But there was a clincher: the woman in Galbraiths case had remained as focused as possible during her ordeal, memorizing details. The pictures showed her looking terrified, bound and gagged on a bed. In that way, rape cases were unlike most other crimes. 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. But no matter her affection for Marie, Shannon knew they couldnt keep her, because the foster child already in their home required so much care. O'Leary had watched women for hundreds of hours, breaking into their houses multiple times before each rape. Before he left, he showed the student how he broke in through a sliding glass door. It was like she was telling me that shed made a sandwich. That Marie wasnt hysterical, or even upset, made Shannon wonder if Marie was telling the truth. And all those sliding glass doors ridiculously easy to pick, when they werent left unlocked, which so often they were. The true-crime drama tells the real story of Marie Adler, an 18-year-old girl from Lynnwood, Washington, who was wrongfully charged with a gross misdemeanour in 2008 after police believed that she lied to them about being raped. We still have to make that definitive identification, Hendershot said. The report detailed how a 46-year-old artist had been accosted in her home by a man with a knife. This time, though, there was something different. There was something else she had to do. Probably the only time I just wanted to die in my life, she says. I dont know why I couldnt have done something different. Afterward, the paperwork went to a small law firm that Lynnwood had hired to prosecute misdemeanors. For Mason, his decision to file the citation required no complicated calculus. It led to a back porch, with a wooden railing that was covered with dirt except one part, about three feet wide, where it looked like maybe someone had brushed the surface while climbing over. I mean, I get shiver bumps thinking about it, just even now, Hendershot said. The rims would have traces of his DNA. A Kirkland detective eventually called Shannon back. Denver-area publicationWestword reported. The same person was at work. Galbraith recognized them by sight. She even called the lead detective on the case the day after and questioned Maries validity. But in this case, they worked through the night. commented on the changing definition of rape used by the FBI. She wrote instead that she had dreamed the incident, now unsure of what happened. Theyd be out there searching for this person who had done this to me.. Open the door, she shouted repeatedly. A risk management decision was made, a lawyer for Lynnwood told The Herald in Everett, Washington. She joined Project Ladder at age 18, a program designed for people transitioning from foster care to living alone. He had prowled before and broken into womens homes before, but following through was another matter. She does not know if she attended kindergarten. Because I feel that if I would have shut my mouth, they would have done their job, she says. Galbraith and Hendershot hadnt known each other before the meeting. One of the detectives working the Kirkland case was Audra Weber. She reports the assault to. It was possible that Michael had committed the rapes. A second came from the victim in Golden. She enjoyed chatting with people, free from pressure to sell. There it was, on OLearys left calf: a dark birthmark the size of a large chicken egg. She was eighteen years old, charged with a gross misdemeanor, punishable by up to a year. . Sign up for ProPublicas Big Story newsletter to receive stories like this one in your inbox as soon as they are published. ", 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. For the last two or three months, the woman told police, she felt as if someone had been following her. She began crying and said she kept seeing visions of him on top of her, the lawsuit says. Rittgarn had already left the department, but Mason came in, looking like a lost little puppy, Marie says. It was hard to get along. The article alternates between two true stories of events occurring between August 2008 and June 2012. claims she was forced into counseling when Lynnwood police told managers of Cocoon House they didnt believe shed been raped, according to court documents. He was military so he was very organized, Galbraith said. She had conducted a search for any reports of suspicious vehicles or prowlers within a quarter mile of the Lakewood victims home for the previous six months. Information from Seattle Times archives is included in this report. Mason. Galbraith recounted the days events. She crackled energy. She and I speak fairly often. Investigators must have definitive proof of lying before doubting a rape report, and a charge of false reporting must now be reviewed with higher-ups. From a large black bag, he took out thigh-high stockings, clear plastic high heels with pink ribbons, lubrication, a box of moist towelettes and bottled water. At the hospital, medical staff collected more than a dozen swabs from Marie. The prosecutions offer was this: If she met certain conditions for the next year, the charge would be dropped. Unexpectedly, a man came to the door. In the spring of 2008, Marie turned 18. adult caregivers and professionals coming in and then out of her life, some distressing or abusive experiences, and a general lack of permanency. They dont appreciate having their time wasted. Marie wrote that the attacker said she could untie herself once he was gone: After he left I grabbed my phone (which was right next to my head) with my mouth and I tried to call Jordan back. Now, fearful he could become the target of a wrongful accusation, Shannons husband decided it would be best if Marie no longer spent the night. He would rifle a targets personal documents. I had a crib and they gave me a 16-year-old, Peggy says, with a laugh. Galbraith spotted the victim standing in the thin sunlight outside her ground floor apartment. They were knocking on neighbors doors, snapping photographs in the apartment, digging through garbage bins, swabbing the walls, the windows, everywhere for DNA. Whats more, he would recommend that Project Ladder pull her housing assistance. T. Christian Miller of ProPublica had been reporting on law enforcement failures in identifying rapists throughout 2015. Maries account, in her own words. The bruising on her right wrist measured 6.5 centimeters, or about 2.5 inches, the one on her left, 7 centimeters. The dog, outside, had tracked to the south, toward an office building, but was unable to lead officers to anything that might identify the rapist. It was a young woman far younger than the Colorado victims, perhaps a teenager. More often they were separated. He had served in the Army. Westminster crime scene investigators had discovered similar marks on the window of the victims apartment. She belongs to a Caucasian family. She had gotten all the classes she wanted. This made it the seventh-most viewed television series on the platform from August 2018 to September 2019. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. I was mad at God, she says. Frustration grew. Lynnwood, Washington, U.S. Mar, 2009 Marie Charges In March 2009, she was charged with a gross misdemeanor: she was fined $500, put on probation and made to attend counseling. After leaving the police station, Marie learned that she still wasnt through. Galbraith flashed a quick thumbs up. Nor should police get lost in stereotypes believing, for example, that an adult victim will be more believable than an adolescent. She felt like she belonged. Marie said the knife was hers that it had come from the kitchen, and was what the rapist had used to threaten her. I didnt want to give him the satisfaction. The detectives had thoroughly examined their crime scenes. Galbraith pulled him to the side and patted him down. He tied her hands loosely behind her. The investigators decided to try to get a sample of OLearys DNA. Maries case led to changes in practices and culture, Rider said. Galbraith checked out the footprints left at the Lakewood scene. It was not much. Two dogs, a small pit bull and a Shar-Pei, tumbled out ahead of him. Afterward, she could. The analyst turned up an incident in Lakewood, another Denver suburb, that occurred about a month before the rape in Westminster. Marie was heavily medicated, although its not clear why. And we dont want to see this happen to anybody ever again, Rider said. Neither had known Marie to be a liar to exaggerate, sure, to want attention, sure but now, both knew they werent alone in wondering if Marie had made this up. We strongly believe that Cocoon House and its employees acted appropriately on behalf of the client., Bob Christie, the attorney who represented Lynnwood police, said the settlement resolves an unfortunate situation for everyone involved.. 7. The next day, Marie told Wayne Nash, her case manager at Project Ladder, that the police didnt believe her. During the exam, the medical report said, Marie was alert and oriented, and in no acute distress.. On the bed officers found a shoestring used, apparently, to bind Marie. In 2008, an 18-year-old Marie, fresh out of foster care, reported that she'd been raped by a man who entered her apartment in Lynnwood, Washington while she was sleeping. She even laughed a little. He tied the woman up with her own shoelaces. was living in a small Cocoon House-sponsored apartment after having spent her youth moving among as many as 20 foster homes. 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. She came right away. Hendershot met her at a Dennys restaurant. But both women had found a place for themselves. Jeffrey Mason and Jerry Rittgarn, found the victim, Marie, on a couch, in a blanket, crying off and on. Monday 7:00am - 9:00pm. Peggy, who had received a file two to three inches thick documenting Maries history, was surprised at how well she was coping. She had no family nearby. He had learned from past failures one time, a guy walked in as he stood there, mask on, outside the bedroom door of the woman he planned to rape so now, he did painstaking surveillance: peeking in windows, breaking in beforehand, gathering information. News coverage, criminal justice guidelines and court transcripts were also consulted. After I got off the phone with him, I started thinking about all things I was stressed out and I also was scared living on my own. Both had smudges on the back in the same place perhaps a bumper sticker that had been torn off. But now, Marie wouldnt give. Find Marie Day in Lynnwood, WA - phone, address, email. The real-life Marie also opened up about her traumatic experiences on a 2016 episode of This American Life, entitled "Anatomy of Doubt. Then she drove her to St. Anthony North Hospital. [10] The structure was proposed by Sexton. Or fabricating a ruse to cover a sexual encounter gone wrong? However, two of Marie's former foster parents began to disbelieve her due to her seemingly calm demeanour, one reporting doubts to the police. Six hours on her feet didnt bother her. I wanted to see the look on his face, I guess, she said. They mentioned that he had stolen their underwear. MARCH 12, 2009 LYNNWOOD, WASHINGTON No one came to court with her that day, except her public defender. OLeary, in addition to assaulting D.M., also admitted he raped a 63-year-old Kirkland woman. Rodney Cohnheim said of Marie, She was victimized twice., Sgt. [15] Writing for the alternative Wisconsin newspaper Isthmus, Bill Lueders praised the article and compared it to his own reporting about a similar case from 1997 to 2001, where a woman was charged by police after ostensibly making a false report of rape, but was later proven truthful by DNA evidence leading to her rapist's conviction. Though the degraded DNA lifted from the crime scenes could not definitively match OLearys DNA, it could show that a male from his family line had most likely committed the crime. Hendershot turned to the database meant to capture serial rapists by linking cases in different jurisdictions. In October 2008, one of Marie's foster parents saw a report of a woman in Kirkland, Washington, raped in the same way as Marie. The marks at the two crime scenes were the same. "Theres a lot of detail about his background, his life and about what he did, and if you were writing a true-crime novel, you would put all that stuff in there," said Miller during the Longform interview. They began to collaborate, with Armstrong writing about Marie's story in Washington and Miller writing about the police investigation in Colorado. The attack. In the predawn hours, a white Mazda pickup truck appeared 10 times. The lawsuit alleges that the woman was required to stand up in front of other program participants and say that she had lied about being raped or risk being evicted, according to the lawsuit. Giving Marie's story further gravitas is a highly-praised performance by breakout Booksmart star Kaitlyn Dever in the lead role. The DNA from the cup matched the DNA collected from the victims. Later, she was charged with making a false police reporta crime punishable by up to a year in jail. The Army veteran was stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, near Tacoma, Washington, between November 2006 and September 2009, when he targeted Marie in Lynnwood, Washington, in August. Likewise, She is a long-haul trucker by profession. When she was a child, her father left her mother alone. (A later edition has been retitled, Unbelievable: The Story of Two Detectives Relentless Search for the Truth.). He threaded one of the shoelaces through a pair of underwear. The Project Ladder managers told Marie that if she wanted to stay in the program if she wanted to keep her subsidized apartment she would have to confess to someone else. The woman underwent a special forensic examination to collect more DNA evidence. She asked that her current location not be disclosed. As we see in the series, Marie "reported being raped in her apartment by a man who had bound and gagged her." The original series was inspired by the 2016 Pulitzer Prize-winning ProPublica article " An Unbelievable Story of Rape .". It was just nice to be on my own and not have all the rules that I had had being in foster care, Marie said, according toProPublica. She quit her Costco job and considered suicide. This was the cleanest house Ive ever searched. He also realized police departments often did not communicate. She was always nice to talk to.. This reluctance stems from the belief that in rape cases, the biggest problem is not false reporting, but no reporting. FBI figures show that police annually declare around 5 percent of rape cases unfounded, or baseless. The woman told Galbraith she was 26 years old, an engineering student on winter break from a nearby college. It is graphic, but she told us people should hear it. Just like in the Netflix series, Marie was a foster child, with a troubled upbringing. In the kitchen, when Shannon walked in, Marie didnt meet her gaze. It was just nice to be on my own and not have all the rules that I had had being in foster care, Marie says. And it was fine. I was on like seven different drugs. Afterward, he made her take a shower. Mason. He told his wife to call his department first thing in the morning. Technicians had swabbed window panes, doorknobs, even toilet handles anything that the attacker might have touched. During the attack, he knocked a yellow teddy bear off a desk in her bedroom. "An Unbelievable Story of Rape" was written by Ken Armstrong and T. Christian Miller. 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. Most had described a white man with green or hazel eyes, about 6 feet tall, weighing about 200 pounds. It was a pink Sony digital camera a description that fit the model stolen from the apartment of the Westminster victim. Masons telephone rang. Lakewood patrol cars had cameras that automatically took pictures of every license plate they passed. Interviewed in the same room where he had confronted Marie seven years before, he said: It wasnt her job to try to convince me. In 2008, Marie, from Lynnwood, Washington, reported to police an intruder had broken into her home, bound and gagged her, and raped her at knifepoint. It was published on February 6, 2018 by the Crown Publishing Group. It sounded like a lot of drama, too, in some ways. At the time, Peggy had new foster children two sisters, both teenagers. Their suspicions were based on comments from three people who said that they doubted her story, according to the suit. Later that day Aug. 14, three days after Marie reported being raped Mason called Marie, to ask if they could meet. She went to analternative high school where she met her boyfriend, Jordan Schweitzer, who later told the journalists behind the piece that she was just a nice person to have around. The rest was awkward, excruciating silence. lynnwood, wa. At home, her husband David had done the dishes and put the kids to bed. He looked confused and shocked as he stepped out into the bright winter sun. There was no one out there who had hurt her and no one who might hurt them next. Michaels appearance was confounding. She could carry on a conversation with adults. He told Marie that her description of calling Jordan was different from what Jordan had reported. The real Marie, now roughly 29, is a. Most had been assaulted by a boyfriend, an old flame, or someone they had met at a club. 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. It was like, I felt like she was telling me the script of a Law & Order story. Part of it was what Marie was saying. There are no firm statistics on how often police arrest women for making false rape reports, nor on how often prosecutors take such cases to court. Her story hadnt hurt anyone no suspects arrested, or even questioned. September 13, 2019. In addition, Mason had received a tip that Marie was unhappy with her apartment. Apartments didnt offer the privacy of a house, but still, there were advantages. Westminster Detective Edna Hendershot had settled into her morning with her Starbucks usual: a Venti, upside-down, skinny caramel macchiato. [12] Journalist Pamela Colloff referenced the article as an example of good reporting on criminal justice, as it is told from the perspective of a survivor. Three years later, two female detectives from Colorado, Stacy Galbraith (Karen Duvall in the show) and Edna Hendershot (Grace Rasmussen in the show), validated Marie's case, after working to catch a serial rapist and learning that he'd raped Marie too. A couple of times he left his position, for just a while, for fear of being spotted lingering. So did Galbraith. Lynnwood, Washington 98037. People are calling it the most "infuriating" true-crime drama of all time. The initial detectives investigating. White man, gray sweater. The analysis of the touch DNA produced mixed results. An OLeary man was responsible. She had responded to a report of a rape at a blue-collar apartment complex in the northwest corner of her city. Before, she told the detective she had tried calling Jordan after cutting the laces. As she headed home that night, Galbraiths mind raced. By 2 p.m. on Saturday, they had a result. She explained: "She's incredibly strong and she's been through so much, so everyone on the team wanted to respect her privacy.". But Marie wanted to set out on her own. The entire series is harrowingly candid portrayal of Marie's story and the horrific injustice she experienced. [3][9] Armstrong and Miller also interviewed two of Marie's foster parents and her friend, her public defender and civil suit attorney. It was like Id just eaten Thanksgiving dinner, he said. Marie Theresa Arzer, age 77, of Redmond, Washington passed away on Saturday, February 11, 2023. The police had spent a lot of resources chasing that lie. She would move a hundred miles an hour in one direction, a colleague said. Despite all she had been through, Mariesaid she does not regret reporting the rape. Based on Shannons tip, Kirkland investigators had reached out to their Lynnwood counterparts and had been told the Lynnwood victim was no victim, the story had been made up. When she read the story, she cried. Both vehicles had ball hitches on the back. They wondered whether it contained photos of his victims. 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. Her father had been the chief of police in Kent, south of Seattle. said Miller during the Longform interview. Galbraith and her husband David once again faced each other on the couches in their living room. How can I obtain the complete court record? Hendershot was more experienced. At 9:07 a.m. she sent an email to the Westminster Police Department. Aaron Hassell, the detective on the Lakewood case, raced back to his office. [31][32][33], Netflix reported that "Unbelievable" had garnered 32 million views by the end of September, where a "view" entailed watching at least 70% of an episode. OLeary thanked the officer for the information and closed the door. Sometimes going a hundred miles an hour, you miss some breadcrumbs, the same colleague noted. [9] As the two reporters and two primary editors were all male, the team ensured that they consulted various women, some with knowledge of the case and some without, particularly in regards to how graphic or detailed to make the description of Marie's rape. Her foster family was going to adopt her. Celebrate the life of Marie Arzer, leave a kind word or memory and get funeral service information. Later that month, there was a final surprise. Tuesday 7:00am - 9:00pm A low chain-link fence surrounded it. Lynnwood police found Marie south of Seattle, Washington and told her what had happened. From there, her record was expunged and police returned her $500. No, she said. Warning: This material may be disturbing to some listeners. They grabbed the drinking cups from the table. A little before 9 on a Monday morning, two Lynnwood police detectives responded to a report of rape at the Alderbrooke Apartments. No one really explained why she was being moved, or what was going on. The initial detectives investigating the case questioned inconsistencies in her story, and her credibility was also called into question by her foster parent and an ex-boyfriend. But then her life changed. Before she left with a nurse, the woman warned Galbraith, I think hes done this before.. He laboriously counted 261 vehicles and people coming and going on the night of the incident. "The focus of the investigation became her credibility. But to Mason, there was one critical passage. In August 2008, 18-year-old Marie (her middle name) called the police in Lynnwood, Washington, to report . You should know better than to leave the door unlocked, he told her. By August 2008, when Marie reported her rape, she was living on her own in Lynnwood, a Seattle suburb. As the meeting drew to a close, a young crime analyst from the Lakewood police department stood up. Galbraith ruled out the brothers father he was too old and lived in a different state. She could have stayed with Peggy, provided she abided by certain rules. Galbraith hastily typed up a search warrant to enter the brothers home. Marie knew that both had doubted her story, even before the police had. Thus the results couldnt be entered into the FBIs nationwide DNA database to check for a match to a suspect. Between one-fourth to two-thirds of rapists are serial attackers, studies show. In Sgt. And to top it all off, police refuse to believe her when she comes forward. He was not a registered sex offender. 1. A friend from 10th grade called to ask: How could you lie about something like that? BF in PJs, game over, he wrote in one nights entry. She had spoken to a friend on the phone for several hours early Aug. 11, 2008, finally going to bed around 5:30 a.m. She said she left the sliding-glass patio door ajar. But in fresh light, it appeared very much like a failed rape attempt, committed by an attacker who closely resembled the description of the rapist.
