Jane Doe's* Story
*Name has been changed for
Survivor's privacy
Kevin and I met on OkCupid in January 2020. He presented himself as an experienced activist. We both expressed interest in dating someone who was a vegan and also had an interest in BDSM. He made a lot of comments about hurting women, that at the time, I assumed was part of a fantasy that would be 100% consensual in nature but in hindsight, I realize that is not the case.
On our first date, he showed up buzzed and convinced me to take a substance that caused me to overdose. I passed out and was taken to the emergency room. I was unconscious while I was there for at least an hour. When I woke up in the emergency room, he was there, and gave me the impression that he was with me the whole time, making sure I was okay. I later found out that was not the case and that he had shown up only moments before I woke up so that he wouldn’t have to face any consequences that he thought would happen from my overdosing. He frequently got drunk in front of me but also was hiding drinking. He drove me drunk, without my knowledge, basically every time I was in his car.
He made several comments that I believe shed light on the abuse he perpetuated on Rachel and Michelle. He expressed an extreme interest in having a threesome that involved two men and one woman. He mentioned his friend Tyler as a willing participant in this. I told him every time that I wasn’t interested. He repeatedly said that he wanted to have a threesome of that nature before he died, again mentioning Tyler’s name. He thought it was the ultimate way to dominate a woman. I do not believe that he would have mentioned Tyler’s name so frequently if Tyler and Kevin didn’t have conversations about that shared fantasy.
Kevin also told me that he only dated vegan women, who were activists. He said that he enjoyed dating strong women and breaking them down. I assumed at the time that he was referring to BDSM and consensual power play. But again, hindsight lends light to that and I do believe that Kevin uses animal rights and his clout as a political prisoner to lure women in.
The impetus for Kevin and I falling out was he was driving us back from Las Vegas where we were canvassing for Bernie Sanders. He insisted on pulling off the highway to find an abandoned water park to show me, despite it being late. We got there and went in. After about 15 minutes, Kevin began acting erratic. He pulled my hair and pulled me to the ground, verbally degrading me. He let go and began shouting about religion. He offered me what I thought was Pedialyte, which he had been drinking all day, and I instantly realized it was vodka and he had been drinking all day. I insisted we go back to his car and he refused to give me his keys. Instead we sat in his car for over an hour while he verbally degraded me, calling me fat and ugly and my looks being the reason why he couldn’t have sex with me, while I frantically tried to find an Uber on this abandoned stretch of highway. Kevin ended up starting the car and began driving, while still extremely drunk. I grabbed the steering wheel and was able to guide us to a motel to stay the night in, since he wouldn’t give me the keys. The next morning, he remembered nothing and made some apologies for his actions by admitting his alcoholism and also blaming his actions on his trauma from a past relationship. He drove me to my parents’ place and we didn’t speak for a few days.
I then saw him again at an Earth Crisis concert. He told me he was getting sober but he smelled like alcohol. He told me again that he is an alcoholic and was considering taking a medication that would prevent him from being able to drink enjoyably. He also mentioned that he has known about his violent tendencies while drunk for a long time and still chooses to drink. He mentioned that one of his past girlfriends was so scared of him while he was drunk that she told him that if he ever contacted her again, she would call the police. We went to the concert and met up with Sidney Jeperson, with whom I had a conversation about Kevin. I believe that she knows about Kevin’s alcohol abuse and I think it’s extremely hypocritical for her to judge Rachel for her alcohol use but not hold Kevin, who is an admitted alcoholic, to the same standard.
I saw Kevin two more times at Bernie Sanders events where he didn’t drink in front of me, but did use another substance one time. I felt emotionally entangled with him and he continued to play on those emotions. I ended up cutting off contact during the lockdown after the realization that he was not a person who was interested in my well-being. I stand with Rachel, Michelle, and Katerina. Kevin should be held accountable for his actions and treatment of women.