Between 2008 and 2011, a series of rapes in the suburbs around Seattle and Denver were perpetrated by Marc Patrick O'Leary, an Army veteran who had been stationed near Tacoma. In 2011, two Colorado detectivesplayed in the series by Collette and Weverpooled their resources together on the hunt for what they suspected was a serial rapist. He was the rapist. In OLearys house, investigators turned up a black Ruger .380-caliber pistol, a pink Sony Cyber-shot camera and a large backpack, along with wet wipes and lubrication. It had cost her sense of worth. D.M. ", Discussing whether Marie was involved in making the series, Kaitlyn Dever, who plays Marie, told Good Housekeeping that she wasn't. The rest was awkward, excruciating silence. And she would have to pay $500 to cover the courts costs. The man threatened her with a butcher knife, gagged her with her underwear, bound her hands with a shoelace from her tennis shoe and raped her. Later, she was charged with making a false police reporta crime punishable by up to a year in jail. It had her name. It turned out the woman, identified in court documents by the initials D.M., was one of several victims of serial rapist Marc OLeary, a former Washington man who admitted the 2008 crime and is serving a 327-year prison sentence in Colorado for raping three women there. He was just being neat and orderly, the way he was with everything. The unbelievable story of how a rape victim in Lynnwood, Washington was charged with falsely reporting the crime and how two female detectives, who believed her, teamed up to find the serial rapist responsible: Marc Patrick O'Leary. on the phone that night, before the alleged attack. She looked calm, unflustered. Marie said on an episode of This American Life in an episode devoted to this case entitled Anatomy of Doubt that she was raped as a child, but notedshe didnt talk about it much and pretty much suppressed that it had happened. I felt like she was telling me the script of a Law and Order story. It was a pink Sony digital camera a description that fit the model stolen from the apartment of the Westminster victim. She feared going outdoors. She enjoyed chatting with people, free from pressure to sell. Golden police obtained a surveillance tape showing the entrance to the apartment complex where Galbraiths victim had been attacked. When they finished, the agents raced in. On the form she filled in her name, address and Social Security number, and then she wrote, in part: I was talking to Jordan on the phone that night about his day and just about anything. At a little before sunrise, he heard the phone conversation end. Search warrant. Marie became the subject of media reports and an attack website. And I think the agency just thought, She can handle it. So., At first, Marie didnt want to live with Peggy. Our personalities didnt match at first either, Marie says. As David listened, he realized that the details of the case were unsettlingly familiar. Open the door, she shouted repeatedly. Join ProPublica, The Marshall Project, and Joanne Archambault of the nonprofit End Violence Against Women to discuss pitfalls and best practices of sex crimes investigations. He gripped a silver and black gun. Shut down. After a pause, OLeary opened the door. [1], After seven months of email and phone communication with Marie's lawyer, Marie agreed to speak to Armstrong. Her birthplace is Lynnwood, Washington, USA, and she is 32 years old. We achieve this through high quality hair care, customized treatments & regimens and authentic connection for the ultimate salon experience. Later that month, there was a final surprise. ", The reporters adapted the story for audio for an episode of This American Life and wrote a book about the case called, A False Report: A True Story of Rape in America. He worked in Westminster, some 15 miles to the northeast. Lynnwood WA, Livingston MT Possible Relatives: Kirsten Marie Gilliam, Jo Darlene Hagen. FBI figures show that police annually declare around 5 percent of rape cases unfounded, or baseless. He tied her hands. These guidelines, available to all police departments, detailed common missteps. Marie got a letter, notifying her that she was wanted in court. returned to the police station with Cocoon House representatives and asked to withdraw the denial and insisted that she had been attacked. Rittgarn had already left the department, but Mason came in, looking like a lost little puppy, Marie says. View Leonard Hansen results in Lynnwood, WA including current phone number, address, relatives, background check report, and property record with Whitepages. More often they were separated. It was just like, freedom. He bound her wrists and he covered her eyes. Marie and Shannon would walk in the woods, or take out the boat, then, at days end, crash in Shannons home. A damning report found the police handling of the case "nothing short of the victim being coerced into admitting that she lied about the rape," the ProPublica and Marshall Project article said. Marie thats her middle name, Marie didnt say anything. They were tough for cops and prosecutors. Now, we're extra careful that we get the right closure on it.. She was still emerging from the mental and physical suffering she endured during the attack. He suggested she put a dowel into the bottom track to keep out future intruders. She would need to go on supervised probation. The same person was at work. He told them the evidence didnt support Maries story, and that she had taken her story back. He took their clothing and bedding with him when he left. [3][9] Armstrong and Miller also interviewed two of Marie's foster parents and her friend, her public defender and civil suit attorney. [12][11] It also won the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting, the article being described as "a startling examination and expos of law enforcement's enduring failures to investigate reports of rape properly and to comprehend the traumatic effects on its victims". Marie Adler was born in 1990. The Marshall Project specializes in criminal justice. White man, gray sweater. But most recent research suggests that false reporting is relatively rare. She was a wife, a mother. Jeffrey Mason and Jerry Rittgarn, found the victim, Marie, on a couch, in a blanket, crying off and on. I think its listen to your victim. She was young, dressed in a brown, full-length coat. At 8:35 a.m., she handcuffed him. The fear of false rape accusations has a long history in the legal system. Marie was used to being around other kids. [6] His article "The FBI Built a Database That Can Catch Rapists Almost Nobody Uses It" was published in July 2015. In December 2011, O'Leary was sentenced to 327.5 years in prison for four incidents in Colorado. Just like in the Netflix series, Marie was a foster child, with a troubled upbringing. [25][26] The book expands upon details of the case like O'Leary's perspective and subjects such as victim blaming and social media harassment. And it seems like every time I talk to her she's in a different state. She couldnt live with them anymore. Or fabricating a ruse to cover a sexual encounter gone wrong? By August 2008, when Marie reported her rape, she was living on her own in Lynnwood, a Seattle suburb. "This was about a sexual assault that happened in 2008, and [Miller] and I are both working on this story seven years later. He boasted of the countermeasures hed taken to avoid getting caught. Investigating Marie's report, police found evidence of an assailant and abrasions to Marie's vagina and wrist. She was a little scared, but any trepidation was tempered by a sense of pride. Years before the #MeToo movement gave voice to women previously coerced into silence over historic sexual abuse, Marie's story exemplified the disbelief and callous treatment often shown to sexual assault survivors. Two and a half years after Marie was branded a liar, Lynnwood police found her, south of Seattle, and told her the news: Her rapist had been arrested in Colorado. She was 18 years old, charged with a gross misdemeanor, punishable by up to a year in jail. From there, her record was expunged and police returned her $500. "Unbelievable" recounts the true story of how the teenager reported to Lynnwood police in 2008 that she was raped at knifepoint by a masked intruder in her apartment and how she later. She remembers calling the Lynnwood detectives twice and being told they didnt believe Maries account. OLeary was put in a patrol car and transported to the Jefferson County Jail. [10] The structure was proposed by Sexton. Afterward, the paperwork went to a small law firm that Lynnwood had hired to prosecute misdemeanors. Two years later, in Colorado, detectives investigate a serial rapist with the exact same modus operandiall without knowing that he may have struck before. Hendershot discovered the Lakewood patrol car had snapped its picture as OLeary was headed to a nearby branch of the Colorado Department of Motor Vehicles. Mason. was living in a small Cocoon House-sponsored apartment after having spent her youth moving among as many as 20 foster homes. Red Lobster. She recalled the camera that the attacker had used to take photos. By early March, a forensic computer specialist cracked into files that OLeary had stored on his hard drive. It was like Id just eaten Thanksgiving dinner, he said. When the woman reported the attack to Lynnwood. To Peggys mind, Marie had spent the afternoon trying to get attention so much so that Peggy now wondered if this was more of the same, only more desperate. She considered jumping. A little before 9 on a Monday morning, two Lynnwood police detectives responded to a report of rape at the Alderbrooke Apartments. They talked about being tied up. The medical report noted abrasions to Maries wrists and to her vagina. She clutched a bag of her belongings in one hand. MARCH 12, 2009 LYNNWOOD, WASHINGTON No one came to court with her that day, except her public defender. We have no doubt that Marie's story will inspire many viewers and hopefully encourage police departments to have more rigorous training when it comes to dealing with rape victims. I wasnt going to let him destroy me.". She began crying and said she kept seeing visions of him on top of her, the lawsuit says. If you aren't already clued in on Marie's story, read on: The series takes its inspiration from a Pulitzer Prize-winning 2015 ProPublica and The Marshall Project article about a woman who experienced a horrific sexual assault aged 18 but later recanted her story. in a police car and took her to the station, where Rittgarn told her there were inconsistencies in her story. Credited as a collaboration with The Marshall Project and ProPublica, it debuted on February 26, 2016. OLeary, in addition to assaulting D.M., also admitted he raped a 63-year-old Kirkland woman. The analyst turned up an incident in Lakewood, another Denver suburb, that occurred about a month before the rape in Westminster. He wore a black mask. Following this, and Marie's conflicting account of when she phoned a friend, Mason and Rittgarn made Marie repeat her story, Rittgarn saying that he disbelieved her. In the five years from 2008 to 2012, the department determined that 10 of 47 rapes reported to Lynnwood police were unfounded 21.3 percent. The perpetrator of the serial rapes, Marc O'Leary, was also interviewed. Sometimes going a hundred miles an hour, you miss some breadcrumbs, the same colleague noted. The five other attacks one in Washington, four in Colorado all came after the attack on Marie. Carefully, she compared OLearys white Mazda to the surveillance tape. She picked out a feminine white coat with a fur collar because she thought thats what girls were supposed to wear, but then kept the coat in the closet when she realized it wasnt. The International Association of Chiefs of Police and the FBI stress the need for a thorough investigation before discounting a report of rape. told police that, early on Aug. 11, 2008, she awoke to find a stranger in her apartment. News coverage, criminal justice guidelines and court transcripts were also consulted. Marie Theresa Arzer, age 77, of Redmond, Washington passed away on Saturday, February 11, 2023. Usually, a DNA analysis took months. Marie backed down. For the next half hour or so, while she slept, he got ready while talking himself into following through. He didnt answer so I called my foster mom. He wore a gray hoodie, baggy gray sweatpants and gray slip-on houseshoes. The descriptions of the attacker were similar. Its too late for that, he replied. OLeary had purchased a pornography website in September 2008. Both vehicles had ball hitches on the back. Galbraith listened to the woman with a sense of alarm. [35][36][37] On Rotten Tomatoes, the series has a rating of 98%, based on 82 reviews, with the summary: "Heartbreaking and powerful, Unbelievable transcends familiar true-crime beats by shifting its gaze to survivors of abuse, telling their stories with grace and gravity. Frustration grew. Marie turned 18 just three months before the rape. 1. Galbraith flashed a quick thumbs up. Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads. Galbraith recognized them by sight. In the foster system, Marie experienced physical abuse, sexual abuse and was exposed to drugs. One officer suggested a bathroom break. Galbraith hastily typed up a search warrant to enter the brothers home. Those investigations often boiled down to an issue of consent. Peggy, too, was mystified by Maries demeanor. They grabbed the drinking cups from the table. The woman underwent a special forensic examination to collect more DNA evidence. Rape victims get immediate assistance from advocates at a local healthcare center. Roll back over, he told her and she did, and then he raped her, and while he raped her he ran his gloved hands over her. He took pictures and threatened to post them on the Internet. About Search Results. He was sentenced to 327 and a halfyears in prison. Lie-detector tests are especially unreliable with people who have been traumatized, and can destroy the victims trust in law enforcement. She called the judge who was on duty for the weekend. She does not know if she attended kindergarten. We pride ourselves on the genuine care and technical excellence we provide for our valued guests and are . I didnt want to give him the satisfaction. He took pictures and threatened to post them on the Internet. Based on her answers and body language it was apparent that [Marie] was lying about the rape, Rittgarn later wrote. One of the last things he said was that he was sorry. There it was, on OLearys left calf: a dark birthmark the size of a large chicken egg. Cities: Lynnwood WA, Livingston MT Possible Relatives: Kirsten Marie Gilliam, Jo Darlene Hagen. Before she confessed to making up the story, she couldnt look the two detectives, the two men, in the eye. She even laughed a little. [18][19], In December 2015, ProPublica published a podcast episode where Miller and Armstrong discussed the article. Investigators, one guide advised, should not assume that a true victim will be hysterical rather than calm; able to show clear signs of physical injury; and certain of every detail. We went to the ocean, it was like 7 oclock at night, I dont know what we were thinking, I got in there and I jumped out and swung my hair back.. The result was a searchable database of thousands of tag numbers indexed by time and location. Snow covered the ground in patches. Interviewed in the same room where he had confronted Marie seven years before, he said: It wasnt her job to try to convince me. It freaked me out. She has left the state, although she wants her new location to remain secret. Wanting independence, she moved into a program in Lynnwood, Washington entitled Project Ladder designed to help young people transition from foster care to living by themselves. Around 7 a.m., he stood in her bedroom doorway, holding, at shoulder height, a knife in his left hand. But Marie wanted to set out on her own. Marie couldnt wait for it. D.M.s lawsuit also named as defendants the agency that runs the program, Cocoon House, and two of its employees, Jana Hamilton and Wayne Nash. He had broken into more than a dozen homes since. It was him. One of the detectives working the Kirkland case was Audra Weber. A K-9 officer was outside, his dog trying to pick up a scent. And she is resilient. At least it was concrete now. But there was a clincher: the woman in Galbraiths case had remained as focused as possible during her ordeal, memorizing details. Shannon saw an account of the attack on the television news and was taken aback. Galbraith felt sick. Unbelievable, which debuted on Netflix on Friday (Sep 13) to critical acclaim, is based on a heartbreaking true story. T. Christian Miller joined ProPublica in 2008 as a senior reporter. A collaboration between The Marshall Project and ProPublica, it was published on both websites on December 16, 2015. There was something about how she said it just made me question whether or not shed actually been raped, Shannon said on Anatomy of Doubt.. WARNING: This article could contain triggering descriptions of sexual assault. This was never meant to happen. [6][8] Miller called the woman's lawyer and discovered she was in contact with Ken Armstrong of The Marshall Project, who had been working on an article about the case for several months. She asked to take a polygraph testthough such tests do not provide reliable evidencebut declined when Rittgarn threatened jail and loss of housing if she failed it. They cracked fast jokes and smiled fast smiles. The lawsuit alleges police ignored or disregarded evidence once they convinced themselves she was not telling the truth. [9], Nora Caplan-Bricker of Slate reflected that "Marie's story helps remind us that false reports of rape are the exception, not the rule", believing that the article shows the "ruinous consequences" and "ubiquity" of rape victims being disbelieved. Hidden inside a piece of stereo equipment in his closet, detectives found a collection of womens underwear. PeopleFinders is the best people search for contact info and public records. Netflixs Unbelievable tells the story of a horrifying crime and stunning miscarriage of justice. At the hospital, medical staff collected more than a dozen swabs from Marie. From a religious point of view, she follows Christianity. Marie also confronted the police who handled her original case and they apologised to her just like in the series. The report on Maries life written by a mental health expert who interviewed her for five hours is written with clinical detachment, describing her life before she entered foster care She reports not knowing much about her biological mother, who she said would often leave her in the care of boyfriends. D.M. A little after 1 p.m. on a wintry day in January 2011, Detective Stacy Galbraith approached a long, anonymous row of apartment buildings that spilled up a low hill in a Denver suburb. I have had a lot of stressful things going on and I wanted to hang out with someone and no one was able to so I made up this story and didnt expect it to go as far as it did. Marie agreed to speak to Armstrong after six months of communication. Rider said his agency has become more cautious about labeling a case unfounded since Marie. Possible Relatives: Kirsten Marie Gilliam, Jo Darlene Hagen evidence didnt support story! Are especially unreliable with people who have been traumatized, and can the. 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