Latest news with #TheDullTruthAboutSerialKillers
Scottish Sun
07-08-2025
- Scottish Sun
I was watering plants in the front garden when a serial killer abducted me at 15, I was kept in a plastic box
CLOSE CALL I was watering plants in the front garden when a serial killer abducted me at 15, I was kept in a plastic box WHEN KARA Chamberlain-Robinson chose to help a friend by watering the flowers in her front garden, she had no idea of the horror that would ensue. Kara would soon find herself strapped to the bed with an unknown serial killer thanks to her good deed. Advertisement 4 Kara Robinson was abducted 23 years ago by a serial killer Credit: Instagram 4 Kara pictured as a young teen before her kidnapping Credit: Instagram 4 Robert Evonitz had already murdered three other young girls before Kara Credit: FBI She was just 15 at the time, and had spent the night at her friend's house when she decided to wake up early and help with some chores. That's when she noticed a white car pull up and a well-dressed man walking over to her. It was June 2002 in South Carolina, when Robert Evonitz approached her, claiming to be selling magazines. He asked if her parents were home, and Kara said it wasn't her house but her friend's mum was inside working. Advertisement Robert approached her, saying he would give her the magazines but as he stepped closer she noticed a pistol gun in his right hand that he held to her neck. She recalled: "He told me if I screamed, he would shoot me. "I was in disbelief, I couldn't really believe it." Kara assumed people would see what was happening as she was on a neighbourhood street and made her way to his car. Advertisement Inside, a large plastic container covered the back seats and he ordered her to get inside. From that point on, Kara repeated one thing to herself 'gather information, wait for him to be complacent, escape.' The Dull Truth About Serial Killers She attempted to pay attention to each turn he made, but once they got on the motorway, she realised there was no point in keeping track. Robert then drove off the motorway, pulling up at a secluded spot where he bound Kara's wrists, gagged her and placed the lid on the container she was squeezed into. Advertisement It was the absolute worst feeling knowing that I'm in this container, this close to people and they have no idea that I'm here. Kara Robinson-Chamberlain "It was like a supernatural calm came over me and I was able to keep a level head," she says when recalling the kidnapping on I Survived. "He wanted my fear and he wanted me to cry and he wanted me to yell and scream. And I wasn't going to give him that satisfaction." Kara remembers that he began to drive again, stopping after 20 minutes and carrying the container, which she was trapped in, inside his flat. "I could hear people like the sounds of people, cars, people talking. I could hear that outside of the container," she explained. Advertisement "And it was the absolute worst feeling knowing that I'm in this container, this close to people and they have no idea that I'm here." 4 Kara took note of her surroundings, hoping she'd escape and catch Robert Credit: Instagram HOUSE OF HORRORS Once inside with the door locked, Robert lifted the lid of the container and untied Kara before taking her to his bedroom which was filled with S&M equipment and paraphernalia. On the way, Kara did everything she could to memorise every detail of what she saw, from the magnets on his fridge to the caged animals he owned. Advertisement Kara even disarmed him by offering to clean his flat, but it didn't work. Instead, he ordered her to remove her clothes and to take a shower, then he sexually assaulted her. With a gun next to the bedside table, Kara had no choice but to do what he said. Robert often asked Kara why she was so calm and didn't seem upset, he even promised to let her go. Advertisement What Kara didn't know at the time was that Robert had already abducted three other girls, and killed them. As the hours passed, Kara was allowed in the bathroom and she noticed items a woman would use in there. She studied each one, realising the hairbrush was filled with red hairs that weren't from Robert, but his wife's, who was on holiday at the time. When she would call, Kara was under strict instructions to get back into the container and not say a word. Advertisement "He put me in the container again and gagged me and tied me and put the lid on. I was in there for at least 30 minutes," she said. "I began frantically sobbing at one point because I couldn't breathe. He came in there and was very angry and asked me, 'What is the problem? Why are you sobbing? I told you you can't make noise.' 'I told him it's because I couldn't breathe. So at that point, he took the gag out of my mouth and he left the top off. And he said, 'I'm going to do this, but you can't scream.' And so he went back and continued his phone conversation. 'And I didn't make a noise. And I just stayed there." Advertisement After the phone call, he made Kara take Valium and cannabis with him before tying her to the bed by her legs and arms. He fell asleep beside her. THE ESCAPE Miraculously, Kara woke up before him in the morning and she thought: "This is it. This is the only chance you're going to get." Kara worked carefully to free her wrists using her teeth to cut the ties and then was able to get her ankles free as well, all while Robert slept beside her in the same bed. She moved to the living room, where she was able to put her clothes back on and grab her bag before unbolting the two locks on the front door and running. Advertisement 'I know he has the gun right beside him, and he's going to see me running, and he's going to shoot me in the back — that's all I could think,' she told People. 'And I was like, 'You know what? It doesn't matter because I'm out, and at least someone will be able to find him.'" As she rushed out of the block of flats, she saw a white car and flagged them down. " I had handcuffs dangling from one hand and I had a leg restraint on one of my legs. I jumped out in front of the car and there were two men in it," she recalled. Advertisement "They were bewildered. They looked at me like, 'What is going on? And I said, 'I was just kidnapped. I was raped. Take me to the police station.'" Kara's mum was called and told her daughter had been found, 18 hours after the kidnapping, and quickly went to collect her. But Kara's determination to live and find Robert meant she was able to take the police back to the apartment block and find him. While there, they came across a maintenance worker for the block of flats, and she described what she saw inside, such as a woman with red hair and lots of animals. Advertisement He knew exactly which flat Kara was talking about. By the time police got there, Robert had fled, but he was caught three days later at a roadblock. Instead of being arrested, a car chase ensued and Robert decided to evade justice by killing himself with a gunshot to the head. At first, Kara was angry he wouldn't face the justice system, but after a few days realised it was better than having to re-live through what happened to her. Advertisement As police searched his apartment, they realised Kara was not the first victim. Who are the UK's worst serial killers? THE UK's most prolific serial killer was actually a doctor. Here's a rundown of the worst offenders in the UK. British GP Harold Shipman is one of the most prolific serial killers in recorded history. He was found guilty of murdering 15 patients in 2000, but the Shipman Inquiry examined his crimes and identified 218 victims, 80 per cent of whom were elderly women. After his death Jonathan Balls was accused of poisoning at least 22 people between 1824 and 1845. Mary Ann Cotton is suspected of murdering up to 21 people, including husbands, lovers and children. She is Britain's most prolific female serial killer. Her crimes were committed between 1852 and 1872, and she was hanged in March 1873. Amelia Sach and Annie Walters became known as the Finchley Baby Farmers after killing at least 20 babies between 1900 and 1902. The pair became the first women to be hanged at Holloway Prison on February 3, 1903. William Burke and William Hare killed 16 people and sold their bodies. Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe was found guilty in 1981 of murdering 13 women and attempting to kill seven others between 1975 and 1980. Dennis Nilsen was caged for life in 1983 after murdering up to 15 men when he picked them up from the streets. He was found guilty of six counts of murder and two counts of attempted murder and was sentenced to life in jail. Fred West was found guilty of killing 12 but it's believed he was responsible for many more deaths. SERIAL KILLER Robert had killed three other girls; Sofia Silva and sisters Kati and Kristin Lisk. The girls, who ranged in age from 12 to 16, all went missing in the mid-1990s. Richard kept newspaper clippings about their abductions in a locker in his apartment, and authorities later found both fingerprint and DNA evidence connecting him to the crimes. Advertisement There was already a reward for anyone who could find information leading to the capture or the identification of who killed these girls. Because of Kara's information that led to their killers' identity, she was awarded the £112,000 which she used to put herself through university. LIFE NOW Kara went on to become a sheriff in the police force after completing her studies, where she also met her husband, Joe Chamberlain. She has since left the force and became a public speaker as she raises her three children. Advertisement It's what made me who I am. And it led me to where I am today. Kara Robinson-Chamberlain Kara is also active on TikTok and Instagram, and hosts a podcast, Survivor's Guide to True Crime, with Kimberly Corban, who survived a sexual assault in 2006, per her website. 'I always knew that what happened to me was something that happened so that I could help other people,' Kara told People. 'I knew that if I wanted to help people, I needed to tell my story in a way that I was proud of.' "Being kidnapped is a horrible thing, but it's something that happened to me," Kara adds. Advertisement "It's what made me who I am. And it led me to where I am today. I survived because I was able to keep a calm demeanor."
The Irish Sun
20-06-2025
- The Irish Sun
My serial killer dad stopped horrific sex attack to call & wish me happy birthday…then sent me X-rated letters from jail
EVERY family has a secret, but none so dark as Donna Carr's. For almost 50 years she has tried to hide the fact that her dad was a serial killer, rapist and paedophile. 15 Donna, pictured with her daughter Hailey, lives with her husband Jim, right, in West Virginia and has been taunted by her dark family secret for 50 years 15 Donna's dad was serial killer, rapist and paedophile Robert Frederick Carr III 15 Donna, 60, pictured with Hailey, who lives in Wyoming, says now her dad is dead, she finally feels free of him 15 Baby Donna pictured with her dad Robert 15 Joanne, Donna's mother, was subjected to 'horrific abuse' by her dad while she was growing up Robert Frederick Carr III was arrested in 1976 for raping a hitchhiker - and then shocked detectives by confessing to four rapes and murders, and six further rapes. He'd kept his first victim, a 16-year-old girl, captive in a forest for 10 days, raping her throughout before finally strangling her. He also picked up two 11-year-old boys who were hitchhiking, raped them, strangled one and killed the other four days later. During one of his sickening sex attacks, evil Carr told his victim that he had to stop so he could find a payphone to call Donna to wish her a happy birthday. Donna was just 12 years old when his twisted crimes - nearly all of which involved children under the age of 18 - were exposed, and along with her mother and younger brother, she was vilified in her local community. They were forced to live their lives in the shadow of their father's horrifying crimes, bearing the stigma of being the children of a sadistic killer. When teenage Donna refused to go and see her father in prison, sickeningly this led Carr to send sexually explicit letters to his own daughter from his cell. He died in prison of prostate cancer, aged 63, and after years of hiding her family's devastating secret, Donna decided to bring it out into the open in the hope of making peace with her heritage. Donna, from West Virginia, says: 'That is the secret I have been keeping my entire life and it has affected every aspect of my life. "I honestly feel like it is time for me to move past this. It happened when I was 12 and I am now 60 and I am tired of it hanging over my head. 'I honestly think that there are some mental illnesses that you are born with. I honestly do believe that some people are just born evil -and I think my father was one of those people.' The Dull Truth About Serial Killers In the years before he was caught, Carr - a TV repairman and car salesman - was constantly on the move, trying to out-run his evil crimes. For most of Donna's childhood she lived out of her father's car as he moved the family from state to state. He kept them under tight control, subjecting her mother to horrific abuse and making sure they never stayed in one place long enough to put down roots. 'The memories with my father, there are very few that are good,' she recalls. 'They were mostly bad. He always had an underlying anger about him... when I was 12 my dad was actually caught in the process of a rape and he was arrested, and that was when he decided to tell them that he had murdered four people, raped and murdered them. 'When he had one of his victims he told her he had to stop and find a payphone to call me for my birthday, and I remember that phone call. I honestly think that there are some mental illnesses that you are born with. I honestly do believe that some people are just born evil - and I think my father was one of those people Donna Carr 'I've always felt horrible for what he did. It bothered me for a very long time, when this came out I was no more than 13 years old and it had been all over the national news. 'For years I was afraid of sharing my story and that is because my father was still alive in prison. He is dead now. "One of the reasons this became such a family secret is because every time I shared the information, immediately I no longer mattered. It became about what he had done, and so I stopped talking about it.' 'Long line of bad men' 15 Prior to being caught, Robert kept his family on the move (pictured with Donna's mum) 15 Donna grew up in a 'controlled' home with her mother and younger brother 15 Young Donna was 12 when her dad was finally caught 15 Robert admitted to raping and murdering four people Credit:15 State police remove a body found in a 4ft-deep grave after Robert showed Florida officials the location Thirty years ago Donna decided to begin searching her family history in the hope she would find someone good from her ancestry to help her put to bed the horrors of her father. Donna, who is married to husband Jim and has a 27-year-old daughter, Hailey, says: 'Family means everything to me. "I started doing family history research because I wanted to find somebody in my family who was good, who was a little bit better along the Carr family line, because my father is a serial killer.' She adds: 'I just think that to know that not everybody in that line of family was bad... that at some point in time there was somebody I could've looked up to.' But Donna had her work cut out, coming from a "long line of not very good men". Her grandfather spent time in prison for a grand-theft auto charge. But her 10-year search also led her to a man she suspected was her great-great-grandfather, Nicholas Carr. Donna hoped that he would be the kind, family man she longed for in her family's history. I started doing family history research because I wanted to find somebody in my family who was good, who was a little bit better along the Carr family line, because my father is a serial killer Donna Carr But there were two Nicholas Carrs - so a new documentary for Acorn TV, called Relative Secrets with Natasha explains: 'I think Donna found comfort in looking at the genealogy, trying to find someone who was relatively good in all the other male figures of her family line. She had been doing it for 30 years. "She had folders and folders of all the information she had collated over that time. She was just trying to find an answer. "It took her 10 years to find Nicholas Carr, but there were two of them and she couldn't find which one was her ancestor, which is where we came in. 'She was carrying that surname and it was tainted by all these abusive men.' 15 Donna believes her father, pictured, was simply 'born evil' 15 Donna, pictured in her late teens, started researching her family history to find someone 'good' Natasha's team of experts uncovered that the Nicholas Carr who matched her family tree had travelled alone from Ireland, where he was born, to New York by ship in 1853, just after the end of the potato famine. As Donna's DNA revealed she had very few ancestors left, they believed Nicholas fled Ireland after losing his entire family to the famine. But that wasn't the end of his tragedy, In 1866 he had an altercation with a neighbour that ended in bloodshed and Nicholas Carr spent a year in prison in 1867 for manslaughter. Donna says: 'Hearing that is a little gut-wrenching. The last thing I wanted to find in my family history was another person that was a murderer.' Reformed character But unlike many prisoners at that time, Nicholas didn't attempt a prison escape, even when his young daughter died. He stayed and served his sentence - and tried to atone for his crime in the most unusual way. Natasha says: 'He stopped the other prisoners trying to escape. And he made a record of all the prisoners which he gave to the police. Prison records were not well-kept at the time.' A letter from the local sheriff was published in the local newspaper declaring: 'We are indebted to Mr Nicholas Carr for a list of prisoners confined in the county jail since last 24 October with the nature of their crimes.' Natasha says: 'Courage and honour. Like Donna, Nicholas was brave enough to confront his past.' Despite his conviction for manslaughter, he became Detective Carr and opened up his own detective agency, the first of its kind in Wilmington where he lived. And Natasha's team found more than 100 newspaper articles detailing how Nicholas Carr went on to help people. Natasha says: 'There are so many - a child went missing, within two weeks he found her. A young lad who wanted to go to Ireland to meet his family. He went to buy a ticket and was scammed of his money. "What did Nicholas Carr do? He went and found who scammed the young man and got the money back and got him on the ship to go to Ireland. He has gone above and beyond for his community. 'There is respect associated with his name, and we see it built up over a decade. We can see his determination and perseverance for justice, wanting to help his community.' Robert Frederick Carr III's crimes ON May 30, 1976, Carr was caught by police while he was raping a hitchhiker at knifepoint. On his arrest he shocked detectives by confessing to four murders, explaining the crimes in detail. Tammy Ruth Huntley, 16, vanished while waiting for her mother to pick her up. Carr drove her from Miami to Mississippi. On April 7, 1972, after raping her over the 10 days he kept her captive in the woods, he strangled her, saying, "I killed her because she looked like she was getting despondent.' In late 1972 Carr visited Florida, and on November 13 that year he picked up 11-year-old friends Todd Payton and Mark Wilson, who were hitchhiking from North Miami Beach. The inside back doors in the car were disabled and the boot was filled with food, jars of petroleum jelly, and a shovel. Carr raped the boys and strangled Payton. Four days later he strangled Wilson. In 1973, Carr was convicted of rape in Connecticut and sentenced to four to eight years in prison, but was paroled in 1976, after serving less than three years. Upon his release in Connecticut, he would kill his fourth and final victim, 21-year-old Rhonda Holloway, before burying her body in a rural area. Carr confessed that after Tammy Huntley's murder he raped an additional four girls and two boys. Only four were reported, for which he was charged and pleaded guilty. He was sentenced to life in prison for the rapes and murders. He died of prostate cancer in prison in 2006. David Simmons, the detective who arrested Carr, said: "In my 33-year career in law enforcement, Carr ranks as the most dangerous child sexual predator-murderer I ever investigated." A tearful Donna says: 'A developing city needed him. Not bad for a hungry boy from Ireland. "I needed this. I do have a father and what he did is horrific. But I didn't do it. 'I have had to out-run this my entire life, so learning about Nicholas and finding out what kind of person he was is just amazing to me. "I know he is the good one in the family line. He was a human and he was part of the community and loved. 'I believe I am drawing closer, learning to deal with emotions. Letting it out for the first time in my life has been therapeutic and difficult, but good.' Natasha adds: 'It is hard enough to read about it, let alone speak to someone who is the daughter of a serial killer, and that being her defining phrase that has always gone with her, she can't escape it. 'I just had so much respect for Donna, that she was able to live through that, overcome it, and also see that it was not normal, and break the cycle, make her own path - and also to tell others that if you have been through trauma, you can get through it.' Relative Secrets with Jane Seymour is streaming now on Acorn TV. 15 Donna with her husband Jim and daughter Hailey 15 Relative Secrets is hosted by Natasha Billson, left, and Jane Seymour, right Credit: Deirdre Brennan/AcornTV 15 Relative Secrets is streaming now on Acorn TV Family Credit: Deirdre Brennan/AcornTV
