Kara Robinson was abducted at gunpoint from her front yard in 2002 and forced into a storage container before being driven back to her captor’s apartment where she was drugged and sexually abused.
With her strength of nerve and photographic memory, she was able to assist law enforcement in identifying her attacker and bring justice upon him. The Girl Who Escaped chronicles this incredible tale.
1. Her courage and strength
15-year-old Kara Robinson was watering flowers in her friend’s front yard on June 24, 2002 when an unknown individual pulled up in their car and kidnapped her, driving her back to their apartment where he held her captive and sexually raped her for 18 hours – an unfathomable ordeal that has become an inspiration to other victims and survivors alike. But her courage and strength has become a beacon of hope to many others going through similar circumstances.
Kara immediately started gathering information about her abductor, including what radio station he listened to, the cigarettes he smoked and the turns her car took on its way home. Her sharp mind and survival instincts allowed her to escape captivity even while drugged and raped by Evonitz; after fleeing when he went to sleep she provided police with valuable leads on him which eventually led them directly to Evonitz; suspected of killing three girls from Virginia before ultimately shooting himself during a high-speed pursuit by police forces during an extreme high speed pursuit chase with them when Evonitz shot himself during high speed pursuit with police during high speed chase with police forces before ultimately shooting himself during high speed pursuit of police pursuit by Evonitz himself during high speed chase with police forces during one such encounter he shot himself during high speed chase with police during one such chase!
Kara is well-known among trauma survivors for her advocacy work as well as being an influential TikTok influencer with over 431,500 followers who come for her messages on true crime, trauma and coping. She has spoken openly about her traumatic experience across various platforms and remains dedicated to sharing it when appropriate.
“Elizabeth Smart inspired her to continue sharing her story so as many people can hear it and understand its importance,” according to PEOPLE. This documentary, due for release later this year on Oxygen, will show just that. She told PEOPLE, that Smart had motivated her to keep sharing it and ensure it reaches as many audiences as possible.
2. Her story made waves on the internet
Kara Robinson was 15 when she was kidnapped by an unknown individual from her best friend’s front yard and sexually abused for 18 hours by someone living at his apartment building. Kara eventually managed to escape and lead police officers directly to her captor; thus stopping his killing spree and becoming an inspiration and symbol of courage for many others who had experienced similar situations.
In 2021, she joined Elizabeth Smart – who made headlines with her own kidnapping survival story dramatized in 2017’s I Am Elizabeth Smart – to executive produce Oxygen’s two-hour documentary Escaping Captivity: The Kara Robinson Story. During it she detailed how she outwitted her captor by studying every detail of their behavior: from what radio station they listened to while driving back home, memorizing his doctors and dentist names and memorizing every turn the car took in driving back – before breaking free and running away in pursuit.
After being captured again, she led police directly to Evonitz’s apartment and they discovered evidence linking him with the unsolved murders of Sofia Silva and Kati and Kristin Lisk in Virginia’s Spotsylvania County. Authorities pursued him into Florida where, during a high-speed pursuit, he ran over spike strips on a highway before ultimately taking his own life by driving over them himself.
Since then, she has continued her advocacy work for victims of child abuse and human trafficking, working with various organizations to reach their goals. Additionally, she boasts 431,500 followers on TikTok where she shares posts related to true crime stories, trauma healing techniques and dealing with her own experiences.
3. Her story inspired many people
Kara Robinson Chamberlain, 15, was watering flowers in her friend’s front yard when an individual in a car approached offering pamphlets before drawing a gun and forcing her into an unlocked storage bin behind his Trans Am.
Kara was kidnapped and held captive for 18 agonizing hours by serial killer Richard Evonitz, but she refused to surrender easily. Kara began memorizing details about Richard Evonitz’s behavior and habits – such as which radio station he liked listening to, how many turns his car made on its return trip, as well as noting identifying marks such as doctors or dentists listed on his fridge door.
Kara was able to lead police directly to Evonitz’s door through her remarkable memory, eventually arresting and shooting himself after an intense high-speed chase through Florida and Virginia before finally being caught after kidnapping and murdering three more girls, including sisters Sofia and Kati Lisk in Virginia. Thanks to Kara’s quick actions and extensive information gathering skills, justice was served for these victims’ families.
As a result of her ordeal, Kara decided to enroll in the police academy and later become a Richland County deputy sheriff. Specializing in investigations of child abuse and sexual assault cases, she even served as resource officer at various schools.
Kara has become an advocate for trauma survivors by sharing her harrowing experience publicly and joining Elizabeth Smart, who had a similar one, for a Lifetime documentary. Although speaking out can still be painful for her at times, she feels it’s essential that people know they can survive trauma and ultimately thrive as adults.
4. Her story set a standard for how similar situations should be dealt with
Kara Robinson is an exceptional young woman who has overcome her ordeal of kidnap to overcome its effects and use her story as an inspiration to others in similar circumstances. Her movie has inspired millions around the world who watched it, while she has become an advocate for trauma survivors with public speeches on trauma issues as well as writing several books on true crime (Survivor’s Guide to True Crime podcast and books on true crime topics), as well as co-producing the Lifetime film Escaping Captivity alongside Elizabeth Smart.
At 15 years old, Kara was abducted from her best friend’s front yard in South Carolina by a stranger with a gun to her neck. They drove her back to their apartment where the perpetrator sexually raped and assaulted her for 18 hours before she managed to escape and identify Richard Evonitz (Kristian Bruun), an individual responsible for three other unsolved murders involving young girls.
Once she had managed to escape her attackers, Kara quickly realized that she could not allow their attack to win. She began remembering specific details about their captor such as which radio station he listened to or the number of turns his car made back home, using these memories to distract their attackers while then escape his apartment.
The film is based on Kara’s true story and does an outstanding job of telling it. Katie Douglas played Kara to perfection while Kristian Bruun portrayed her kidnapper very convincingly – an absolute must-see for fans of true crime movies!
5. Her story gave people hope
Kara’s story was an immense source of hope for others, giving them faith that they could too survive something devastating. She disproved common stereotypes that survivors were weak or incapable of healing themselves, showing everyone just how brave and strong survivors can be despite perceived limitations. Her escape further demonstrated there were still good people out there; and since her escape she became a voice for other victims and survivors as she advocated for more empathy and kindness within society.
Kara was a regular girl from an extremely loving family until one day an unthinkable crime forever changed her life. She was kidnapped by a serial killer and held captive for 18 torturous hours before she managed to gain back her captor’s trust by sweeping their kitchen floor and memorising their doctors and dentist names. Luckily for Kara she managed to escape and survive from this ordeal and eventually return home after managing to gain trust by cleaning their floor regularly and remembering them off by heart!
After her escape, she helped police locate and arrest her rapist. She even led them back to his apartment using information she’d memorised, such as what kind of cigarettes he smoked or radio station he preferred – in addition to being able to identify him from a photo array.
Kara has since used social media and speaking engagements to assist other survivors, serving as both a police officer and child and sexual assault investigator. Recently, she joined forces with Elizabeth Smart to produce a Lifetime movie based on her harrowing experience which will premiere February 12th. Kara hopes to share her story in order to give hope and inspire people to fight for justice; believing she lived through something special for a reason; it is her mission to spread that message.