – that’s all I could think.”
She added: “And I was like, ‘You know what? It doesn’t matter because I’m out, and at least someone will be able to find him.’ My body was scared, but my brain was like, ‘Okay, we’re just about business. We’re doing this.'”
Kara guided police back to Evonitz’s hideout, but when officers reached the location – the perpetrator had vanished. Authorities uncovered evidence tying the ex-serviceman to the unsolved killings of three Virginia youngsters – Sofia Silva and sisters Kati and Kristin Lisk, all aged between 12 and 16.
Disturbingly, Evonitz had kept press cuttings about their kidnappings, which all took place in the 1990s. Officers found fingerprint and DNA evidence linking him to the offences.
“At that point, bells really went off in our heads that we just didn’t have a kidnapping of Kara Robinson,” stated Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott. “This was something else. This was actually a serial killer.”
After two days on the run, police traced Evonitz to Florida where a high-speed chase concluded with the serial killer driving over spike strips on the motorway.
Before taking his own life as police closed in, the 38-year-old phoned his sister, confessing to murdering more than three individuals and committing “more crimes than he can remember,” according to the Richland County Sheriff’s Department. It was at this moment that Kara’s life transformed, realising her courage had provided families with the answers they deserved.
“It was one of the most important things that’s ever happened to me,” Kara expressed. “Because it brought home the importance of what I did. I felt like, ‘Wow, I’m actually giving these families something that they never would’ve gotten without me.’ Just the closure of knowing that the person responsible for their daughters’ death is no longer here.”
Evonitz’s family disclosed he worshipped serial killer Ted Bundy. Yet his first wife, Bonnie Lou Gower, has revealed through a string of TikTok posts that she was completely unaware of her husband’s sinister double existence.
She even questioned the FBI about how she missed all the warning signs. “Their answer to me was that serial killers are usually sociopaths, and sociopaths are really good at compartmentalizing,” Gower explained in a TikTok clip.
“So, it’s really easy for them to hide things.”
She continued: “In fact, if I had seen signs, then he wouldn’t have been a sociopath, and he probably wouldn’t have gotten away with the crimes the way that he did.”
Following her remarkable escape, Kara chose to enter law enforcement. She went on to serve as a school resource officer and handled cases involving child abuse and sexual assault investigations before becoming a mum, her website states.
Kara is now married to Joe Chamberlain and they share two sons and a daughter together. She subsequently left her position to concentrate on delivering “hope and encouragement to other survivors.”
For emotional support, you can call the Samaritans 24-hour helpline on 116 123, email [email protected], visit a Samaritans branch in person or go to the Samaritans website.
