Offender Record · OFF-2026-064
Richard Evonitz (photo from the Radford University biography)
Richard Marc Evonitz
Sex
Male
Race
White
Height
5'9"
Born
1963
Custody
Deceased
States
SC, FL, VA
Distinguishing featuresAverage build, no distinctive features noted in records
Custody
Evonitz died June 27, 2002 (aged 38) in Sarasota, Florida, by suicide by gunshot.
This record documents arrests, charges and convictions reported by courts, law enforcement agencies and news organizations. Every statement is tied to a cited source with an archived copy. A charge is an accusation, not proof of guilt; a person charged is presumed innocent unless convicted. Solve the Case does not allege that this person committed any offense beyond what the cited records state, and this record is not a suggestion that the person is connected to any unsolved case. How records are built, corrected and removed.
Summary of the record
Richard Marc Edward Evonitz was an American serial killer, kidnapper, and rapist responsible for the deaths of at least three teenage girls in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, and the abduction of Kara Robinson in Lexington County, South Carolina. He entered a plea of no contest and was sentenced to three years' probation after exposing himself and masturbating in front of a 15-year-old girl in Jacksonville, Florida in January 1987. He was charged with kidnapping and raping a 15-year-old girl in Lexington County in June 2002. Evonitz committed suicide by shooting himself in the head with his .25 caliber handgun on June 27, 2002, when surrounded by police in Sarasota, Florida.
Documented Arrests, Charges and Convictions
Dispositions are shown exactly as the cited records report them. Pending charges are updated when a court acts; a record with no remaining conviction or pending charge is removed from the site.
Offense date Jan 03, 1987, Orange Park, Florida
Lewd and lascivious act in the presence of a minor
Clay County Sheriff's Office, Florida · Clay County · Florida lewd and lascivious exposure statute · Arrested Feb 09, 1987 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: Three years probation, $252.50 fine
On January 3, 1987, Evonitz pulled up beside Kelli Ballard, 15, in his car in Jacksonville, Florida, and exposed himself and masturbated while she walked her 3-year-old sister down the street. The following day, Evonitz was seen following Kelli and her mother in a mall parking lot, and Kelli and her mother took down his license plate information and alerted the police. He was arrested a month later when his ship returned to port and entered a plea of no contest.
SourcesRichard Evonitz; (6-26-2002) Lexington neighborhood shocked by Monday abduction; Man With Violent History Has Ties To Area
Offense date Jun 24, 2002, Lexington, South Carolina
Kidnapping and sexual assault of a minor
Lexington County/Richland County Sheriff's Office, South Carolina · South Carolina · Arrested Jun 25, 2002 · Charged (pending) Charged (pending) · Sentence: None - defendant deceased
Evonitz was accused of grabbing a 15-year-old girl as she helped a friend water the lawn in Lexington County on June 24, 2002, posing as a magazine salesman, then forcing her into a large plastic container at gunpoint. Evonitz tied the girl up and raped her, forcing her to watch the evening news to see if there was a report of her kidnapping. The victim escaped from his home at Crossroads Apartments on June 25, 2002, as he slept.
Sources(6-28-02) Chase for Evonitz over: accused rapist commits suicide after Florida chase; (6-26-2002) Lexington neighborhood shocked by Monday abduction
Pattern and Background
Victim counts and the pattern of the offenses as stated by courts, agencies and the cited reporting. Suspected counts are what officials have said publicly, not a finding of this site.
0
Victims convicted
0
Victims confessed
3
Victims suspected
Active years
1987–2002
Victim profile
Teenagers, Children, Strangers
Stated motive
Sexual
Range from home
regional
Confessed
Yes
Education
high school
Marital history
Married, Divorced
Children
0
Military discharge
honorable
Died
2002-06-27 · suicide
Places Lived, Worked and Frequented
Each place and date range comes from a cited record. Dates marked approximate are as reported. Know a place that is missing? Use Edit record under the photo; a moderator reviews it before it appears.
FL
Jacksonville, Florida
1984 – 1992 · US Navy, Sonar Technician, stationed at Naval Station Mayport, USS Koelsch · navy
Jacksonville, Florida
1986 – 1987 · US Navy Sonar Technician
Jacksonville, Florida
Feb 09, 1987 – Feb 09, 1987 · Arrested for lewd and lascivious exposure
Sarasota, Florida
Jun 27, 2002 – Jun 27, 2002 · Cornered by police following high-speed chase; died by suicide
SC
Columbia, South Carolina
1963 – 1980 · Providence Hospital birthplace and childhood home
Columbia, South Carolina
1971 – 1980 · Irmo High School
Columbia, South Carolina
1999 – 2002 · Crossroads Apartments in St. Andrews neighborhood
Columbia, South Carolina
2000 – 2002 · Auditor at Armstrong Compressed Air Services (formerly known as Armstrong Compressed Air Services on Wilson Blvd)
VA
Fredericksburg, Virginia
1993 – 1996 · Salesperson at Kaeser Compressors
Spotsylvania, Virginia
1993 – 1999 · Lived and worked in Spotsylvania area
Virginia
1996 – 1997 · Worked at Walter Grinders
Known Vehicles
Vehicles and approximate dates of ownership or use, as reported in the cited records. A photo next to a vehicle is the vehicle itself as published.
1996 Silver Ford Escort – 1996 silver two-door Ford Escort LX
1996 – 2002
1996 silver, two-door Ford Escort LX with the South Carolina tag 320-LEM.
Timeline
Jul 29, 1963
Richard Evonitz was born on July 29, 1963, at Providence Hospital in Columbia, South Carolina, to Joseph and Tess Evonitz.
1980
Evonitz graduated high school at the age of 16 in May 1980.
Feb 1984
After a rubber check incident in February 1984, his dad made him choose between living on the streets or joining the Armed Forces, and he enrolled in the U.S. Navy.
Jan 03, 1987
On January 3, 1987, Evonitz pulled up beside Kelli Ballard, 15, in his car in Jacksonville, Florida, and exposed himself and masturbated while she walked her 3-year-old sister down the street.
Feb 09, 1987
An arrest warrant was issued for Evonitz for a lewd/lascivious act in the presence of a minor child.
Jun 30, 1987
Evonitz admitted to being drunk during the incident and pleaded no contest to the conviction, receiving a $252.50 fine and probation for three years.
Aug 11, 1988
Evonitz married Bonnie Lou Gower when she was 16.
Nov 06, 1992
Evonitz was honorably discharged from the Navy after eight years of service.
Jun 1995
In June 1995, Evonitz broke into the house of two sisters, ages 11 and 13, locking the 11-year-old in the bathroom while he raped the 13-year-old.
Sep 09, 1996
On September 9, 1996, Evonitz abducted 16-year-old Sofia Marlene Silva from her home in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, after she returned from school near Loriella Park.
Oct 14, 1996
Sofia Silva's body was found on October 14 in King George County, Virginia.
Dec 1996
Evonitz married Bonnie Lou Gower and they divorced in 1996.
May 01, 1997
On May 1, 1997, Evonitz abducted sisters Kristin Michelle Lisk, 15, and Kathryn Nicole Lisk, 12, from their front lawn on Block House Road in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, after they got off their school buses.
May 06, 1997
The bodies of the Lisk sisters were found in the South Anna River.
1999
Evonitz married Hope Marie Crowley from 1999–2002.
1999
Evonitz moved to Columbia, South Carolina with his girlfriend and lived with his sister Kristen.
Jun 24, 2002
On June 24, 2002, Evonitz was accused of grabbing a 15-year-old girl as she helped a friend water the lawn in Lexington County.
Jun 25, 2002
The victim escaped from his home at Crossroads Apartments on June 25, 2002, while Evonitz slept.
Jun 27, 2002
On June 27, 2002, Evonitz called his sister, Jennifer, admitting to having committed crimes, but she called the police instead. Later that day, Evonitz was surrounded by police on Bayfront Drive in Sarasota, Florida, and after a police dog was released, Evonitz committed suicide by shooting himself in the head with his .25 caliber handgun.
Aug 13, 2002
Forensic evidence including DNA test results proved that Richard Marc Evonitz kidnapped and murdered three girls in Spotsylvania County: Sofia Silva, 16, in September 1996 and sisters Kristin, 15, and Kati Lisk, 12, in May 1997.
Sources
Solve the Case is never the original source. Each item below is the public record a statement on this page rests on, with an archived copy where one exists.
Other government record · Wikipedia ·
Richard Evonitz“Richard Marc Edward Evonitz was an American serial killer, kidnapper, and rapist responsible for the deaths of at least three teenage girls in Spotsylvania County, Virginia”
Other · Radford University, Department of Psychology ·
Radford University serial killer biography: Evonitz, Richard“Timeline of Evonitz's life and crimes compiled from public records”
News report · Washington Times ·
DNA proves Evonitz killed 3“Forensic evidence including DNA test results proves that Richard Marc Evonitz kidnapped and murdered three girls in Spotsylvania County during the 1990s”
News report · News4JAX ·
Man With Violent History Has Ties To Area“Evonitz lived in Clay County in 1987 while he was a sailor stationed at Mayport Naval Station. He has a Clay County conviction for lewd and lascivious activity with a child under 16, for which he served three years of probation.”
News report · WIS-TV ·
(6-28-02) Chase for Evonitz over: accused rapist commits suicide after Florida chase“The search is over for a man charged with kidnapping and raping a 15-year-old girl in Lexington County”
News report · WIS-TV ·
(6-26-2002) Lexington neighborhood shocked by Monday abduction“The Richland County Sheriff's Department says Richard Evonitz, 37-year-old, convicted in 1988 of sexually assaulting a minor in Florida, snatched a 15-year-old girl at gunpoint Monday afternoon”
Law enforcement release · FBI ·
Evidence Linkages in the Murders of Sofia Silva, Kristin Lisk, and Kati Lisk“Richard Marc Evonitz murdered three young girls in Spotsylvania County, Virginia in the late 1990s”
Discussion
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