A woman who managed to survive an encounter with a serial killer has recently taken to TikTok to empower other victims of crime and violence, and share advice on how people can stay safe from criminals and predators.
Kara Robinson Chamberlain, who served as a police officer for a time, was captured and held captive by murderer Richard Evonitz for over 18 hours when she was just 15-years-old.
On June 24, 2002, Kara was watering flowers at a friend's house, when a strange man pulled into the driveway. This man was Evonitz: a prolific rapist who had already killed three young girls between 1996 and 1997.
In a 2018 appearance on Crime Watch Daily, Kara told interviewer Elizabeth Smart that Evonitz held a gun to her and forced her into a car and drove her to his apartment.
Kara was repeatedly sexually assaulted but managed to escape her restraints and rush out of his home while he was asleep, and flag down a passing motorist, who escorted her to the police. Evonitz fled to Sarasota, where he committed suicide before he could be apprehended.
Despite her brutal experiences at the hands of Evonitz, Chamberlain decided she wanted to become a police officer, and specialized in rape and child abuse cases.
After the birth of her children, she left the forces to pursue a career in motivational speaking and has now taken to social media to help save more lives and advise others on how to live with their own trauma.
Take a look at Kara's interview with Elizabeth Smart in the video below:Discussing her police training in a recent interview with Buzzfeed News, Kara stated:
"[The other students] all kind of surrounded me with support and love, like, 'Wow, we are so proud of you. It was a very supportive environment for me to be in ...I didn't really feel any different than anyone else would have."
She added:
"Bad things can happen, but it's not the end of the world. We get to choose when something negative happens, do we let it destroy us or do we let it make us a stronger person."
If you or someone you know has been affected by the issues raised in this article, then please do not hesitate to contact the National Centre for Victims of Crime, or Victim Support Services, for help and confidential advice.
