to what you were saying earlier, being your own person. but also, you know, knowing that there are certain expectations really quick miles before we go. is everyone in your family funny? they're pretty funny. yes, yes. they don't try to be. and i think that's what makes them the funniest. okay. there's a lot of just and then also we try and make sure my sisters laugh weird. and if you push them hard enough to laugh, they might pee. so that's always the kind of like everybody's like, all right guys, let's go. let's see if we can make it happen again this year. and we usual do. so everybody ry to o o o o i'm anna garcia right now on true crime news. a 15 year old girl is kidnaped at gunpoint by a serial killer. >> he restrained my wrists and my ankles and then gagged me, assaulted and tortured for 18 hours. >> but somehow she managed to escape. >> i wanted him to know that choosing me, that was his

biggest mistake. >> then an update on a story we first brought you on true crime news. the mysterious death of rising tiktok star april holt. her mom cracked the case, but now she says the killer's confession is a slap in the face. >> once again, i feel like they're failing my family. they're failing. april. >> first up today, a crime story that shocked everyone. kara robinson was just 15 when she was kidnaped by a serial killer. thankfully, not only did she survive, she led police to the monster who abducted her. it's a warm june morning in lexington, south carolina, and 15 year old kara robinson is at her friend's house making teenage plans. >> we woke up that morning and it was kind of like, what are we going to do today? and we thought that it might be a good idea to go to the lake. my friend called her mother to ask

if there was anything that she needed to do before we left the house, and her mom said, yeah, i just need you guys to water the flowers before you leave. and that's pretty much it. >> kara's friend goes inside while kara helps with the simple chore. >> so i was watering the flowers, you know, like i hadn't even gotten dressed to go. like i was still in, like, pajamas, basically. so like a t shirt and some shorts. and i noticed a car drive by. it pulled into the driveway and car parked, and a guy got out and he was just wearing a button down shirt that was like tucked in and a baseball cap. and so he came over to me and he said, is your mom or dad home? and i said, no, this is not my house. this is my friend heather's house. and he said, okay, well, what about her mom? is her mom here? i said, no, she's not here right now. >> at that moment, it all goes from friendly to violent. >> he came with a handgun and put it to the side of my neck. >> the stranger forces kara into a rubbermaid container in the

back of his car at gunpoint. >> my only thoughts were prayers to god t i. i would find a way out, but curled up in a fetal position and tied up in a dark container, kara's will to survive kicked in. i needed him to believe that that i wasn't going to try anything, so i just went along with him. he restrained my wrists and my ankles and then gagged me. and then he actually put the lid all the way on at that point, the stranger drives kara in the darkness for a while before dragging the rubbermaid container into a strange, quiet place. he drove for maybe ten 15 minutes before he stopped, and when he stopped, he opened the container and i could see just kind of like he pulled over off the side of the road where maybe there were some trees or something, and that was like the first time that he spoke to me. he opened the container and he

said, you know, i'm going to take the gag out. i'm going to take the restraints off. but remember that i'm the one with the gun. you can't scream. don't try to escape. >> they are in an apartment, his apartment. >> at one point he said, we're going to watch the news and we're going to see if you're on the news. let's see if anyone misses you. >> and although kara doesn't know exactly where she is, she has a plan to gather as much information on her captor as she can. >> i was, you know, trying to read his mail. i was looking at the magnets on his refrigerator, and i knew who his doctor was. i knew who his dentist was. and i knew, you know, the serial number from the inside of the rubbermaid container. i knew that i was going to escape. i wanted to learn about him. so i did try to have some conversation with him. he had some lizards and some fish and like some like a small zoo, basically in this apartment, lots of little animals. and you know, i asked him about those. i got him on the topic of he was in the military and found out that he was discharged from the

navy. >> the man engages kara in conversation too. >> he was cordial to me. like, that sounds so crazy. but he was. he was polite. >> but that conversation quickly gets personal. >> he asked me a bunch of questions and was writing down the answers. my name and whose house i was at and if i had any previous sexual experience. if i had a boyfriend and wrote it all down as abductor and abductee, each conduct their desperately different fact finding missions, kara prepares herself for the inevitable. people don't kidnap young girls and not sexually assault them like it's just not so. i knew that was coming. >> and for the next several hours, kara experiences the unthinkable. eventually, her captor tires of sexually assaulting her. he tries to bolster her strength. >> he said, you know you're going to be here a couple of

days, so at some point you're going to have to eat. and he made me smoke marijuana with hi, and he gave me a valium. >> lulled into complacency, her captor gets some rest, but not before securing his hostage. >> he put handcuffs on my wrists and he had a rope coming up from the like the bed frame and on the end of the rope there was one of those like c clamps. and so that was attached to my handcuffs. so my hands were kind of up here. and then i had a restraint on my right leg, which was attached to the bottom of the bed, the bed frame there. and then he was just kind of like, okay, we're going to go to sleep. and he was right next to me. >> but kara remains patient and observant. then early the next morning, she sees her opportunity. up next, the harrowing details of kara's escape. >> i just thought for some reason, he was going to wake up and he was going to shoot me. >> and ow she l cops to a killer. when we come back.

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>> on the next true crime news, a bride to be murdered. what? her final moments on surveillance rev l ther

bounced from one doctor to the next. does it have to be like this? at kaiser permanente, we have a different kind of healthcare... so, how did you like doctor lum? ...where all of us work together for all that is you. >> i woke up before the sun. even, and i heard him still sleeping. >> kara robinson's rapist is next to her with a loaded gun, and she is chained and bound to the bed, but with her captor sleeping, she realizes this is

her one chance to get free. >> my hands were kind of up here and so the first thing that i did is i tried to kind of reach my hand to unscrew that. that c clasp, and i couldn't quite do it. so there was just enough room that i could kind of get it to my mouth. and i used my teeth to unscrew it. i still had my hands in handcuffs and then i was able to kind of slowly wiggle down to my ankle enough to unattach that from the bed. and then i just kind of slid out of bed and without waking him u, still handcuffed, kara makes her way across a cluttered apartment to make her escape. got my clothes back on and i went into the living room, went to the door and at the front door, right beside the door, there was like a coat closet and it had one of those accordion style doors on it, and it was metal.

and so, you know, that's like a noisy door. and there was stuff kind of like the vacuum cleaner and the rubbermaid container was also right there in like the little foyer area. and so i moved the container, i pushed the vacuum in and unlocked the door. and i knew that that door was going to make noise. so basically in 1 in 1 motion, i closed the door and opened the other one. i just knew he was going to wake up when he heard that, and i knew he was going to be able to see me. so i just did it as fast as i could. and i ran in bare feet. >> kara runs for her life. >> i just thought for some reason he was going to wake up and he was going to shoot me through the window, but i was out breathlessly. >> kara flags a passing vehicle. >> i ran out in front of the car and waved my arms and stopped them and went to the driver and said i was just kidnaped. i just came from that apartment and i turned. it was the guy in that apartment right there. so remember it, you know, they were

of course like shocked, you know, a young girl with handcuffs dangling, you know, just ran out in front of their car. >> the driver takes kara to the local sheriff's station, where deputies contact her mother. >> the most emotional part was whenever they called her, they said, we have your daughter. and i could hear her over the phone. i could hear her say, kara, you have kara. and that was one of the most emotional moments for me. >> while in captivity. kara was determined to remember the details. the magnets on his fridge, his mail, even the serial number inside the container she was kept in. it helps police find their way back to the apartment. >> i knew that there was a woman living there. i knew that she had red hair, you know, because i saw the long red hair and the hairbrush. so whenever we were able to go back to the apartment complex and i wasn't able to point out the specific apartment there was, you know, like a property manager riding around on a golf cart. and so the investigator stopped him and said, this is the information that we have. do you know what

apartment it is? and the apartment manager was like, yep, i know exactly what apartment that is. >> by the time cops arrive, he's gone. but they quickly learn the apartment is shared by a former navy veteran, richard mark givani, and his wife. >> we had not heard of richard. he was not on our radar at all. >> investigators discover a metal footlocker in ivana's apartment. they realize he might be a monster hiding in plain sight. >> one of the things in that footlocker was a newspaper from spotsylvania, virginia, and the headline was that these two sisters bodies had been located in a river. there. and that was pretty telling based on the circumstances involving kara, him having that newspaper sheriff's contact, the fbi, and a manhunt begins. at this point in time, we had a dangerous individual. we believed he was armed. i received word that his phone was in the jacksonville, florida area, so we knew he was heading south. >> cops spot him and a

high-speed chase ensues. >> we receive word that he had been stopped in sarasota, florida. >> evonitz pulls a gun. >> he did not comply with police commands. a k-9 was sent to the car. >> he puts the gun in his mouth and pulls the trigger. >> i remember just hoping that they could catch up with them, because i wanted to have my day in court across from him. i wanted him to look at me across the courtroom and know that choosing me, that was his biggest mistake. >> while kara never gets her day in court, her quick thinking does help close other cold cases of murdered young girls. >> we were able to forensically link evonitz to the disappearance and murder of the two sisters in spotsylvania, including a third abduction and murder of 16 year old sophia silva in the same county. we don't have too many serial killer serial rapists that come

onto our radar, and that's what evonitz was. >> the richland county sheriff's department recognizes kara for her crucial role in helping stop a serial killer. they even hire the then high schooler to help out around the office. not surprisingly, when the time comes for kara to pick a career, she finds herself a cadet in law enforcement. >> i was actually in class at the academy and the instructor started teaching on my case at the end of the class, i went up to her and i said, i just want you to know that kara is me. and her face just turned blood red and she was just like, oh my god, i'm so sorry. so at that point, she then told other people in the academy leadership and they came to me and they were like, we want to nominate you for an award at the academy.

then i was given an award for courage and bravery at the academy at my graduation. i think that to say you're a victim, then someone took something from you. nothing was taken from me. i refused to give that man that power. i will say that i am who i am because of what happened to me. but it did not make me who i am. >> kara was awarded $150,000 by law enforcement for helping close the cases of evonitz other victims. today, she remains a speaker and advocate for women survivors of violent crime. next, a grieving mom helps solve her daughter's murder, but her fight for justice only leads to more heartbreak. >> i am not happy with this decision. i was very caught off guard. >> whether because of discomfort, lack of mobility, your lifestyle or occupation, you sit inactively way too many

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>> closed captioning and other considerations for true crime news provided by what is circle? >> circle is the fuel you need to take flight. circle is the energy that gets you to the next level. circle is what you hope for when life tosses lemons your way. circle available at walmart and drink circle.com. >> no one is ever prepared to care for an aging parent when my mom needed help, i couldn't have done it without carewell. at carewell, i can find adult diapers, pads, even my mom's nutrition shakes all at a great price. plus, it's delivered right to my door and with autoship i saved 30% on my first order and i get a discount with every repeat delivery. thanks to carewell, i'm able to be the caregiver. my mom deserves. save % on your first order and get fast free shipping. shop qualcomm today. >> now for a true crime news update. when jami dickerson was

told that her daughter tiktok star april holt, had died by suicide, she knew in her gut that investigators had made a mistake. >> once again, i feel like they're failing my family. they're failing apryl. they're failing her children. but i have to move forward. >> jami dickerson says she feels blindsided by a justice system that she says has continued to fail her daughter at every turn. >> i'm frustrated. i'm frustrated that the da did not listen to me when i said i wanted the charges dropped. >> it's a story we first brought you on true crime news. jami dickerson fighting for her 29 year old daughter, april holt. >> i won't take your brush and your phone. you're going to shake your phone up. >> who used to spread positivity on social media, where she amassed 200,000 followers, spreading love and also giving beauty tips. >> she's just been a bright light for nashville. she has done nothing but encourage

people. >> april's death, made worse when jami was told her daughter suffocated from a bag that was taped over her head. then the grieving mom was shocked to learn that police would rule april's death a suicide. >> it was not a suicide. i didn't have any doubt in my mind, no doubt because jami says she knew things were not going well between april and her husband, donovon holt. >> the couple posted about their off again on again divorce talks for over a year. >> the best decision for both of us, for her to do what she needs to do for me to do what i need to do so we can grow and heal and that's it. >> elevate april had requested a divorce two weeks prior to her death. >> jami wasn't going to accept the department's findings, and so she became her own detective, demanding answers from the metro police department. >> we sat down with the da and the investigators, and we read over her autopsy, and i

questioned them. they said they didn't see any signs of trauma. >> then a huge break in her own investigation. jami was able to get this 47 page report on april's death from the community review board. this document jumped out at her details about evidence on the bag that caused april to suffocate. >> there was only his fingerprints. none of her fingerprints were on the bag or the tape. how would she put a bag over her head with no fingerprints? >> donovan facetimed from san antonio, where he was living. jami secretly recorded their conversation. >> i said, you can tell me the truth. or next thursday, i'm meeting with the cold case department and i'm having the case reopened. he told me that that morning that he and april were having sexual intercourse, and that he choked her, and that when he noticed she wasn't breathing, he didn't know what to do. so he freaked out. and he said he drove her to the shower and he put her a bag over her head and tape around her neck. and then he went into the living

room and he ate lunch. >> armed with a confession, she recorded, she went back to investigators and demanded they arrest him. >> the metro police department flew out and he confessed to them at his apartment. the exact same thing that he told me. so they finally arrested him almost two months after confession, donovan holt pleaded guilty to reckless homicide, not murder, but jami tells true crime news she's frustrated because even though donovan confessed to april's death, he said it was an accident. >> the punishment guidelines are 2 to 12 years in prison, and jami says that's not enough. >> i am not happy with this decision. i was very caught off guard, she says. >> she was convinced that investigators would see what she saw, evidence that pointed to a much more sinister death that would call for first degree homicide. >> now there's been a plea, a

guilty plea, and now i have nowhere to go from that. >> so now this is how jami dickerson is moving forward. >> thank you. >> remembering april by helping others jami opened up the april holt community grief center in shelbyville, tennessee, to help others who are struggling with loss. >> i sat in here the other night just by myself, and i was just talking to her, and just in my head, i just know that she would be so proud. >> donov holt is schedul ululul o be sentenced in february. >> what is this thing on my neck? >> i may be in my 50s, but i am not ready to look like a grandma yet. i have always focused a lot of attention on my face, but once i got into my 50s, i couldn't help but notice the saggy, crepey skin on my neck. >> i'm jonathan greenhut, the founder of decla derm. >> i've been married for 28

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>> on the next true crime news. a young bride to be. her dead body found under a freeway overpass. >> she was hit in the face with something so hard that the injury looked like a gunshot wound. >> could her final moments caught on surveillance hold the key to what happened?

>> there's cameras all over the city of myrtle beach. so they have her, you know, in her car. there was a dark figure in her passenger side. >> did she know her killer, or was it a random act of violence? on the next true crime news. for the latest breaking crime news, go to true crime news.com. watch more exclusive content on our youtube channel. listen to our podcast and follow us at my true crime news. that's it for today's true crime news. i'm anna garcia. see you next time, - [jim] the world is a challenging place for injured pets. i'm jim alaimo, i've spent 25 years helping humans walk again. and now my team and i do the same for animals. - [man] you wouldn't believe the transformation. this is worth a million dollars. - [jim] every pet deserves a second chance.