Vinson Filyaw
Encyclopedia
Vinson Filyaw is a former construction worker convicted of kidnapping
and raping
Elizabeth Shoaf, a 14-year-old girl from Lugoff
, South Carolina
, in 2006, holding her captive in an underground bunker. This bunker had been constructed in order to elude police who were seeking to arrest Filyaw on an unrelated rape charge. Filyaw's girlfriend was also arrested on charges of aiding and abetting
the abduction.
, and did not launch an Amber alert
. Shoaf's behavior during this period has been heralded by people involved with missing children cases. "Not only was she very brave, she was also very smart and did several things that greatly improved her chances of survival," said Captain David Thomley of the Kershaw County Sheriff
’s Department.
After 10 days in captivity, the victim convinced Filyaw to let her borrow his cellular phone to play games, but she had an entirely different use in mind. Once he fell asleep, she text messaged her mother and friends, who contacted the police. The authorities then began to triangulate the bunker's position through the cell phone towers. Filyaw saw that he was under pursuit by watching the news on a battery-powered television in the bunker. He asked Shoaf for advice, and she told him to run away. He did so, allowing her to leave the bunker and yell for help until she was found by a rescue team.
Filyaw had equipped the entrance of the bunker with a booby-trap, according to police.
, pellet gun, and knife
, when he was arrested. He was charged with kidnapping, possession of an incendiary device (a flare gun
), and impersonating a police officer, with other charges pending.
Elizabeth initially was too emotional to appear at the trial, but later made several media appearances. On a 2008 episode of the Today show, Meredith Viera did a profile of Elizabeth Shoaf and her family, commenting on Elizabeth's calmness throughout such a horrific event. The story aired on Dateline NBC on March 7, 2008.
Kidnapping
In criminal law, kidnapping is the taking away or transportation of a person against that person's will, usually to hold the person in false imprisonment, a confinement without legal authority...
and raping
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
Elizabeth Shoaf, a 14-year-old girl from Lugoff
Lugoff, South Carolina
Lugoff is a small census-designated place in Kershaw County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 6,278 at the 2000 census. The population was nearly 85% rural in 2000...
, South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
, in 2006, holding her captive in an underground bunker. This bunker had been constructed in order to elude police who were seeking to arrest Filyaw on an unrelated rape charge. Filyaw's girlfriend was also arrested on charges of aiding and abetting
Aiding and abetting
Criminal=Aiding and abetting is an additional provision in United States criminal law, for situations where it cannot be shown the party personally carried out the criminal offense, but where another person may have carried out the illegal act as an agent of the charged, working together with or...
the abduction.
Kidnapping
The victim, Elizabeth Shoaf, was kidnapped after she disembarked from her school bus on September 6, 2006. Filyaw gained her trust by posing as a police officer. He walked his victim around in the woods until she became disoriented and then marched her to a hand-dug 15-foot bunker near his trailer home, located within a mile of her own home. There he stripped her naked, restrained her with chains, and raped her several times a day. Police initially interpreted her disappearance as a runawayRunaway youth
A runaway is a minor or a person under an arbitrary age, depending upon the local jurisdiction, who has left the home of his or her parent or legal guardian without permission, or has been thrown out by his or her parent and is considered by the local authorities to lack the capacity to live under...
, and did not launch an Amber alert
AMBER Alert
An AMBER Alert or a Child Abduction Emergency is a child abduction alert bulletin in several countries throughout the world, issued upon the suspected abduction of a child, since 1996...
. Shoaf's behavior during this period has been heralded by people involved with missing children cases. "Not only was she very brave, she was also very smart and did several things that greatly improved her chances of survival," said Captain David Thomley of the Kershaw County Sheriff
Sheriff
A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
’s Department.
- While being led into the woods, she dropped her shoes in the hope that it would provide a clue for someone who was searching for her.
- Despite receiving ongoing death threats and having explosives hung around her neck, "[she] would talk with him about things that interested him, which in his eyes, made her a person, not just a captive. She began to gain his trust."
- After continuing to gain his trust, she was allowed out of the bunker, and would "pull out strands of her hair lay them on branches hoping search dogs might pick up her scent."
After 10 days in captivity, the victim convinced Filyaw to let her borrow his cellular phone to play games, but she had an entirely different use in mind. Once he fell asleep, she text messaged her mother and friends, who contacted the police. The authorities then began to triangulate the bunker's position through the cell phone towers. Filyaw saw that he was under pursuit by watching the news on a battery-powered television in the bunker. He asked Shoaf for advice, and she told him to run away. He did so, allowing her to leave the bunker and yell for help until she was found by a rescue team.
Filyaw had equipped the entrance of the bunker with a booby-trap, according to police.
Arrest
Filyaw was five miles from his house, carrying a taserTaser
A Taser is an electroshock weapon that uses electrical current to disrupt voluntary control of muscles. Its manufacturer, Taser International, calls the effects "neuromuscular incapacitation" and the devices' mechanism "Electro-Muscular Disruption technology"...
, pellet gun, and knife
Knife
A knife is a cutting tool with an exposed cutting edge or blade, hand-held or otherwise, with or without a handle. Knives were used at least two-and-a-half million years ago, as evidenced by the Oldowan tools...
, when he was arrested. He was charged with kidnapping, possession of an incendiary device (a flare gun
Flare gun
A flare gun is a firearm that launches flares. It is typically used for signalling, as distress signalling, at sea or from the ground to aircraft...
), and impersonating a police officer, with other charges pending.
Trial and Sentencing
Filyaw pled guilty to all counts just before the start of the trial. His victim was too emotional to testify, but a prepared statement was read by her attorney and she later made a public statement. Vinson Filyaw was sentenced to 421 years in prison on September 19, 2007, by Circuit Judge G. Thomas Cooper, given the maximum penalty under South Carolina law. He is currently incarcerated at the Maximum Security Unit at Kirkland Correctional Institution.Elizabeth initially was too emotional to appear at the trial, but later made several media appearances. On a 2008 episode of the Today show, Meredith Viera did a profile of Elizabeth Shoaf and her family, commenting on Elizabeth's calmness throughout such a horrific event. The story aired on Dateline NBC on March 7, 2008.