Cry Rape: The True Story of One Woman's Harrowing Quest for Justice by Bill Lueders Page B
Authors: Bill Lueders
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regularly for several years. Moston, then fifty, with a thin face and long blonde hair, considered herself a “spiritual counselor” who served as a “teacher”
to her clients, whom she sometimes called students. She didn’t believe in medication; her approach was to confront painful problems head on.
Patty and her family presented an almost inexhaustible supply of painful problems.
Moston was on the porch at her home in Waunakee, a Madison suburb that trumpets its distinction as “the only Waunakee in the world,” when Patty called. She said the police had accused her of making up a rape, even though the rape was real. From the start, Moston 66
Perfect Victim
•
believed Patty. She knew Patty’s past history and secrets, her weaknesses and insecurities. She knew that while Patty might be compelled to deny she was a victim, she would never make false accusations to this effect. Patty’s major issue was her sense of powerlessness, owing to her childhood sexual abuse and the loss of her eyesight as a young woman.
She had low self-esteem and trouble setting boundaries with others, especially men. She felt immense grief over how people had treated her and how relationships had turned out. She didn’t need to manufacture new reasons to feel bad.
Indeed, while Moston was at first surprised that Patty hadn’t called her about the rape itself, later this made perfect sense. Patty had plenty of experience being a victim; it was something she could handle without outside help. But the shame of having failed to stand up for herself, an issue on which Patty and Moston had worked, was too much to bear.
Moston set up a time for Patty to come in.
That evening, Woodmansee called Patty at home, asking why she had not called as he had asked. According to his report, Patty “stated to me that she was now denying that she had made up the story and that she felt pressured into telling me that she had lied about it.” He told her that she would be prosecuted for obstructing an officer.
Over the next several days, Woodmansee wrapped up his work on the case. He called Mark to say Patty had admitted fabricating the rape, then recanted her confession. He called Dominic to say he was no longer a suspect; Dominic had already heard the news and said he was considering suing Patty. Woodmansee also finally got through to Moston and “arranged to meet with her at a later date.” No such meeting ever took place, for reasons that would prove illuminating.
Woodmansee, according to his undated report, contacted the district attorney’s office on October 10 to say he would be forwarding the case for prosecution. He claimed that the police department had gotten “repeated calls” from “throughout the community” regarding “our inability to apprehend the suspect” and thus would be releasing information to the media, to allay public fears. Woodmansee’s report spilled out more than twenty-five thousand words over forty-eight single-spaced pages but neglected to mention that he got Patty to come in for an interrogation under false pretenses and concocted a ruse regarding the alleged rubber residue. This was especially ironic given the report’s final sentence: “Case status: Referred to DA’s office for charges of obstructing.”
Fighting Back
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•
He was asking that Patty be prosecuted for lying to police, without disclosing the lies he told to trip her up.
Meanwhile, Patty was trying to deal with the twin traumas of being raped and then disbelieved. She met with a counselor from the Rape Crisis Center and with Moston, both for about an hour. The Rape Crisis counselor, a young woman, was so upset by Patty’s story that she began to cry. She suggested that Patty find a new apartment. Patty was no longer staying at Mark’s house but never again spent the night in her bedroom on Fairmont Avenue. She slept on the couch and lived in fear, made worse by her belief, implanted by Draeger’s speech about
“The Boy Who
to her clients, whom she sometimes called students. She didn’t believe in medication; her approach was to confront painful problems head on.
Patty and her family presented an almost inexhaustible supply of painful problems.
Moston was on the porch at her home in Waunakee, a Madison suburb that trumpets its distinction as “the only Waunakee in the world,” when Patty called. She said the police had accused her of making up a rape, even though the rape was real. From the start, Moston 66
Perfect Victim
•
believed Patty. She knew Patty’s past history and secrets, her weaknesses and insecurities. She knew that while Patty might be compelled to deny she was a victim, she would never make false accusations to this effect. Patty’s major issue was her sense of powerlessness, owing to her childhood sexual abuse and the loss of her eyesight as a young woman.
She had low self-esteem and trouble setting boundaries with others, especially men. She felt immense grief over how people had treated her and how relationships had turned out. She didn’t need to manufacture new reasons to feel bad.
Indeed, while Moston was at first surprised that Patty hadn’t called her about the rape itself, later this made perfect sense. Patty had plenty of experience being a victim; it was something she could handle without outside help. But the shame of having failed to stand up for herself, an issue on which Patty and Moston had worked, was too much to bear.
Moston set up a time for Patty to come in.
That evening, Woodmansee called Patty at home, asking why she had not called as he had asked. According to his report, Patty “stated to me that she was now denying that she had made up the story and that she felt pressured into telling me that she had lied about it.” He told her that she would be prosecuted for obstructing an officer.
Over the next several days, Woodmansee wrapped up his work on the case. He called Mark to say Patty had admitted fabricating the rape, then recanted her confession. He called Dominic to say he was no longer a suspect; Dominic had already heard the news and said he was considering suing Patty. Woodmansee also finally got through to Moston and “arranged to meet with her at a later date.” No such meeting ever took place, for reasons that would prove illuminating.
Woodmansee, according to his undated report, contacted the district attorney’s office on October 10 to say he would be forwarding the case for prosecution. He claimed that the police department had gotten “repeated calls” from “throughout the community” regarding “our inability to apprehend the suspect” and thus would be releasing information to the media, to allay public fears. Woodmansee’s report spilled out more than twenty-five thousand words over forty-eight single-spaced pages but neglected to mention that he got Patty to come in for an interrogation under false pretenses and concocted a ruse regarding the alleged rubber residue. This was especially ironic given the report’s final sentence: “Case status: Referred to DA’s office for charges of obstructing.”
Fighting Back
67
•
He was asking that Patty be prosecuted for lying to police, without disclosing the lies he told to trip her up.
Meanwhile, Patty was trying to deal with the twin traumas of being raped and then disbelieved. She met with a counselor from the Rape Crisis Center and with Moston, both for about an hour. The Rape Crisis counselor, a young woman, was so upset by Patty’s story that she began to cry. She suggested that Patty find a new apartment. Patty was no longer staying at Mark’s house but never again spent the night in her bedroom on Fairmont Avenue. She slept on the couch and lived in fear, made worse by her belief, implanted by Draeger’s speech about
“The Boy Who
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