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Jun 28, 2006 10:50 pm US/Central
North Texas Rape Victims Speak Out For DNA Tests
by Stephanie Lucero
DALLAS (CBS 11 News) ―
Four north Texas women, who were the victims of rape, are speaking out and asking for more DNA testing.
Victim's advocates have called a news conference for Thursday, but told CBS 11 News Wednesday night why they want to tell their stories.
Lavinia Masters says she was 13-years-old when a man broke into her west Dallas house, put a knife to her throat, and raped her.
"He just kept telling me to shut up, and he said if I said anything he was going to kill me," Masters said.
That was July of 1985. For 20 years the case was unsolved. Two months ago Masters received a call from police… they had a DNA match.
"It was hard for me to believe until he came and he sat at my table, my dining room table, and he showed me a photograph of this assailant and I knew without a doubt that was him. And all I could do was cry uncontrollably and say, that was him, that's him," masters said.
Dallas police say her attacker is in prison on unrelated sexual assault and robbery convictions.
The Texas Association Against Sexual Assault is concerned that an annual grant for DNA testing won't be fully funded by congress… so victims' advocates are lobbying for the money.
"We compete with everybody from welfare, to the war in Iraq, to the Violence Against Women Act. We compete with ourselves to a certain degree," said Karen Rhubarb, victim's advocate.
Masters says her life has changed since she learned the identity of her attacker, but that knowledge has been bittersweet, because the statute of limitations has expired on her case.
Now she is preparing to let the pardons and parole board know what happened to her 21 years ago.
Masters says now that she knows the identity of her attacker, she feels empowered. She's now a public speaker and is in the process of writing a book called "Breathe Again."
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