Over two decades after having been kidnapped at gunpoint in broad daylight as a teenage girl, a survivor recounted the astonishing story of how she escaped a serial killer. Her act of bravery helped solve the murders of multiple girls.
Kara Robinson Chamberlain, from South Carolina, USA, has quickly become a viral internet sensation over the last week after sharing her survival story of how she was held captive for nearly 24 hours, enduring sexual abuse and then escaping serial killer Richard Evonitz’s wrath.
Highlights
- Kara Robinson Chamberlain, kidnapped at 15, escaped serial killer Richard Evonitz after almost 24 hours of captivity.
- Kara's viral TikTok videos detailing her abduction and escape have amassed over 4.1 million views.
- Evonitz drugged and sexually assaulted Kara before she executed her escape by unfastening a leg restraint and fleeing while he slept.
Trigger warning: sensitive content
Taking to her TikTok page on Tuesday (June 25), the 37-year-old posted two lengthy videos highlighting the 22nd anniversary of surviving her kidnapping.
“In 2002, when I was 15 years old, I was [kidnapped in my] friend's front yard by a man I would later find out is a serial killer,” Kara began part one of her story.
Kara Robinson Chamberlain shared her survival story of how she escaped serial killer Richard Evonitz
Image credits: Kara Robinson Chamberlain
In the video, which amassed over 4.1 million views, the mom-of-two recalled spending the night at her best friend’s house before being asked to water her friend’s mom’s flowers while she took a shower.
“I volunteered to go out and water the plants for her, that was a decision that forever changed my life,” Kara said.
Shortly after lending a helping hand, the survivor-later-turned-investigator took notice of a car in the neighborhood.
She explained: “I noticed the car because I was 15, I was getting ready to get my license, and I was paying attention to cars, trying to decide what kind of car I wanted to drive.”
Image credits: Kara Robinson Chamberlain
A man, who turned out to be the infamous Richard Evonitz, went on to pull directly into her best friend’s driveway, stepped out of his vehicle, and asked if any parents were around to take some magazines.
“During this whole interchange, he maintained a respectable distance from me,” Kara said. “There's no red flags going off at any point during this conversation.”
The situation quickly changed when Evonitz pressed a small caliber gun onto the then-teen, forcing her into a plastic container in the back of his car.
“I felt that weapon pressed into my neck. I immediately went into fight or flight,” Kara recalled.
Taking to her TikTok page, the 37-year-old posted two lengthy videos highlighting the 22nd anniversary of surviving her kidnapping
Image credits: Kara Robinson Chamberlain
She continued: “I inherently knew that I was going to survive.
“I had a gut feeling. I'm going to survive, I'm going to escape, and I began praying that I would find an opportunity to do so.”
Eventually, Evonitz carried the container with Kara into his property, where he drugged her before holding her captive for 18 hours.
Image credits: Kara Robinson Chamberlain
Evonitz kept his victim in the plastic container with a ball gag in her mouth, but Kara convinced her capturer to remove the lid and the gag following a panic attack while the criminal was on the telephone.
“I later found out he was calling his wife [who] was out of town,” the resilient woman said.
Kara, who was handcuffed and attached to a rope tied to her capturer’s bedframe, waited for Evonitz to fall asleep before attempting to escape.
In the video, which amassed over 4.1 million views, Kara recalled being kidnapped in broad daylight
Image credits: Kara Robinson Chamberlain
In the second part of her story, the motivational speaker said she was able to disconnect the carabiner that connected the leg restraint and slid out of captivity in the early hours of the morning when Evonitz was still asleep.
She recalled: “I went to the front door, and it was more or less barricaded with just stuff.
“I moved that as quietly and as quickly as I could, threw the door open, and ran.”
Upon freeing herself, Kara ran outside toward a car driven by two men, who stopped to assist her. They further brought her to a police station.
After confirming her identity, the survivor helped law enforcement identify the apartment complex she had been held captive in.
Kara was subsequently brought to a hospital for examination, followed by an interrogation where she identified Evonitz “immediately” from a photo lineup.
The offender ended up going on the run. Nevertheless, on June 27, 2002, Evonitz called his sister, Jennifer, admitting to having committed "more crimes than he [could] remember" before arranging to meet her at an IHOP in Jacksonville, Florida.
Later that day, Evonitz was surrounded by police on Bayfront Drive in Sarasota, Florida, where he was urged to surrender peacefully, but after a police dog was released, the murderer shot himself and was declared dead at 10:52 p.m.
Richard Evonitz kept his victim in a plastic container with a ball gag in her mouth
“It's not something that defines me, it is something that shapes my life,” Kara concluded.
Subsequent investigation revealed that Evonitz had previously lived in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, and a search of his residence uncovered forensic evidence identifying Evonitz as the offender responsible for the murders of Sofia Silva (September 9, 1996) and Kristen and Kati Lisk (May 1, 1997) in Spotsylvania County, a document released by the FBI revealed.
Earlier this month, Evonitz’s former wife, Bonnie Lou Gower, also took to her TikTok page to recount her own experience being married to the killer.
According to her video, Bonnie married Evonitz when she was 17 years old, and the pair divorced when she was 25.
She said that when she was married to her second husband, she learned through the FBI that Evonitz murdered three girls. 20 years later, she allegedly learned he murdered multiple additional people before and during their marriage.
In a follow-up video, Bonnie said the pair met through his younger sister, whom she was friends with.
Bonnie further revealed that she wrote a book about her unique marriage and that she was looking for a publisher.
In addition to becoming married with two children (and two dogs), Kara has become a speaker, traveling across the country to motivate others using her experience and years of work in law enforcement, as per her official website.
On November 11, 2023, the survivor's story was portrayed in a Lifetime movie entitled The Girl Who Escaped: The Kara Robinson Story, in addition to a documentary entitled Escaping Captivity: The Kara Robinson Story, which she directed.
"Remarkable bravery," a reader commented
