Member-only story
True Survivor: The Incredible Story of How Fifteen-Year-Old Kara Robinson Outwitted a Serial Killer
Dangerous Encounter
June 24, 2002, was set to be a day of fun in the sun for fifteen-year-old Kara Robinson and her best friend Heather. After enjoying a sleepover the night before, the pair were planning to spend the afternoon swimming at a lake in West Columbia, South Carolina. Unfortunately, a chance encounter would put one of them directly in the path of a predator with murder on his mind.
What had started out as a morning like any other took an unexpected turn when Heather’s mom phoned to ask the girls to water the flower garden before departing for the lake. In order to move the process along, Kara had offered to tend to the chore while her friend took a shower.
As she stood in the front yard, barefoot and clad in shorts and a t-shirt, Kara noticed a green Pontiac driving slowly down the street. Moments later, she saw it again, only this time it was pulling into the driveway of Heather’s house.
Before she knew it, a thirtysomething gentleman in casual attire was walking towards her carrying what appeared to be a stack of magazines. Wearing a baseball cap and a smile that spread from ear to ear, the jovial interloper had appeared anything but threatening.
