Netflix released a new limited series called Unbelievable on Sept. 13. The series is based on a news article from 2015 called “An Unbelievable Story of Rape,” written by T. Christian Miller and Ken Armstrong.
The article and the series both follow the true story of a serial rapist case and the first victim who came forward, Marie. In the news, the victim is only ever identified as “Marie” and she is characterized as Marie Adler in the series.
Marie was a former foster child who aged out of the system and was in a program for young adults such as herself. In 2008, at age 18, she called 911 in the morning after a man broke into her apartment, tied her up, took pictures of her and raped her at knife point.
Despite the fact that she followed all of the “correct” steps after her assault (calling 911, going to the doctor, confiding in people she trusted) the police investigating her attack quickly came to the conclusion that she was lying about being raped.
She was made to give her statement four or five times directly after her assault, the trauma of which made her memories jumbled. The police found small inconsistencies in these statements and used them to accuse her of lying. They even insinuated that if she didn’t admit to lying, her housing would be taken away from her.
After all of this, and the fact that those closest to her didn’t believe her either, she eventually made a statement saying she lied. After doing this, the police then charged her with a gross misdemeanor and she was forced to pay a $500 fine to the city.
She lost her job, loved ones, her credibility and her sense of self through the actions of the people around her in the wake of her attack. It wasn’t until three years later in 2011 that she found justice when two detectives in Colorado convicted her rapist through the pictures they found that connected him to Marie.
He was eventually sentenced to 327 ½ years in prison for his crimes, and Marie won a lawsuit against the city for $150,000, though many believe she deserved more.
The new series Unbelievable follows this story and the mistakes and rectification of the situation by law enforcement. It sheds light on the deep-seated issue of rape culture in our country and the fact that many victims are “unbelievable” to many.
Marie Adler is just one woman who was affected by this issue.
RAINN, the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network, which is an anti-sexual violence organization, said “an American is sexually assaulted every 73 seconds…Females ages 16-19 are 4 times more likely than the general population to be victims of rape, attempted rape, or sexual assault…Women ages 18-24 who are college students are 3 times more likely than women in general to experience sexual violence.”
This issue is one we all need to be aware of. We have to work together to change these statistics.
The number for 24/7 sexual assault service providers is: 800-656-HOPE (4673).
