this is "nightline." tonight, eight years after a college student says she was raped, now the alleged confession. >> it's like he came to terms with that, that he did do it. >> how a facebook message may crack open the case. one woman's battle for justice. >> i'm immediately sent screen shots to the district attorney's office and i subject lined the email and said "is this enough evidence?" plus, mike tyson the knockout. a new abc docuseries. the rise, fall and redemption of the former heavyweight champ, from conquering the boxing ring to falling from grace. his complicated legacy. >> you've lived so many lives.

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one fateful night eight years ago change one college student's life forever. now she's hoping for her day in

court. she says a series of facebook messages from her alleged rapist amounts to a confession, and that could open a new door in her fight for justice. here is abc'ser ye aer >> reporter: last year she was on vacation with her boyfriend when she made a chilling discovery that started with "i need to hear your voice. i need to know if i did it or not. followed by i'll wait for you. i'll pray for you. and then the message that left her in shock. >> so i rape you'd. he kammes to terms that he did do it. >> when you saw the words come into your in box, what was your first thought? >> it was a validation. it's not every day someone gets a confession from and that no matter what, i had to pursue it again. >> what did you do with that information right after you got it? >> eldi tt night sent

screen shots to district attorney's office. and i subject lined the email and said "is this enough evidence?" >> it's been almost a decade, but she says that night in college is etched in her memory forever. at the time, she says she did everything she could, quickly telling friends and reporting her story to campus and local officials. but charges were never brought against the suspect she named. >> to have that confession, that really never happens. to have brand-new evidence come years later and crack a case wide open. >> but eight years later, she is hoping that alleged confession on facebook will be the missing piece she long waited for. >> my number one goal is for the prosecutor to press charges finally, and for me to get justice. i want this to go to trial. i want him to be held accountable. >> she was just completing her first semester at gettysburg college in pennsylvania. >> it's hard not to remember what happened on december 14th,

2013, because it's a day that changed my life. >> with winter break right around the corner, the lacrosse player and her friends were ready to celebrate. >> we're going out, having a good time, like normal college students do. >> it was a weekend night, and she says she made her way to a fraternity party. that's where she met a male student she says began paying close attention to her. what do you remember about your interactions? >> he just kept trying to dance with me. usually guys get the hint when you turn your head or try to walk away. he wasn't getting the hint. at one point he pushed me up against the wall and tried to kiss me. >> she says friends started to notice and came to her rescue. another student at the party said earlier that night she also had an alarming interaction with that same guy. >> we were playing drinking games together. he seemed fun. and then we started kissing and dancing, and then he grabbed my chest and my crotch and told me he wanted to take me away. and that's when a red flag just

flew up in my head. >> eventually keeler leaves the party, asking a friend to escort her back to the dorm room, not realizing that same student was following them. >> he whipped out $20 and said to my friend, let me have her, please, let me have her. >> what's the next thing you emember? >> i went to bed. i heard a knock on the door and opened it. and it was the kid. i didn't understand why he was there. i didn't understand why he wouldn't leave. so i text mid friends for help. and then he dead force himself on me and raped me and after he did that, he started crying and said "i'm sorry, i didn't mean to hurt you. i didn't mean to hurt you, did i hurt you?" and i said, "yes, you hurt me." and then he sprinted out of

there. >> as soon as he left, she says she started texting friends. >> and i was like i need help. >> she opened the door and just tears were running down her face, and she looked really upset. that's one of the worst thing i've ever seen in my life. >> keeler says after sharing with friends what had happened one of them rushed to seek help. >> her voice was shaking. she still had tears in her eyes. she managed to tell me exactly what it is that had happened to her. >> he was her resident assistant who lived down the hall. he says she eventually agreed to go and report this to campus public safety and then to the local police. rape kit. >> she took pretty much every step that she could. i don't know what else could have been done at that moment. >> in a statement, gettysburg college told abc we applaud our former student's bravery in continuing to bring these issues to light, adding we will continue to prioritize our

efforts around sexual assault awareness. we know this work is ongoing and far from complete. >> i am still trying to imagine she is still having to go through this. she is having to put herself at the forefront and essentially be an advocate for herself. the shannon who i knew in that semester was not the shannon i met in the first semester. >> i didn't want to be known as the girl that got raped. >> how did the college's public safety department handle your claims? >> they immediately contacted the witnesses, and then as soon as they started investigating and reached out to the perpetrator, he -- he dropped out of school. >> a gettysburg college investigative report obtained by abc news sites a written statement from him at the time with a general denial that he engaged in any actionable misconduct. the alleged suspect did not respond to abc news for comment. abc news is not identifying him since he has not been charged. keeler says despite her full cooperation with authorities,

the district attorney at the time shawn wagner declined to bring charges, saying the case would be hard to prosecute. >> and i said why? what do you mean you're not going to have evidence? and the district attorney at the time said when alcoho is involved, it's really difficult to prove that a sexual assault occurred. >> i feel as if this was the most perfect case in which the student survivor should have received justice. >> the executive director of the advocacy group end rape on campus. >> unfortunately, this is something that we see happen commonly across student survivors who are seeking justice. it's a form of institutional btrayal that they're enduring. >> that institutional betrayal had devastating ripple effects across keeler's friend group. you had your own experience with rape. why didn't you go to campus police? >> after having witnesses, a rape test kit, textual evidence,

and nothing happened, i thought why should i put myself through this? >> what do you think it will take for women who have been victimized to get justice? >> a change in the system where you don't feel like they alread come in for your interview. >> when it comes to sexual assaults or intimate partner violence, it's not as simple as going and reporting it. there is actually so much pressure that needs to be done from the community at large for our lawmakers and our law enforcers to be taking these crimes seriously. >> abc news reached out to the former prosecutor in keeler's case who is now a county judge. he declined to comment. but with this alleged confession via facebook messenger, keeler says she feels renewed hope. in a statement to abc news, the adams county districallegarerel active investigation as a result

of new evidence. >> law enforcers or prosecutors never prosecuted this individual. and they don't need more evidence to open up this case. but they have new evidence that certainly justifies it. >> has the statute of limitations expired for this criminal case? >> we're within the statute of limitations for the criminal case, but i'm worried. the district attorney is sitting on a confession. how long does it take to make a decision to bring a charge? >> why is this case particularly important to you? >> i think there has been a loft criticism in the criminal justice system for several decades now about failing rape victims, and i'm bluntly tired, i'm tired of that narrative. when i see cases like shannon's that are so strong and i see a survivor like shannon who is ready to put it all on the line, no matter what that takes from her, it really inspires me to push because my hope is there will eventually be a breakthrough that will eventually have prosecutors that care about victims. >> it's been eight years since

this alleged incident. did you imagine yourself in this spot speaking out? >> i wanted to. i was scared that people wouldn't believe me, that it would hurt my career, scared it would define me. >> there will be millions of women watching your story. what is your message to them? >> you're not alone. we together can help positively impact the broken system. >> our thanks to erielle. coming up, the knockout of mike tyson. who brought down the baddest man mike tyson. who brought down the baddest man on t remember when driving was fun. it was an act of freedom and inspiration. but somewhere along the line cars just got boring. you deserve a car that thrills you. like sports cars with three pedals. trucks that take you to incredible places. colorful crossovers. and cars loaded with technology. and there's a car company that believes that too. one that has been delivering thrills for over 80 years.

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mike tyson was nothing short of a king in the boxing ring. few could take him down, and yet his fall from grace was swift and in part self-inflicted. now the road to redemption, and a preview on the new abc documentary. here is my "nightline" co-anchor byron pitts. ♪ >> the former heavyweight boxing champ. >> tyson attacks immediately. >> famous for his ferocious fighting style. >> the upper cut, body shot, there he goes. >> infamous for his missteps outside the ring. >> look at me. >> his rise, fall and redemption, now chronicled in the two-part documentary "mike tyson: the knockout." >> mike tyson was called the baddest man on the planet because he was the baddest man on the planet. >> when mike tyson was 7 years old, his family living in abject poverty was evicted, f

outed stu int kl. there often left alone, he had to learn the art of survival. >> i grew up literally across the street from mike tyson. i'm from brownsville and so is mike. >> was so dangerous. i'm talking about gangs. i'm talking about girls disappearing. i'm talking about dead bodies being found in vacant lots. >> you got to worry about who going to take your sneakers, who want to take your bus pass. >> mike was taken in his early teens by boxing manager and tra trainer dematteau. he had a whole stable of young fighters he would take in. he would have a half dozen kids, maybe more living in his house. >> there it was the structure. you get up. you do work. you have to do chores around the house.

>> one took out the garbage. one shovelled the snow. one did this, one did that. >> and it became very much a home for mike tyson, which he had never really had. >> he soon trained mike to become a champion. tyson would win his first 19 bouts by knockouts. but even on his fast rise to the top, he seemed to sense it could disappear just as quickly. >> a sports figure, it's only this big, and when that's over, you're still a human being. i think at all costs you should improve as much as possible at being a better human being. >> in 1986, he became the youngest heavyweight champion of the world. the kid who grew up with nothing, he would soon have more than he knew what to do with. tyson went into a period where all of his worst instincts were indulged and encouraged. >> with ehad four penthouse apartments, three mansions, a lot of jewelry. people wanted to see. mike tyson just spent a million

dollars in gianni versace. >> he would go to nightclubs and grab women inappropriately. >> he married robin givens. she would later accuse him of domestic violence. >> what's it been like, this roller coaster? >> it's been pure hell. it's been worse than anything coy possibly imagine. i'm talking about every day it's been some kind of battle, some kind of fight. >> the pair divorced in 1989. a few years later, 18-year-old desiree washington accused tyson of rape. >> i begged. i cried. i did everything that i couldn't. and nothing worked. >> he was convicted of rape in '92 and sentenced to six years in prison. >> it looked to a lot of black people like this was another successful black guy who became too successful and the powers that be went to put him in his place. >> after serving three years of his prison sentence, tyson got back in the ring, staging a

series of comeback bouts, one in 1997 became legendary. >> halfway through that fight, i could see thingsike mike's conf was leaving. i could see that evander holyfield's confidence was constantly building. they were clashing a lot. >> in the first couple of rounds, he had been head-butted again. caused a huge gash over tyson's eye. >> he was screaming look what he did, look what he did, look what he did. looked through him like he didn't exist. and that's when mike lost it. >> and all of the sudden it wasn't mike tyson the champion. it was mike tyson from brownsville that got underestimated and didn't receive the proper love and guidance from home. and he didn't know what to do, except to bite. and bite he did. >> in a career filled with many ups and downs, this was perhaps

his lowest point professionally. in 2005, tyson retired from professional boxing. nowadays, he says, he is uncomfortable in the spotlight. >> if i was mike tyson, i would be talking bad to some people, being tough. i'm just not that guy anymore. >> last fall, mike told me he'd be back in the ring for an exhibition match against former champ roy jones jr. many wondered if they'd seen the return of the old mike tyson. the old mike tyson i would imagine was okay of the die of you having to die to be successful. but not mike tyson today? >> well, that guy, he didn't have any self-love or self-respect. so of course he don't want to live. this is a different guy. there is so much more i want to do for other people. >> adding he was a new man, one who was focused on hr. >> shake his hand. look at his face. look at his eyes. >> old school fathering. >> the bout with jones ended in a split decision.

>> hey, we have hot boxing. i'm mike tyson. >> these days tyson is concentrating on his podcast, business ventures and charity work, trying to follow his own words of wisdom and become that better man he wants to be. >> looking at your life, arrested 38 times by age 13. heavyweight champion of the world by 20. convicted of rape by age 30. you've lived so many lives. >> yeah, that's true. and there's people that have worse. and in spite they still succeeded. that's what i learned from life kicking my ass. i learned gratitude. >> and we can watch part one of the docuseries, "mike tyson: the knockout" tomorrow evening, 8:00, 7:00 central. only on abc. 8:00, 7:00 central. only on abc. up next, the i've got moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. now, there's skyrizi. ♪ things are getting clearer. ♪ ♪ i feel free to bare my skin yeah, that's all me. ♪

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>> wow. >> landing a move no woman gymnast has ever performed successfully in competition. the yurchenko double pike, a backhand spring vaulting into two back flips. wow. simone breaking new barrier, seemingly without breaking a sweat. >> it was really nerve-racking, but i'm just happy to be back out here competing on the competition floor and entering with all of the girls. >> nailed it. congratulations, simone. and that's "nightline." you can watch all our full episodes on hulu. we'll see you right back here same time tomorrow. thanks for staying up with us. good