A Lifetime Struggle: The Courage of Kellie Green
Kellie Greene's life changed forever late one January evening more than 7 years ago following a visit to the laundry room in her apartment complex. As she opened the door to her apartment, she was brutally attacked by an intruder who smashed a tea kettle over her head and then raped her. At some point during the vicious attack, which lasted 45 minutes, Kellie's rapist used dishwashing detergent. It is unknown whether the rapist used it as a lubricant, after ejaculation to cleanse himself, or purposely to destroy crucial DNA evidence that ultimately could convict him of the assault. In any case, forensic experts with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement were able to retrieve a sample of the rapist's semen from the sweater Kellie wore that night. It was this key DNA evidence that, on February 28, 1997, linked David William Shaw to Kellie's attack on January 18, 1994. More than a month would pass, however, before she was told of the DNA match in April 1997.
The road to recovery for Kellie, and countless other rape survivors, is paved with anger, loss, rage, sadness, numbness, confusion, shame, guilt, fear, despair, and courage. The rape is a memory that never disappears and one that marks a woman's life forever. The experience shapes how she reacts to life's challenges and unexpected turns, how she gets through each day, how she sleeps at night, how she feels about her sexuality, how she feels about her body, and how she feels about men. "I think I always will struggle with the sexuality. It's never the same. Something that should be natural becomes something that you have to work at," Kellie said.
After Kellie's brutal attack and rape, she did not hesitate to report it to the authorities. "There wasn't any question. I was beat up really badly," she said. But once at the hospital, Kellie had to wait 3 hours in a hospital bed with her head wound still bleeding because the hospital would not treat her without first being seen by a medical examiner. It took seven staples to close the gash in her head.
At the time of her rape, Florida was not processing nonsuspect cases because of funding issues, and, as a result, DNA evidence in her case sat on a shelf for more than 3 years before it was analyzed. If it had not been for persistent law enforcement officers, particularly one detective, Kellie's rape kit might still be sitting on a shelf. Because officers thought Kellie's rape was similar to rapes occurring in Daytona Beach, less than 2 hours north of Orlando where Kellie's attack occurred, her rape kit was dusted off and examined. Once the results were entered into Florida's local DNA database, a hit was made via the FBI's CODIS system, allowing for an almost immediate match. Her rapist's DNA profile did not match the profile of the rapist in Daytona Beach but that of a man already serving a 25–year sentence for beating and raping a woman 6 weeks before attacking Kellie.
While Kellie's rapist remains behind bars today, she continues to fight to keep him there. Quirks in the criminal justice system, insensitivity toward the victim, and human error allowed her case to slip through the cracks more than once, resulting in a significantly reduced sentence for the offender. Not until late April 2000 was Kellie informed of a plea agreement stating that Shaw could serve concurrently a 22-year sentence for Kellie's rape, a 15-year sentence for a robbery, a 5-year sentence for obstructing justice, and the 25-year sentence for the first rape. A motion filed by the defense attorney to clarify the sentence never reached the state's attorney's office. Finally, the judge signed orders denying Kellie restitution and denying her request that Shaw be treated with chemical castration shots. As a result, Kellie's rapist could be released from jail as early as 2001. Had consecutive sentences been ordered for his brutal crimes, he would not be released until 2041.
After her trial, Kellie drafted and introduced a bill in the Florida legislature that would mandate consecutive sentences for convicted sex offenders and murderers in prison who are found guilty of subsequent offenses. Sponsored by Representative Randy Johnson (R), the legislation was called the Sexual Predator Prosecution Act of 2000. The bill passed Florida's House and Senate unanimously and was signed into law in June 2000.
Kellie has been speaking out about her rape and recovery for more than 6 years. In October 1999, she formed a nonprofit organization named SOAR—Speaking Out About Rape, Inc. She travels across the country giving rape awareness seminars about the healing process and the importance of DNA evidence in solving cases. SOAR gave her recovery a purpose. "I was able to learn something from it and to help others. So often people think of the rape only and not the aftereffects, she pointed out. "DNA is really an amazing tool. You don't know where you're going to get the DNA from but you can get it from a lot of places."
Note: If you would like to contact Kellie Greene or find out more about SOAR, call 407–836–9692, fax 407–836–9690, or visit SOAR's Web site at www.soar99.org
The case study was taken from the Office for Victims of Crime Bulletin Understanding DNA Evidence: A Guide for Victim Service Providers.
