JULIE WEIL

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Julie’s intense and interactive program details the incredible story of her family’s abduction from a preschool in Miami, FL, and their transport to the Florida Everglades one hot October afternoon. It was out there, in the middle of nowhere, Julie faced her own worst nightmare. The presentation will take you through each stage of the crime and the challenges that were faced by Julie and her two children on that day, ending after four brutal rapes and Julie being left for dead on the floor of her minivan at the church she was taken from.  During the talk, law enforcement professionals will gain important insight into the workings of the mind of a highly experienced serial rapist and learn just how far a mother will go to protect the lives of her children.  

Once the family eventually reached safety, they were able to call 911.  Their immediate and long- term interactions with various levels of law enforcement, the forensic lab, and medical professionals will be outlined. The protocols that were followed in Julie’s case and the actions of each individual agency that connected with her and her extended family, in fact, shaped the outcome of her healing as a survivor and influenced the way justice was served.  Each part of the system and how each aided in the final outcome will be examined as a reminder of how even in the midst of the worst crimes, proper cooperation between agencies and with the victim are paramount to success.

The end of the presentation will wrap-up with multiple examples of the progress that has been made in the United States and internationally with regards to helping victims of violent crimes through advanced policing, more specialized forensic nursing, and the advent of cutting age DNA technology.  The future is bright when we all work in cooperation to produce strong survivors.  Offering someone the opportunity for closure and justice after a brutal crime is the one of the most important things one person can do for another.