The Obvious Suspect-Richard Marc Evonitz
"Common sense tells you the [Silva, murders of sisters] and Reynolds cases are likely connected, given the abduction of females that resulted in murder in a close geographical area.”- Prince William County police Detective Sam Newsome
“They’re [serial killers] so rare on a national level.” - Robert Ressler, retired FBI profiler
Richard Marc Evonitz was a sexual sadist and serial killer. In August 2002 he was forensically linked to the 1996 murder of Sophia Silva and the 1997 murders of two sisters in who lived in the Fredericksburg area. Criminal profilers felt that these murders weren't his first or last.
Evonitz known crimes in Virginia occurred in the Fredericksburg, Lignum, and Culpeper areas. Not surprisingly his behaviors match those of offenders assocaited with the FBI's classification of "Sexual Homicide, Sadistic" murders.
There is much circumstantial evidence that suggests Evonitz could have been "Larry Breeden," as well as evidence suggesting they were two different individuals.
Summary Research Findings
Research Summaries & References by Topic
Evonitz - Activities in Lignum Area/Town of Culpeper “Most serial killers have very defined geographic areas of operation. They conduct their killings within comfort zones that are often defined by an anchor point (e.g. place of residence, employment, or residence of a relative). Serial murderers will, at times, spiral their activities outside of their comfort zone, when their confidence has grown through experience or to avoid detection.” - Federal Bureau of Investigation monograph After joining the Navy, Evonitz was stationed in various parts of the country, eventually leaving the military and returning to central Virginia in November 1992. In February 1994, Evonitz and his first wife moved to an apartment on Woodlyn Drive in Fredericksburg, a short road that connects to Route 3 and about 22 miles east of Lignum. Evonitz and his wife lived on Woodlyn Drive for a few years, then moved to a new home in Fredericksburg in April 1996 on South Forks Court. Their new home was about 8 miles south of Route 3 and 27 miles from Lignum. His most widely publicized crimes revolved around Route 3 and the Massaponax area in Fredericksburg. These crimes include three murders in 1996 and 1997. In 2002, law enforcement announced he responsible for a 1994 McDonalds abduction/rape and a 1995 attack/rape on two neighbor girls in Massaponax. After his death, law enforcement also found evidence that in 1997, Evonitz stalked two young girls in the Culpeper and Lignum areas. He scribbled notes on an envelope showing directions to a 12-year-old girl’s home, an old farmhouse on the corner of Route 3 and the western end of Batna Road. Thelma Scroggins lived on the eastern end of Batna Road (the road is horseshoe shaped). This piece of information is extremely telling – that is, that Evonitz, by his own writing, placed himself on the same road where Thelma Scroggins lived. This would indicate that by 1997, he was familiar with the Lignum area. The second young girl Evonitz stalked lived in the Town of Culpeper with her father about 20 minutes from Route 3. Technically she lived in his home part-time, spending every other weekend with her mother. Checking the Culpeper City Directory, her father’s address (in the early/mid-1990s) was on Wayland Road in the town; in addition, public records associate him with 217 Chandler Street in the town. If Chandler Street sounds familiar, it’s because this is the same street where reportedly one of Alicia’s credit cards was recovered on the afternoon of her abduction. The locations of these homes reveal that Evonitz was active in the Culpeper and Lignum areas as well as the Fredericksburg area. It’s possible though that he was not even aware of the Lignum murders in 1996 (when he was active in Fredericksburg) and coincidentally selected young girls to stalk in 1997 who happened to live near locations associated with the Route 29 stalker and the murders of Alicia, Anne and Thelma. It would be helpful to know then if he was knowledgeable of the Route 29 stalker and the three Lignum-related murders before he surveilled the two girls in the Culpeper and Lignum areas. See research in next section that strongly suggests he was well aware of the events in Lignum. References: Morton, Robert J. Serial Murder: Multi-disciplinary Perspectives for Investigators. Behavioral Analysis Unit-2, National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime; Critical Incident Response Group/Federal Bureau of Investigation, 2008. https://www.ojp.gov/ncjrs/virtual-library/abstracts/serial-murder-multi-disciplinary-perspectives-investigators Gould, Pamela. "Were Police Blind to Evonitz Crimes? Chapter 1: Evonitz Not Checked in Unsolved Slayings." Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star, 18 November 2007, p. 1+. Bunker, Wally. "S.C. Man Stalked Two Culpeper Girls." Culpeper Star-Exponent, 4 Jul. 2002, p. 1+ "Killer Took Notes on More Girls'." Associated Press, 6 Jul. 2002.
First Wife's Description of Evonitz The TikTok videos developed by Evonitz' first wife paint a clear picture of his behavior when they moved to Virginia in 1992. At the time, Marc, as he went by, was unable to secure work so they relied on unemployment, eating meals with family to get by. Not surprisingly, this led to some depression; the upbeat man she married became moody and his interests changed. What she had perceived as a clean sober life was disrupted by a newfound interest in smoking weed; she had no such desire. She describes how things started to change during the home buying process (they assumed ownership of the Fredericksburg home in April 1996; the home buying process would have been in the months just before that). Per her account, during this time, he began having “rages.” One minute they would be talking calmly, and the next he would be shouting and cursing. In one instance he punched a hole in the wall. She chalked this up to the stress associated with buying the house and starting a new job. Those weren’t his only stresses. On April 1st, 1996, his paternal grandfather died. On April 24, an extended family member living in Manassas died, and the following month, on May 30th, his paternal grandmother died in Fredericksburg. Per her account, by September 1996, he flew into yet another rage, the 3rd in the prior six months. Most chilling is her account of an incident in which after watching a news story about the Route 29 Stalker, she communicated her fears of him to Marc. He assured her she had nothing to worry about because she didn’t fit the serial killer’s profile. She added that Marc was always “reading everything” and “watching the news.” These comments establish that he was both following the news and aware of Alicia’s case to the level of knowing the profile of the offender. They also imply that if he was closely watching the news, he may have known about the murders of Anne McDaniel and Thelma Scroggins. His first wife’s account also makes it clear that their marriage was indeed deeply troubled at the time of Alicia’s abduction (March 1996, leading up to the purchase of the house), as well as the time that both Sophia and Anne were abducted (September 1996). Per other statements she made to law enforcement in 2002, Evonitz liked to drive around the backroads of Culpeper, which would give him the “considerable familiarity” with the area that law enforcement reported the offender had. Her podcast series revealed that Evonitz followed the Route 29 stalker case closely enough to be familiar with the stalker’s profile, in general was always “watching the news,” had considerable familiarity with the Culpeper area, and was experiencing marital difficulty during time that Alicia was abducted. These are all characteristics that seemingly match at least part of the description of Breeden provided by law enforcement in the 1996 press conference. It's hard to believe that Evonitz stalked two young girls in the Lignum and Culpeper areas in 1997 while completely unaware that the locations were associated with the Route 29 Stalker the prior year. References: Hawes, Spencer and Nordin, Barbara. "Explosive Words." Readthehook.net, The Hook, 18 Apr 2002, https://readthehook.net/98890/explosive-words. Accessed 14 Sep. 2024. Bonnielouwriter. "Part 6." Being Married to a Serial Killer. TikTok. https://www.tiktok.com/@bonnielouwriter/video/7378979952554790186?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7426693759791957534 "Evonitz, Joseph." New Jersey Death Index - 1996 - Surnames A-F, Internet Archive, online, https://archive.org/details/NJ_Death_Index_1996_A-F/page/n335/mode/1up. Accessed 11 Nov. 2024. "Richard Sherrard Tousley." The Washington Post (1974-), Apr 27, 1996, p. 1. ProQuest, http://lcpl.idm.oclc.org/historical-newspapers/alan-b-fox/docview/1034024218/se-2. "Dorothy Evonitz." The Central New Jersey Home News (New Brunswick, New Jersey), 1 Jun 1996, Page 6. Bonnielouwriter. "Part 7." Being Married to a Serial Killer. https://www.tiktok.com/@bonnielouwriter/video/7379389602026507563?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7426693759791957534 Bonnielouwriter. "Part 9." Being Married to a Serial Killer. https://www.tiktok.com/@bonnielouwriter/video/7381600211367660846?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7426693759791957534 Gould, Pamela. "Were Police Blind to Evonitz Crimes?" Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star, 18 Nov. 2007, p. 1+.
Evonitz - Friends & Acquaintances Description A teenage girl who lived in his neighborhood in Fredericksburg described Evonitz as, “one of the nicest people I ever knew,” and friends said he was a highly intelligent and a devoted husband who loved animals and making people laugh. He was also described as a “…very well dressed, intelligent, arrogant individual. He would always try to impress people by talking about physics” and “Always gave me the creeps… always cursing and mad at the world.” Another described him as a “scheming sucker” who took advantage of his naval shipmates by loan sharking. There were other far more disturbing descriptions as well. After Evonitz’ death, the Washington Post quoted a former coworker at a machine shop in Fredericksburg, who said, “Evonitz often spoke of tricking woman to pull off the road by telling them they had a problem with their cars.” The same coworker told the Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star that “he just went on and on about how you can flag them down in traffic and tell them there is something wrong with their car. Then they think you’re a nice guy." He added that Evonitz punched a wall at work after an unsuccessful attempt on the highway. The same coworker also indicated Evonitz had told him of his desire to rape and strangle women. Evonitz was a machine salesperson, someone who would have been familiar with techniques to reduce resistance and convince customers to take the desired actions. He had previously managed a Jiffy Lube, which would have provided him with the vocabulary needed to discuss “universal joints” and other terminology that may have been unfamiliar to the women flagged down by the stranger on the highway. His first wife indicated he had experience hot wiring cars, which could potentially give him access to more cars than just those he may have owned. Those who knew him reported seeing him driving friends’ cars, including trucks and more informally, in 2002 a user posted the following on FredTalk, an internet chat room hosted by the Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star: “At the time I think he drove a car. However, he did hang out with a single guy who coincidentally owned a white truck and lived off of [name of road] in Spotsy. Not pointing any fingers here and don't want to get any innocents "hanged" or anything, but you never know if Evonitz borrowed a friend's vehicle or not.” References "Normal Exterior Hid 'Sexually Sadistic Psychopath'." Associated Press, 13 Aug. 2002. "Neighbor Defends Suspected Murderer." Associated Press, 14 Jul. 2002, p. 4 Fanning, Diane. Into the Water: An Astonishing True Story of Abduction, Murder, and the Nice Guy Next Door. United States, St. Martin's Press, 2004. Shapira, Ian. and Glod, Maria. "Va. Trial Delivers No Clear Answers; Family, Accused Man Still Seeking Justice: [FINAL Edition]." The Washington Post, 4 Sep 2005, p. C01. ProQuest, http://lcpl.idm.oclc.org/newspapers/va-trial-delivers-no-clear-answers-family-accused/docview/409854534/se-2. Gould, Pamela. "Were Police Blind to Evonitz Crimes?" Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star, 18 Nov. 2007, p. 1+. Shapira, Ian. and Glod, Maria. "Va. Trial Delivers No Clear Answers; Family, Accused Man Still Seeking Justice: [FINAL Edition]." The Washington Post, 4 Sep 2005, p. C01. ProQuest, http://lcpl.idm.oclc.org/newspapers/va-trial-delivers-no-clear-answers-family-accused/docview/409854534/se-2. Pugh, Kari and Hall, Jim. "Discovering Deadly Secrets." Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star, 13 Jun. 2004, p. A1+. "Police Say S.C. Rape Suspect Killed Three Virginia Girls in 1990s." Associated Press, 14 Aug. 2002. "Making Headlines: Did You Know Richard Evonitz?" FredTalk, 5 Jul 2002. http://web.archive.org/web/20020802024525/http://fredtalk.fredericksburg.com/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=sifrit&Number=795&page=0&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=14&fpart=1
Evonitz & Breeden - the Same Man? In November 1996, law enforcement provided a description of Breeden (below); comparisons follow each statement. • He is well spoken. From a law enforcement officer who watched a video of Evonitz making a sales presentation to hundreds of people – “He was very articulate, a very good speaker” and from his apartment director in South Carolina - “He was very articulate, very professional. There was never a red flag.” • Sandy hair (sometimes reported as reddish-brown ) which he frequently pushes out of his eyes with his left hand. Evonitz had reddish brown hair, which matches the color of some of the descriptions of Breeden’s hair in 1996. • Probably employed in a blue collar, labor-type job and will be polite, quietly helpful to others and dependable. In 1996, Evonitz was employed by a machine factory that developed custom tools and machines. He was also responsible for sales. He did not however, seem to be perceived as “quietly helpful” by his coworkers. • Average intelligence. Evonitz was said to be intelligent. • He is probably guarded about his private life and may display inappropriate bursts of anger. An FBI VICAP alert described Evonitz as having an explosive temper, someone fascinated with guns, and a person who both used and sold marijuana. Multiple individuals, including his wife and coworkers, reported specific instances when he demonstrated inappropriate bursts of anger. • He is likely married or living with a woman. The relationship is probably troubled and was especially so at the time of the Reynolds killing. Evonitz and his wife had a troubled relationship (as described in her podcasts). In September 1996, after meeting a man on the internet, she left town for California and upon returning packed her bags to move for good. This is the same month he murdered Sophia Silva. • He is likely shy around women he does not know. This behavioral description likely stems from one victim who rode with Breeden in his truck who reported Breeden looked down or away most of the time they were in the truck together. It’s unknown if this description characterizes Evonitz. • He probably has no education beyond high school but may have some trade school experience. Evonitz was a high school graduate with additional training from the Navy. • He probably has a previous, nonviolent criminal record. The record may include "nuisance" sex crimes, such as stealing laundry or peering into women's windows. As a teenager, Evonitz made obscene phone calls, robbed a neighbor’s home, and reportedly molested a sister. In addition to the above, Breeden generated a feeling of “uneasiness” for the several women who rode in his truck. Similarly, according to law enforcement, every female Evonitz worked with in South Carolina indicated that there was “something about him that they just didn’t like” and many described him as “creepy.” Physical Characteristics Evonitz was one of many men who might fit the physical description of Breeden – he was between 5’9” and 5’10”, between 148 and 175 pounds, and was close to the right age (he was 32 in early 1996). In March 1996, Breeden was described by law enforcement as having blue eyes; by November 1996, that detail was no longer included in the description (Evonitz had brown eyes). In 1996, the average height of a Caucasian man was 5 feet, 10 inches and the average weight about 190 pounds, indicating that a large percentage of men would have met this description. Is there any reason to believe that Evonitz more closely matched the appearance of Breeden? On March 12th, 1996, Ann Ferguson Swibold told state police that on Feb. 16th, 1996, a man in a large, dark sedan followed her along State Route 230, a ten-mile stretch of roadway that connects Route 29 in Madison County to U.S. 15 in Orange (Route 230 intersects with Route 231, the roadway where Alicia’s parka was recovered). Later, when Evonitz’ crimes came to light, she told the Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star that with 101% certainty Evonitz was the man who drove up behind her and flagged her down, mouthing for her to pull over. References "Do You Know this Man, Police Ask?" Associated Press, 13 Nov. 1996. Hall, Jim. "The Making of a Murderer. Evonitz Childhood Offers Insight on Crimes." Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star, 14 Jun. 2004, p. 1+. "Officials: 'Sexually Sadistic Psychopath' Met with Teens." Associated Press. 18 Aug. 2002. Hawes, Spencer and Nordin, Barbara. "Explosive Words." Readthehook.net, The Hook, 18 Apr 2002, https://readthehook.net/98890/explosive-words. Accessed 14 Sep. 2024. Krishnamurthy, Kiran. "Police: Suspect Had Bra, Panties." Culpeper News, 3 Jul 2002, p. 1+ "Did You Know Richard Evonitz?" FredTalk archives (Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star). Wayback Machine. 2 Jul. 2002. http://fredtalk.fredericksburg.com/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=sifrit&Number=795&page=0&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=14&fpart=1 "Attention: Homicide, Sex Crimes, Special Victims and Crime Analysis Units. (VICAP Alert)." Alert # 2007-12-02. https://ucr.fbi.gov/wanted/vicap/homicides-and-sexual-assaults/evonitz_rm.pdf Hall, Jim. "The Making of a Murderer. Evonitz Childhood Offers Insight on Crimes." Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star, 14 Jun. 2004, p. 1+. Gould, Pamela. "Were Police Blind to Evonitz Crimes? Chapter 1: Evonitz Not Checked in Unsolved Slayings." Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star, 18 November 2007, p. 1+. Pugh, Kari and Hall, Jim. "Discovering Deadly Secrets." Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star, 13 Jun. 2004, p. A1+. "Serial Killers, Part 1: The FBI Role Takes Shape." FBI News, 10 Sep 2013. https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/serial-killers---part-1-the-fbis-role-takes-shape Center for Disease Control. “Advance Data from Vital and Health Statistics.” 27 Oct 2004. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/ad/ad347.pdf
Evonitz & Breeden - Different Men? • Evonitz was a federal employee (via his Navy service) who would have been fingerprinted as part of his conditions of employment. Law enforcement would have taken his prints post-mortem as well as a blood sample. Assuming the fingerprint information available to the public is correct – i.e., that a fingerprint was recovered from the Lignum logging field, from one of Alicia’s credit cards, and from some of the victims’ vehicles – Evonitz’ prints would have long ago been tested against the prints collected. • Other than Swibold, there is no indication that any of Breeden’s other victims or the Virginia State Police trooper who met Breeden three times identified Evonitz as the person they met or saw on the highway in 1995 or 1996. Although it was reported that Carmelita Shomo identified Evonitz as her attacker, she insisted she never did; a judge reviewed her statements and concluded that she did not identify Evonitz as her attacker. • While he could have worn a disguise, Evonitz did not resemble the composite sketches of the stalker. • Evonitz kept trophies and souvenirs from his known victims which were recovered after his suicide. To the public’s knowledge, there were no trophies or other evidence found linking him to any victim recovered in Lignum. • Considering the information available to the public about his known murders, Evonitz did not seem to scatter his known victims’ belongings, or taunt/attempt to derail law enforcement’s investigations the way the Route 29 stalker did. References: "Abduction Victim Testifies but with Contradictions'." Associated Press, 24 August 2005. Latent Fingerprints, DNA Evidence May Help Identify Reynold's Killer. Baltimore Sun, 8 Jun. 1996, p. 18B. Harrisonburg Daily News Record, March 09, 2005,Pg. 10, Harrisonburg, Virginia, US https://newspaperarchive.com/harrisonburg-daily-news-record-mar-09-2005-p-10 Gould, Pamela. "Were Police Blind to Evonitz Crimes? Chapter 6: Father: Why Wouldn't You Want to Know?" Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star, 18 November 2007, p. 1+.