Richard Evonitz: The Spotsylvania Serial Killer
Overview
Richard Marc Edward Evonitz was a serial killer who abducted, sexually assaulted, and murdered three teenage girls in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, between 1996 and 1997. For years, the slayings of Sofia Silva and sisters Kristin and Kati Lisk terrified the community and confounded a multi-agency task force. The cases remained cold until 2002, when Evonitz abducted a 15-year-old girl in South Carolina. Her remarkable escape and detailed memory of her captor provided the crucial break that identified Evonitz as the perpetrator. As law enforcement closed in, Evonitz fled and ultimately took his own life, leaving behind a trove of evidence that definitively linked him to the Virginia murders and closed one of the state's most painful chapters.
Early Life and Background
Richard Evonitz, who went by his middle name Marc, was born on July 29, 1963, in Columbia, South Carolina, to Joseph and Tess Evonitz. His childhood was reportedly dysfunctional. His father was described as a controlling alcoholic who was emotionally abusive toward the family. Evonitz graduated from Irmo High School in 1980 at the age of 16 and, after a brief period working as a Jiffy Lube manager, joined the United States Navy. He served for eight years as a sonar technician, earning a Good Conduct Medal before his honorable discharge.
After the Navy, Evonitz worked as a salesman for companies that sold air compressors and grinding equipment. He married twice, first to Bonnie Lou Gower in 1988, a marriage that ended in divorce in 1996. He and Gower lived in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, from 1993 to 1999. He later married Hope Marie Crowley in 1999.
Evonitz’s criminal history began before the murders. In January 1987, while stationed in Jacksonville, Florida, he exposed himself to a 15-year-old girl and her 3-year-old sister. He was arrested a month later and pleaded no contest, telling police he "had a problem masturbating in front of girls." He received three years of probation. He was also suspected, though never charged, in other sexual assaults in Virginia during the mid-1990s.
The Murder of Sofia Silva
On the afternoon of September 9, 1996, 16-year-old Sofia Marlene Silva was doing her homework on the front steps of her family's home in Spotsylvania County. When her sister went to check on her, Sofia was gone, leaving behind only her school notes and a can of soda. There were no signs of a struggle.
A massive search ensued, but it was not until about five weeks later, on October 14, that her decomposed body was discovered in a creek in neighboring King George County. She had been strangled. An autopsy revealed a chilling detail that would later become a signature of the killer: her pubic hair had been shaved. The case generated thousands of leads but remained unsolved, casting a pall of fear over the region.
The Murders of Kristin and Kati Lisk
Less than eight months later, on May 1, 1997, terror struck Spotsylvania County again. Sisters Kristin Michelle Lisk, 15, and Kathryn "Kati" Nicole Lisk, 12, vanished from their front yard after getting off their school buses. Their father came home from work to find Kristin's book bag lying on the lawn, but the girls were gone.
The community mobilized in a desperate search for the sisters. Five days later, on May 6, their bodies were found in the South Anna River, about 40 miles from their home. They had been sexually assaulted and strangled. Investigators noted similarities to the Silva case, including the fact that Kristin's pubic hair had also been shaved, leading them to believe a serial killer was at work. A joint task force of local, state, and federal investigators was formed, but despite examining over 10,000 pieces of evidence, the case went cold.
The Victims
- Sofia Marlene Silva, 16 — Abducted on September 9, 1996, from her Spotsylvania County home. A junior at Courtland High School, she dreamed of attending cosmetology school. Her body was found five weeks after she disappeared.
- Kristin Michelle Lisk, 15 — Abducted on May 1, 1997, along with her younger sister from their Spotsylvania County home. She was a friend and classmate to many who remembered her long after her death.
- Kathryn Nicole Lisk, 12 — Abducted on May 1, 1997, with her older sister, Kristin. Her disappearance from the safety of her own front yard left the community shattered.
The South Carolina Abduction and a Survivor's Escape
The break in the case came five years later and hundreds of miles away. On June 24, 2002, 15-year-old Kara Robinson was watering plants in a friend's yard in Lexington County, South Carolina, when Richard Evonitz approached her. Posing as someone selling magazines, he pulled a gun, pressed it to her neck, and forced her into a large plastic storage container in his car.
Evonitz took her to his nearby apartment, where he held her captive for 18 hours, repeatedly sexually assaulting her. Throughout the ordeal, Kara remained remarkably composed, memorizing details about her captor and his apartment, including his name from mail on the refrigerator, the name of his doctor, and the brand of cigarettes he smoked. While Evonitz slept, she managed to free herself from her restraints, unlock the front door, and escape. She ran to a nearby road and was taken by two men to the sheriff's office.
Investigation and Capture
Kara Robinson's detailed account immediately led investigators to Richard Evonitz. She guided them to his apartment and picked him out of a photo lineup. By the time police arrived, however, Evonitz had fled. Realizing his victim had escaped, he began a frantic drive south.
A massive manhunt ensued. While on the run, Evonitz called his sister, Jennifer, and confessed to having committed "more crimes than he can remember," including a killing. He arranged to meet her at a restaurant in Florida, but his sister contacted the police instead.
On June 27, 2002, police cornered Evonitz in Sarasota, Florida. As officers and a police dog closed in on his vehicle, Evonitz shot himself in the head with a .25 caliber handgun, the same weapon he had used to abduct Kara.
Aftermath and Legacy
Evonitz's suicide ended the manhunt but opened a floodgate of evidence. A search of his South Carolina apartment uncovered a lockbox containing newspaper clippings about the Lisk murders and handwritten notes with directions near their home. Investigators also found evidence that he had been stalking other girls in the Spotsylvania area.
The forensic evidence was overwhelming. On August 13, 2002, authorities announced that DNA and other scientific tests definitively linked Evonitz to all three Virginia murders. His hair was found on the Lisk sisters' clothing and on the rope used to bind Sofia Silva. Fibers from the furry handcuffs he used on Kara Robinson matched fibers found on all three Virginia victims. Most damningly, two of Kristin Lisk's fingerprints were found in the trunk of a car Evonitz had previously owned.
The resolution of the case brought a painful closure to the victims' families and the Spotsylvania community. The bravery and quick thinking of Kara Robinson were widely hailed; authorities called her a hero and credited her with solving the murders. She has since become a victims' advocate and public speaker, sharing her story of survival. The FBI continues to review Evonitz's movements during his time in the Navy and as a traveling salesman, suspecting he may be responsible for other unsolved crimes across the country.
