Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Was This Man Influenced By "The Lovely Bones" By Alice Sebold????????


                                          When I heard the story of Vinson Filyaw, and how he kidnapped Elizabeth Shoaf, a 14-year-old girl from Lugoff, South Carolina, on September 6, 2006, my curiosity  was aroused.  This slimeball posed as a police officer, dressed in full regalia, lured her into the woods, till she was geographically disoriented, then lifted the door on an underground bunker, where she was imprisoned, tortured, and raped, over a ten day period.  When I watched this story, on Investigation Discovery's "Surviving Evil," I thought, "This is the same thing George Harvey (brilliantly played by Stanley Tucci in the movie!!!!!!) did in "The Lovely Bones."  Since there was nothing really given about the early life of Filyaw, (one of the flaws of these types of programs) I had to wonder if he had had any exposure to Sebold's novel, (which was published in 2002) to be influenced by it.

                                             The program neither raised nor answered that question,either, but it made abundantly clear that he had the same agenda as George Harvey, because during this period Elizabeth was systematically chained, tortured, and raped!!!!!!!!!!!   She would have probably ended up dead, like Susie in the Sebold novel, if it were not for Elizabeth's resourcefulness, such as dropping her shoes, and pulling out hair to leave clues to herself behind in the outdoors around her, gaining Filyaw's trust so much he allowed her to use his cell phone allegedly for games, but which she used to text a message to her mother, giving clues as to where she might be.  As it turns out, she was barely a mile from her own home.

                                              When Filyaw learned of the double cross, she talked him out of killing her, and going on the lam, instead.    He was caught, and is now serving 421 years in prison.  His girl friend, (she must be a real laugh riot, dolls!!!!!!!!) who was in the bunker for at least part of the time, and witnessed some of the atrocities, doing nothing, was charged, as well.  Take the key, and lock her up, darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                 I have to hand it to Elizabeth.  Few victims would be this resourceful under such circumstances.  No wonder she was too emotionally distraught to testify against Filyaw publicly; though I would have relished glaring at him, and spewing my venom!!!!!!! Tit for tat, as they say!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                  But I really have to wonder how much "The Lovely Bones" had a play in this. Not that I am denigrating Sebold's work; far from it.  It just goes to prove truth is not only stranger than
fiction, but sometime the two intersect!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                   At least now, Filyaw is only intersecting with his jail cell!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



8 comments:

  1. i believe he was influenced by the tremendous film lovely bones.... i hate the fact that she had to go through this god bless her. i have been reading little on this and recently saw half of the film i think that this is outrageous

    ReplyDelete

  2. Unknown,
    I agree this sounds so close
    to Sebold's novel, there had
    to be some connection. Gald
    Elizabeth survived, and that
    he is incarcerated!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I agree with this.i really the movie it was a wonderful movie with a great messege..

    ReplyDelete

  4. Unknown,

    I am on the fence about the movie.
    The reality sequences were terrific; the
    Afterlife cones less so. But it was supposed
    to be from the POV of a 14 year old girl, so
    it may have succeeded with some, but did not
    work for me.

    ReplyDelete
  5. No, the film, "The Lovely Bones", wasn't based off of Elizabeth Shoafs case. It was actually based off of a case, where this happened to a girl in Norristown Pennsylvania, back in the 1970's.

    ReplyDelete
  6. LucyShea,
    The girl was Debbie Makel, who was
    murdered on October 5, 1973. She
    was found two days later, dead and
    sexually assaulted. The case remains
    unsolved.

    Interesting you mention Norristown. For
    decades that area was a part of my life.
    My sister and her family lived in Audubon, PA,
    and when Norristown built a bus stop, that is where
    I would be picked up.

    ReplyDelete
  7. My thought wasn't if he was influenced but was he the same person because from my understanding, the actual murders in lovely bones is true. There are many serial killers that have never been caught and that take cool off breaks while others change their m.o. like The butcher, who went as far as framing a cop and using our own justice system to murder him or the green river killer that it took decades to find. It's down right terrifying knowing how many are actively hunting every day, and beoyned terrifying to know that there are twice that many laying low and waiting.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Miss Barber,
    You are right; the murder in "The Lovely Bones"
    is based on a true story, right down to the killer
    having an underground lair. I am with you, there
    are many out there waiting, or who just have not
    started. But there are signs that one can look
    for, just to be aware.

    ReplyDelete