Richard Evonitz
Encyclopedia
Richard Marc Evonitz was a serial killer
, kidnapper
, and rapist
responsible for the deaths of three girls in Spotsylvania County, Virginia
and the abduction and rape
of a 15-year-old girl in Richland County, South Carolina
. Evonitz has been suspected of other murders, and confessed a number of crimes to his sister shortly before committing suicide
.
to Joseph and Tess Ragin Evonitz. He was the first of three children; two sisters, Kristen and Jennifer, followed him in 1968 and 1971. Known as Marc to avoid confusion with a paternal uncle also named Richard, he graduated from Irmo High School
in 1980 at age 16.
before joining the United States Navy
. He served as a sonar technician
and received a Good Conduct Medal
before being honorably discharged after eight years of service.
Following his stint in the Navy, Evonitz worked steadily at businesses that sold compressors and grinding equipment. He filed for bankruptcy
in 1997, unable to keep up with bills following a divorce, and had a house foreclosed on in 1999 following a failed business venture, but at the time of his death had been working at an air-compressor company since moving to South Carolina a few years earlier.
and masturbated
in front of a 15-year-old girl in Orange Park, Florida
. He was arrested a month later when his ship returned to port, pleaded no contest
and was sentenced to three years' probation
.
Evonitz is suspected of a 1994 abduction and rape and a 1995 rape in Massaponax, Virginia
.
On September 9, 1996, Evonitz abducted 16-year-old Sofia Silva from her front yard near Loriella Park in Spotsylvania County. Her body was found a month later in a creek off State Route 3
in King George County
.
Sisters Kristin and Kati Lisk, ages 15 and 12, were abducted from their front yard near Spotsylvania Courthouse
on May 1, 1997; their bodies were found five days later in the South Anna River
near Old Ridge Road in Hanover County
.
On June 24, 2002, Evonitz abducted a 15-year-old girl from a friend's yard in Columbia, South Carolina
. He took her to his apartment, tied her to his bed and raped her repeatedly. While he slept that night, the victim was able to free herself, escaped and was able to identify her attacker to police. Evonitz fled after finding her gone, ending up surrounded by police in Sarasota, Florida
.
was released; after being bitten multiple times, Evonitz shot himself and was declared dead at 10:52 p.m. Following the return of his body to his family, his remains were cremated
and scattered over the Saluda River
.
Serial killer
A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
, kidnapper
Kidnapping
In criminal law, kidnapping is the taking away or transportation of a person against that person's will, usually to hold the person in false imprisonment, a confinement without legal authority...
, and rapist
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
responsible for the deaths of three girls in Spotsylvania County, Virginia
Spotsylvania County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 90,395 people, 31,308 households, and 24,639 families residing in the county. The population density was 226 people per square mile . There were 33,329 housing units at an average density of 83 per square mile...
and the abduction and rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
of a 15-year-old girl in Richland County, South Carolina
Richland County, South Carolina
Richland County is a county located in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The 2000 U.S. census recorded its population to be 320,677. In 2010, the U.S. Census Bureau recorded that its population had reached 384,504. It is the second most populous county in South Carolina, behind only Greenville...
. Evonitz has been suspected of other murders, and confessed a number of crimes to his sister shortly before committing suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
.
Early life and education
Richard Marc Edward Evonitz was born at Providence Hospital in Columbia, South CarolinaColumbia, South Carolina
Columbia is the state capital and largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The population was 129,272 according to the 2010 census. Columbia is the county seat of Richland County, but a portion of the city extends into neighboring Lexington County. The city is the center of a metropolitan...
to Joseph and Tess Ragin Evonitz. He was the first of three children; two sisters, Kristen and Jennifer, followed him in 1968 and 1971. Known as Marc to avoid confusion with a paternal uncle also named Richard, he graduated from Irmo High School
Irmo High School
Irmo High School is a four-grade public high school in Irmo, a suburb of Columbia, South Carolina. Around 2,000 students are enrolled in any single year...
in 1980 at age 16.
Career
After high school, Evonitz worked briefly as the manager of a Jiffy LubeJiffy Lube
Jiffy Lube is a chain of over 2,000 businesses in North America offering oil changes and other automotive services. The company is based in Houston, Texas, and is a subsidiary of Shell Oil.-History:...
before joining the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
. He served as a sonar technician
Sonar Technician
Sonar Technician is a United States Navy occupational rating.ST's are responsible for underwater surveillance. They assist in safe navigation and aid in search, rescue and attack operations. They operate and repair sonar equipment...
and received a Good Conduct Medal
Good Conduct Medal
The Good Conduct Medal is one of the oldest military awards of the United States military. The Navy Good Conduct Medal was first issued in 1869, followed by a Marine version in 1896. The Coast Guard Good Conduct Medal was issued in 1923 and the Army Good Conduct Medal in 1941. The Air Force was...
before being honorably discharged after eight years of service.
Following his stint in the Navy, Evonitz worked steadily at businesses that sold compressors and grinding equipment. He filed for bankruptcy
Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal status of an insolvent person or an organisation, that is, one that cannot repay the debts owed to creditors. In most jurisdictions bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor....
in 1997, unable to keep up with bills following a divorce, and had a house foreclosed on in 1999 following a failed business venture, but at the time of his death had been working at an air-compressor company since moving to South Carolina a few years earlier.
Criminal career
In January 1987, Evonitz exposed himselfIndecent exposure
Indecent exposure is the deliberate exposure in public or in view of the general public by a person of a portion or portions of his or her body, in circumstances where the exposure is contrary to local moral or other standards of appropriate behavior. Indecent exposure laws vary in different...
and masturbated
Masturbation
Masturbation refers to sexual stimulation of a person's own genitals, usually to the point of orgasm. The stimulation can be performed manually, by use of objects or tools, or by some combination of these methods. Masturbation is a common form of autoeroticism...
in front of a 15-year-old girl in Orange Park, Florida
Orange Park, Florida
Orange Park is a town in Clay County, Florida, USA, and a suburb of Jacksonville. The population was 8,412 at the 2010 census. The name "Orange Park" is additionally applied to a wider area of northern Clay County outside the town limits, covering such communities as Fleming Island, Lakeside, and...
. He was arrested a month later when his ship returned to port, pleaded no contest
Nolo contendere
is a legal term that comes from the Latin for "I do not wish to contend." It is also referred to as a plea of no contest.In criminal trials, and in some common law jurisdictions, it is a plea where the defendant neither admits nor disputes a charge, serving as an alternative to a pleading of...
and was sentenced to three years' probation
Probation
Probation literally means testing of behaviour or abilities. In a legal sense, an offender on probation is ordered to follow certain conditions set forth by the court, often under the supervision of a probation officer...
.
Evonitz is suspected of a 1994 abduction and rape and a 1995 rape in Massaponax, Virginia
Massaponax, Virginia
Massaponax is an unincorporated community of Spotsylvania County, Virginia USA, just east of Spotsylvania Courthouse and just about 4.5 miles south of the Four Mile Fork area. During the mid-1990s the big pull to this area was the Massaponax Outlet Center, home to a number of retail outlet chains...
.
On September 9, 1996, Evonitz abducted 16-year-old Sofia Silva from her front yard near Loriella Park in Spotsylvania County. Her body was found a month later in a creek off State Route 3
Virginia State Route 3
State Route 3 is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of Virginia that extends from the town of Culpeper south and eastwardly to Gloucester in Virginia's Middle Peninsula region...
in King George County
King George County, Virginia
As of the census of 2010, there were 23,584 people, 9,411 households, and 4,525 families residing in the county. The population density was 93 people per square mile . There were 6,820 housing units at an average density of 38 per square mile...
.
Sisters Kristin and Kati Lisk, ages 15 and 12, were abducted from their front yard near Spotsylvania Courthouse
Spotsylvania Courthouse, Virginia
Spotsylvania Courthouse is an unincorporated community and the county seat of Spotsylvania County, Virginia, located ten miles southwest of Fredericksburg. Recognized by the U.S...
on May 1, 1997; their bodies were found five days later in the South Anna River
South Anna River
The South Anna River is a principal tributary of the Pamunkey River, about long, in central Virginia in the United States. Via the Pamunkey and York rivers, it is part of the watershed of Chesapeake Bay....
near Old Ridge Road in Hanover County
Hanover County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 86,320 people, 31,121 households, and 24,461 families residing in the county. The population density was 183 people per square mile . There were 32,196 housing units at an average density of 68 per square mile...
.
On June 24, 2002, Evonitz abducted a 15-year-old girl from a friend's yard in Columbia, South Carolina
Columbia, South Carolina
Columbia is the state capital and largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The population was 129,272 according to the 2010 census. Columbia is the county seat of Richland County, but a portion of the city extends into neighboring Lexington County. The city is the center of a metropolitan...
. He took her to his apartment, tied her to his bed and raped her repeatedly. While he slept that night, the victim was able to free herself, escaped and was able to identify her attacker to police. Evonitz fled after finding her gone, ending up surrounded by police in Sarasota, Florida
Sarasota, Florida
Sarasota is a city located in Sarasota County on the southwestern coast of the U.S. state of Florida. It is south of the Tampa Bay Area and north of Fort Myers...
.
Marriage and children
Evonitz was married twice, first to the former Bonnie Lou Gower from 1988 to 1996, then to the former Hope Marie Crowley from 1999 until his death. He had no children.Death and afterward
On June 27, 2002, Evonitz was surrounded by police near the waterfront in Sarasota, Florida. He was urged to surrender peacefully but kept a pistol in his hand until a police dogPolice dog
A police dog, often referred to as a "K-9 dog" in some areas , is a dog that is trained specifically to assist police and other law-enforcement personnel in their work...
was released; after being bitten multiple times, Evonitz shot himself and was declared dead at 10:52 p.m. Following the return of his body to his family, his remains were cremated
Cremation
Cremation is the process of reducing bodies to basic chemical compounds such as gasses and bone fragments. This is accomplished through high-temperature burning, vaporization and oxidation....
and scattered over the Saluda River
Saluda River
The Saluda River is a principal tributary of the Congaree River, about 200 mi long, in northern and western South Carolina in the United States...
.
External links
- Suspect kills self during police standoff
- 3 Slain Girls' Cases Closed; Fibers, Prints Tie Dead Man to Spotsylvania Killings
- Spotsylvania Awaits Closure in Slayings; Probe of S.C. Man Continues; Community Forever Changed
- As Police Closed In, Evonitz Admitted Crimes to Sister
- Detectives Fear Other Victims; Police Retrace Steps Of Girls' Abductor
- http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/washingtonpost/access/891568621.html?dids=891568621:891568621&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Sep+4%2C+2005&author=Ian+Shapira+and+Maria+Glod&pub=The+Washington+Post&edition=&startpage=C.08&desc=End+of+Trial+Fails+To+End+Uncertainty%3B+Family+Seeks+Justice+in+%2796+Va.+Killings%2C+While+Man+Wants+to+Clear+His+NameEnd of Trial Fails To End Uncertainty; Family Seeks Justice in '96 Va. Killings, While Man Wants to Clear His Name]
- Fredericksburg.com - Lisk / Silva Archive