A Day That Changed My Life

ForeverTheresa Gillikin

Narrative Paper

February 19, 2014

Ms. Lee

It was a warm September day in 1996. It felt so nice she decided to do her homework on

her front porch. She was a free spirit, a tomboy, a very friendly face. She was my friend. Her

name was Sofia. A handsome man pulled into the driveway. He exited the car carrying

magazines. His name was Marc. She walked up to him thinking he wanted to sell her magazines.

Little did she know he had other motives. Beneath the pile of magazines he was carrying was a

gun. He showed her the gun and forced her into the backseat of the car into a plastic tote. He

took off down the road. No one saw a thing. She had disappeared. That was the end of the

wonderful feeling day. That feeling of gloom was soon to set in. The gloom would impact a

family and a community for six years. This is my story of the day I found out who murdered my

friend.

It was a typical day at work for me. I was 22 years old. I worked at a Wawa as a shift

manager and I had been at work for a couple of hours. I worked the night shift. It was a busy day.

It was hot and humid. A normal June day in Virginia. Crowds of people flooded the gas tanks

and the store. I waited on many people and it was a lot of usual customers. I knew what they

wanted or what they were going to have before they even came to my register to check out. An

older gentleman came to the counter with a cup of coffee and a newspaper. I scanned the

newspaper and glanced at it for a moment and noticed the picture on the front of a man. He

looked really familiar to me. I then saw the name Sofia Silva. All of the sudden these emotions I

had not felt in years had come back. My face started feeling hot and my body felt like it was

shaking. I took care of the rest of the customers in my line and had another member of my staff

come to a register so I could gather myself.

I went to the restroom and splashed some cool water on my face to try to get rid of that

flush feeling. I then got a drink and grabbed a newspaper and went to the office for a few

minutes. I read the article in the newspaper and the news was exciting and disappointing at the

same time. The article had stated that a victim of Marc Evonitz’ had escaped from him and the

police had searched his apartment and found evidence that linked him to the murders of three

area girls. One of them was Sofia Silva. I was excited that they finally knew who had done it, but

I was disappointed because he had killed himself when the police had cornered him to arrest him.

Now he would never face the courts to deserve what he had coming to him. He was a coward and

took the easy way out.

The picture of the man named Richard Marc Evonitz kept nagging at me though. I knew

him from somewhere, but where. I thought about it for a while then decided I would call my

mother on my break and maybe she would know.

I went back to my usual day at work with a sigh of relief. I was so happy that the horror

was over. My coworkers asked if I was ok and I told them about the newspaper and that they

finally knew who had killed Sofia, Kristen, and Katie. Some of them did not understand why it

impacted me that much. I then explained to them that Sofia went to school with me and was

supposed to graduate with me and that we were friends. They then understood and were also

happy along with me. He was no longer out there to terrorize our community anymore.

A couple more hours had gone by and I had sent my coworkers on their breaks so it was

time for mine. Thank god it was time for mine because I kept picturing him in my head. It would

not go away. I called my mother and she said that the name did not sound familiar but she was

planning on coming by and getting a newspaper anyway. My mother showed up and got a

newspaper and we were talking about it. She had recognized him also. It still did not occur to

either of us how we knew him. I worked the rest of my shift thinking about it and went home for

the evening.

The next day was the same as usual at work. The same gentleman came to the counter

with his coffee and the newspaper and the picture of the man that had killed my friend had

graced the front page again. I was thinking to myself I need to see what else is being said about

this man. I waited until my break and got a newspaper and went to the office again.

The newspaper had stated that he lived in Spotsylvania County and worked at a place

called Walter Grinders which was a company around the corner from my neighborhood which

apparently was also his neighborhood. It finally dawned on me. It was Marc. He was the

president of the HOA in our neighborhood when he lived here. He was organizing our

neighborhood to fight the rezoning of land across the street from my parents’ house. I had been

in his house before with my parents and also alone.

He really did seem like the typical guy next door. He was very nice. He seemed to be caring and

fought for things he thought were right and he had other people aboard for it. I was in his house

the day before he kidnapped Sofia. I was there to pick up flyers to hand out in the neighborhood

to let people know about the County Board meeting for the rezoning and for them to come to

help fight the rezoning.

All of these questions and thought started flooding my head. Why didn’t he choose me? I

was in his house that would be an easy target. Why would he do this? Just a bunch of why

questions.

Within the next couple of week’s reporters of all sorts showed up at people’s houses in

my neighborhood. I spoke with one of them. She was with the Associated Press. She interviewed

me and I was able to tell my story of him and also her.

This has really impacted my life in so many ways. I have learned to always be aware of

my surroundings in case anything happens. I have children of my own and I always know where

they are and it is hard for me to let them go somewhere without me seeing them. It has also led

me to the career path I have chosen. I have decided that I want to go into law. I want to be a

Commonwealth’s Attorney so I can prosecute people who have done wrong. None of this would

have been possible if I did not know who killed Sofia. A tomboy, free spirit, my friend.