Cry Rape: The True Story of One Woman's Harrowing Quest for Justice by Bill Lueders
Authors: Bill Lueders
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Draeger’s response: “Women do it all the time.” Draeger later admitted saying “something similar to that.”
62
Perfect Victim
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After a while of not being able to come up with the reasons they sought, Patty told the detectives her confession was phony: “I’m just saying this to get out of here.” Whereupon, she recalled, Woodmansee angrily threw down his notebook and said it was time for a break. He later denied this, saying “I may have dropped it.” Draeger couldn’t remember.
Woodmansee left the interview room several times. He brought Patty another cup of coffee. By her account, during one of these return visits, he said his supervisor was “really pissed” to learn of her confession since he had fielded “a ton of calls” from concerned residents in the Fairmont Avenue area. Woodmansee later admitted telling Patty that his supervisor had gotten calls from people in the community concerned for their safety, but denied using the word pissed. Draeger couldn’t remember.
The interrogation resumed at 7:10 p.m. From this point on, Patty didn’t say anything to contradict the detectives. Had she lied about hid-ing in the closet? Yes, she had lied about that. Had she dumped perfume on the bed? “I dumped the perfume on the bed.” Did she know she was going to lie about this whole matter when she woke up that morning? “Yeah.” Was it her alarm clock that woke her? “I think so.”
What did she do then? “Probably got up and smoked a cigarette, ’cause I usually do.”
Draeger kept at it: “Did you absolutely lie about this and plan to lie to the police about this?” “Yeah,” answered Patty. Then why was it so difficult for her to come up with a reason? “I can’t,” was all she could say.
Draeger asked Patty if she “just wanted the attention.” “Apparently,”
answered Patty. Was she seeking attention from Brenda? “No.” From Mark? “No.” From Misty? “No.” Did she feel closer to her daughter on the morning of the assault? “Yeah.” In terms of a motive, this was as close as she came.
The detectives asked Patty how she was feeling. “Pretty bad and sad,” she said. They expressed concern that she might hurt herself and she assured them she was not suicidal. She gave them the name of a psychologist, Linda Moston, whom she had seen in the past. Woodmansee left the room to call Moston but was unable to get through. He told Patty the police might hold her in jail overnight on “suicide watch.”
She took this as a threat. Her thought: I have to work tomorrow! She was The Confession
63
•
given another option: go to the Dane County Mental Health Center for an evaluation. She agreed.
At about 8 p.m. Woodmansee drove Patty to the center, a nonprofit agency. On the way, he again asked why she fabricated the rape, and again she couldn’t come up with anything. On arrival he told the two female crisis counselors that Patty had just confessed to making a false report. He noted that she had attempted suicide in the past and had a history of suicide in her family. He also said she had falsely accused her daughter’s boyfriend, who was “in emotional turmoil” as the result of these accusations.
Patty still considered herself to be in police custody, and it was her sense that Woodmansee wanted the center to detain her. In his presence, she agreed that she lied about being raped to keep her boyfriend from leaving her and to jeopardize her daughter’s relationship with the man she accused. But Patty insisted she had no intention of harming herself. The counselors let her go home on condition that she call in at two prearranged times, once before she went to bed and again in the morning.
Woodmansee gave Patty a ride back to her place on Fairmont Avenue. On the way, he asked again how she was feeling. “Embarrassed,”
she said. “I don’t know what I’m going to say to my family and friends.”
He asked if she would like his help breaking the news to Mark,
62
Perfect Victim
•
After a while of not being able to come up with the reasons they sought, Patty told the detectives her confession was phony: “I’m just saying this to get out of here.” Whereupon, she recalled, Woodmansee angrily threw down his notebook and said it was time for a break. He later denied this, saying “I may have dropped it.” Draeger couldn’t remember.
Woodmansee left the interview room several times. He brought Patty another cup of coffee. By her account, during one of these return visits, he said his supervisor was “really pissed” to learn of her confession since he had fielded “a ton of calls” from concerned residents in the Fairmont Avenue area. Woodmansee later admitted telling Patty that his supervisor had gotten calls from people in the community concerned for their safety, but denied using the word pissed. Draeger couldn’t remember.
The interrogation resumed at 7:10 p.m. From this point on, Patty didn’t say anything to contradict the detectives. Had she lied about hid-ing in the closet? Yes, she had lied about that. Had she dumped perfume on the bed? “I dumped the perfume on the bed.” Did she know she was going to lie about this whole matter when she woke up that morning? “Yeah.” Was it her alarm clock that woke her? “I think so.”
What did she do then? “Probably got up and smoked a cigarette, ’cause I usually do.”
Draeger kept at it: “Did you absolutely lie about this and plan to lie to the police about this?” “Yeah,” answered Patty. Then why was it so difficult for her to come up with a reason? “I can’t,” was all she could say.
Draeger asked Patty if she “just wanted the attention.” “Apparently,”
answered Patty. Was she seeking attention from Brenda? “No.” From Mark? “No.” From Misty? “No.” Did she feel closer to her daughter on the morning of the assault? “Yeah.” In terms of a motive, this was as close as she came.
The detectives asked Patty how she was feeling. “Pretty bad and sad,” she said. They expressed concern that she might hurt herself and she assured them she was not suicidal. She gave them the name of a psychologist, Linda Moston, whom she had seen in the past. Woodmansee left the room to call Moston but was unable to get through. He told Patty the police might hold her in jail overnight on “suicide watch.”
She took this as a threat. Her thought: I have to work tomorrow! She was The Confession
63
•
given another option: go to the Dane County Mental Health Center for an evaluation. She agreed.
At about 8 p.m. Woodmansee drove Patty to the center, a nonprofit agency. On the way, he again asked why she fabricated the rape, and again she couldn’t come up with anything. On arrival he told the two female crisis counselors that Patty had just confessed to making a false report. He noted that she had attempted suicide in the past and had a history of suicide in her family. He also said she had falsely accused her daughter’s boyfriend, who was “in emotional turmoil” as the result of these accusations.
Patty still considered herself to be in police custody, and it was her sense that Woodmansee wanted the center to detain her. In his presence, she agreed that she lied about being raped to keep her boyfriend from leaving her and to jeopardize her daughter’s relationship with the man she accused. But Patty insisted she had no intention of harming herself. The counselors let her go home on condition that she call in at two prearranged times, once before she went to bed and again in the morning.
Woodmansee gave Patty a ride back to her place on Fairmont Avenue. On the way, he asked again how she was feeling. “Embarrassed,”
she said. “I don’t know what I’m going to say to my family and friends.”
He asked if she would like his help breaking the news to Mark,
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