Is ‘The Girl Who Escaped: The Kara Robinson Story’ on Lifetime a True Story? What to Know About the Real Kara Robinson

This weekend’s ripped from the headlines movie is The Girl Who Escaped: The Kara Robinson Story. The new Lifetime movie stars Katie Douglas (Ginny & Georgia) as Kara Robinson, a teenager who escaped from her kidnapper’s apartment and then used information she gathered to lead the police to where she was being held captive. The movie comes from executive producer Elizabeth Smart, herself a survivor of a kidnapping whose story made its way to Lifetime in the television movie I Am Elizabeth Smart.

As with many Lifetime movies, The Girl Who Escaped proclaims to be based on true events — but what really happened to Kara Robinson? Here’s what we know.

Is The Girl Who Escaped: The Kara Robinson Story based on a true story?

Yes, The Girl Who Escaped: The Kara Robinson Story is based on a true story.

What is the true story of Kara Robinson and her escape?

In West Columbia, SC on June 24, 2002, 15-year-old Kara Robinson was watering plants in her friend’s front yard when a car pulled up. Out stepped a man in his late thirties offering to hand out a pamphlet. He asked Robinson if her parents were home, and when she responded that this was her friend’s house and her friend’s mother was not around, the man pulled out a gun and forced her into a storage bin in the back seat of his Trans Am.

Robinson immediately started to commit details of her kidnapping to memory, including the radio station he listened to, cigarettes he smoked, and how many turns the car made on its way back to the kidnapper’s apartment. Once inside the apartment, she memorized the names of a doctor and dentist on the man’s fridge. He assaulted Robinson for 18 hours. Afterwards, Robinson gained her abuser’s trust by offering to do chores around his apartment — and it worked.

While the man was sleeping, Robinson was able to free a hand and leg form their restraints and slip out the front door. She found two people in the parking lot who took her to the police. That’s where all of the information she gathered came into play, and the police quickly identified their suspect: Richard Evonitz. But when they reached Evonitz’s apartment, he’d already fled.

Who was Richard Evonitz?

While searching his apartment, the police discovered newspaper clippings detailing the unsolved murders of three other girls: Sofia Silva and sisters Kristin Lisk and Kati Lisk. Like Robinson, Sofia, Kristin, and Kati were all abducted from their front yards and found dead days later. The cops had a serial killer on their hands.

They tracked Richard Evonitz to Sarasota, FL where a high speed chase led to a confrontation with the police. As they surrounded Evonitz, he committed suicide.

Where is Kara Robinson now?

For leading the police to evidence that helped them solve three murders, Robinson received $150,000 in reward money. She spent the next few summers doing administrative work with the sheriff’s department and eventually started to work in investigating child abuse and sexual assault cases. It wasn’t until she met Elizabeth Smart as well as a number of other survivors that she decided to switch careers and get into public speaking and advocacy. You can follow Kara Robinson Chamberlain’s work on social media via Instagram.

Is there a Kara Robinson documentary?

Yes. Robinson’s story was told in documentary form in Oxygen’s Escaping Captivity: The Kara Robinson Story in September 2021. If you missed it then, you can watch it when it airs on Lifetime on February 11 at 10 p.m. ET.

The Girl Who Escaped: The Kara Robinson Story premieres on Lifetime on Saturday, February 11 at 8 p.m. ET

If you or someone you know needs to reach out about sexual abuse or assault, RAINN is available 24/7 at 800-656-HOPE (4673), or online at RAINN.org.