We live in a strange world, a world where “s*x” is taboo but “rape” is common. A world where most people have a broken moral compass but are quick to judge those few who raise their voices to protest against wrongdoings. There are numerous cases of abduction, murder, rape, and sexual and physical assault that are taking place every day. It is heartbreaking how often the victims of such assaults are kids and teenagers. We also have seen examples of strict punishments by law for such crimes; sadly, however, we have also witnessed the delay in justice and no justice for such cases at all. Rape is considered to be the most heinous crime. But we also witnessed the gruesome rape and murder in Delhi in the case of “Nirbhaya,” where justice was delayed for so long that the punishment felt unjustified. Numerous other cases around the globe shook us to see how patriarchy shoves down women. Strangely enough, when a girl or a woman is raped, she is supposed to live the rest of her life hiding from the world, as if she had done something wrong, and the rapist, until proven guilty, is free to roam around.
Simone Stock’s film “The Girl Who Escaped: The Kara Robinson Story” highlights a similar point. In the painful real-life story, we see the abduction and rape of a teenage girl who fights with her inner self and her society, which asks her to treat her the way she was before she was raped. The heartbreaking story is a reminder that the society we live in mostly consists of people who still haven’t evolved morally. Before we discuss the film in detail, here is the true story of Kara Robinson.
Spoilers Ahead
Who Is Kara Robinson?
Kara Robinson was a regular 15-year-old girl who was living in her friend’s house the morning before she was abducted. The South Carolina girl was watering the plants in her friend’s garden when a car approached. The kidnapper pulled up in the car and walked to her, asking if her parents were home. The young, innocent girl told the truth, and the man held her at gunpoint and forced her to get into the car with him. This horrible situation took place way back in 2002.
What Happened To Kara Robinson?
The kidnapper asked Kara to get inside a box that could barely fit her. Shocked and helpless, Kara followed his instructions. However, Kara was smart and brave enough to memorize every little thing she could about the man, his behavior, and what little of the car she could see. The man drove her away from where she used to stay to an apartment complex where the man used to live. Before carrying the box where Kara was, the man stopped to tie her down and gag her so she could not cry for help. After carrying her inside, the man took down Kara’s details and sexually assaulted her over and over again for 18 hours.
While she was the hostage, Kara tried to remember everything she could about the man and his apartment. While the man fell asleep, Kara could free herself and escape. She was found outside the society and was taken to the police by two strangers. There, Kara gave vivid and detailed descriptions of the man and his apartment. Due to Kara’s information, the police were able to find out about her kidnapper, Richard Evonitz.
Who Was Richard Evonitz?
Richard Marc Edward Evonitz was an American serial rapist and killer who preyed on young teenage girls. He was responsible for the deaths of three teenage girls in Spotsylvania County, Virginia. Evonitz’s criminal records show that he was first seen masturbating in public in front of a 15-year-old girl in 1987 in Orange Park, Florida. He was booked in and sentenced to three years’ probation. On September 9, 1996, he abducted another 16-year-old girl, Sofia Silva. He sexually assaulted her and decomposed her body in a creek off State Route 3 in King George County. Again, on May 1, 1997, he abducted sisters Kristin (15) and Kati Lisk (12) from their porches and, after sexually assaulting them, dumped their bodies in the South Anna River. The bodies were found five days later. He was also suspected of murder in 1994 and rape in 1995 in Virginia’s Spotsylvania. Finally, on June 24, 2002, he abducted and raped Kara Robinson. He committed suicide after the police surrounded him but confessed to three murders to his sister before his death.
‘The Girl Who Escaped: The Kara Robinson Story’ Ending Explained
The serial killer and rapist Evonitz abducted and sexually assaulted Kara multiple times. Finally free from his torture, Kara finds herself angry and deeply pained by how her world changed around her. A teenage girl is not supposed to stay at home and have constant monitoring as to what she is doing. She wanted to live freely, cheer her boyfriend on in his matches, go hang out with her friends, and not have police and family hovering over her head constantly trying to protect her. Kara gets furious and is expected to behave in a certain way which she is not according to society. Kara’s mother, of course, is worried about her and asks her to stay back home as the police have yet to capture the assaulter. Kara says that it was she who faced the wrongdoing and got herself out on her own. All she needs right now is to live her life and not be constantly reminded of the perils she has been through.
Finally, when the news of Evonitz’s suicide came up, Kara was upset that she and many others like her would not receive justice. She said to the investigating officer that she wanted the man to be held in court, where she would look him in the eye and say how he had scarred her beyond repair but still he could not crush her spirits.
The film is an amazing depiction of what happens to rape victims and how intensely they want to break free from this identity. It is the rapists who should be ashamed and should hide away from the lights of life, not the one who is raped. Kara, at a very young age, decided to live beyond the misery she was forced into, which many, even today, are scared of.