Now the Netflix Limited Series Unbelievable, starring Toni Collette, Merritt Wever, and Kaitlyn Dever • Two Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists tell the riveting true crime story of a teenager charged with lying about having been raped—and the detectives who followed a winding path to arrive at the truth. “Gripping . . . [with a] John Grisham–worthy twist.”—Emily Bazelon, New York Times Book … twist.”—Emily Bazelon, New York Times Book Review (Editors’ Choice)
On August 11, 2008, eighteen-year-old Marie reported that a masked man broke into her apartment near Seattle, Washington, and raped her. Within days police and even those closest to Marie became suspicious of her story. The police swiftly pivoted and began investigating Marie. Confronted with inconsistencies in her story and the doubts of others, Marie broke down and said her story was a lie—a bid for attention. Police charged Marie with false reporting, and she was branded a liar.
More than two years later, Colorado detective Stacy Galbraith was assigned to investigate a case of sexual assault. Describing the crime to her husband that night, Galbraith learned that the case bore an eerie resemblance to a rape that had taken place months earlier in a nearby town. She joined forces with the detective on that case, Edna Hendershot, and the two soon discovered they were dealing with a serial rapist: a man who photographed his victims, threatening to release the images online, and whose calculated steps to erase all physical evidence suggested he might be a soldier or a cop. Through meticulous police work the detectives would eventually connect the rapist to other attacks in Colorado—and beyond.
Based on investigative files and extensive interviews with the principals, A False Report is a serpentine tale of doubt, lies, and a hunt for justice, unveiling the disturbing truth of how sexual assault is investigated today—and the long history of skepticism toward rape victims.
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Difficult to read, but important. There’s no such thing as “proper” behavior for someone who’s been raped.
How do you defend yourself when someone accuses you of rape?”, I believe that was the statement that William Kennedy Smith so stoically announced during his trial back in the early 90’s. The public was glued to their television sets when Court TV was still on the air this was a tremendous trial. He was acquitted but guilty of that rape and several others. The woman who had the nerve to take him to trial had her creditability ripped her to shreds for all to see.
This book isn’t about that case, but I can still picture him on the stand all smug and composed posing that question to the jury, that poor woman didn’t stand a chance.
It’s hard for a woman to come forward after a rape just thinking of many obstacles they face, let alone considering that chances of the perpetrator will be caught and brought to justice is slim to none. We hear of all these decades-old rape kits that are that are now being discovered in a basement at some police departments or the current ones that are waiting in line for DNA testing that may take years before they’ll be tested is a daunting thought.
These women fought back; they did the right things they called the police, these survivors went to the hospital to get examined, they didn’t wait.
I was stunning at the number of times that a specific survivor had to recall her assault because the detectives who caught her case kept finding inconsistencies in her statement. The survivor’s prior behavior before and after the attack was in question regarding her case. I was furious that several people who were close to the young survivor went to the detectives and added more suspicions regarding her claim. There is no right or wrong way to how a survivor responds to a sexual assault.
I thought this book was very informative and I applaud the investigative reporters who brought this case to light. It was a real eye-opener, I’ve worked in Law Enforcement and dealt with sexual assault survivors and to quote one of the statements in the book, “You know what these complaints represent?” The Sgt. told Ms. Browmiller. “Prostitutes who didn’t get their money.” I’ve heard that statement before, and I was livid. If a prostitute reports a sexual assault they should be should be treated just as seriously as elderly Sunday Sunday teacher.
I’m glad that finally, detectives are getting the specialized training they need to handle these type of cases. In the past, it seemed as if a sexual assault case came through a police department it would always land on the females detective’s desk
Another thing I liked about this book is that it’s not bogged down with a lot of dry statistics it was an easy read.
I want to thank the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this e-galley in exchange for my honest opinion.
This was a well-written, well-researched account of one serial rapist, the women he attacked, and the two states that investigated the cases – and the HUGE differences between the investigations. In one, the victim was doubted, the investigation rudimentary at best, and the results were horrifying. In the other, the victims were mostly believed, the investigation thorough and coordinated among various law enforcement agencies, and the rapist was caught, prosecuted and convicted. I wanted MORE about that, though – WHY did the two investigations go in such different directions? Was it because many of the officers were female in one instance, and entirely male in the other? Was it a difference in training, or culture, or something else? The problems outlined in this book are devastating. I wish it started laying the groundwork for identifying some of the causes and potential solutions.