She Was Married to a Serial Killer for Years Without Knowing His Dark Secret — Now She’s Helping Uncover the Truth

For years, Bonnie Lou Gower believed she was simply a woman whose first marriage had fallen apart. She had no idea that the man she once called her husband, Richard “Marc” Evonitz, would later be identified as a serial killer responsible for the deaths of at least three teenage girls. More than two decades after learning the horrifying truth, Gower is now sharing her story publicly and working alongside one of Evonitz’s surviving victims to explore the unanswered questions surrounding his crimes.

Gower married Evonitz in 1988 when she was just 17 years old. He was eight years older and had served in the U.S. Navy. The couple moved between several states during their marriage, including Maine, California and Virginia. Looking back, Gower has described a relationship in which Evonitz increasingly isolated her from friends and family, discouraged her from pursuing education or outside employment, and sometimes made her question her own instincts. At the time, however, she said she did not understand the full significance of his behavior and never imagined that he was secretly committing horrific crimes.

Their marriage eventually ended in the late 1990s, years before investigators uncovered the extent of Evonitz’s crimes. In June 2002, Gower was living in Northern California with her second husband and two young children when FBI agents arrived at her home with shocking news: her former husband was suspected of abducting and killing young girls. The revelation turned her understanding of her past upside down. She later learned that one of the victims, 16-year-old Sofia Silva, had been killed in 1996 while she was still married to Evonitz. Investigators also linked him to the 1997 killings of sisters Kristin and Kati Lisk.

The investigation gained momentum after 15-year-old Kara Robinson Chamberlain escaped from Evonitz in 2002. Robinson had been abducted at gunpoint and held captive, but managed to escape while he was asleep. She provided authorities with crucial details about his vehicle and apartment, helping investigators identify him and connect him to earlier unsolved cases. Evonitz fled to Florida, where he died by suicide during a police pursuit before authorities could arrest him. His death meant that many questions about his crimes would never be answered in court.

For Gower, the news brought a painful mix of shock, disbelief and retrospective fear. She has said that she had noticed troubling behavior during their marriage but did not recognize it as evidence of the violence he was hiding. She also described how his controlling behavior had left her isolated, with few people to confide in. After learning what he had done, she began reexamining memories of their life together and cooperating with investigators who were trying to establish a timeline of his activities. Although authorities connected Evonitz to at least three murders and Robinson’s abduction, questions remain about whether he committed other crimes. Suspicions about additional victims have not been definitively confirmed by law enforcement.

Gower has since rebuilt her life after further personal loss. Her second husband, Scott, with whom she had two sons, died from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, in 2012. In September 2025, she married Daniel Rasmussen, later describing the relationship as a source of peace after years of hardship. In 2024, she began sharing her experiences through a series of TikTok videos titled “Married to a Serial Killer.” Her account attracted widespread attention, giving viewers a rare perspective on what it can mean to discover that someone once close to you led a hidden life of violence.

Today, Gower and Robinson have joined forces for the Investigation Discovery documentary series The Serial Killer Connection, which premiered on October 7, 2026. The three-part series revisits Evonitz’s known crimes and examines unresolved questions, including whether he may have been responsible for other disappearances. For Robinson, the project offers an opportunity to revisit the investigation that began with her escape. For Gower, it is a chance to better understand the man she once knew and potentially help other families find answers.

Gower is also working on a book about her experience, expected in late 2026. Her story is a reminder that a person’s public or private life may conceal things even those closest to them cannot see. By speaking openly about her marriage, its warning signs and the devastating truth she learned years later, Gower hopes to contribute to a clearer understanding of Evonitz’s crimes and help bring answers to families still living with uncertainty.

Source: PEOPLE