Colleen Stan

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Colleen Stan is a woman who was kidnapped and sexually assaulted by Cameron Hooker in Red Bluff, California in 1977.

On May 19, 1977 Hooker kidnapped Colleen Stan a.k.a. "Carol Smith." Cameron's wife, Janice Hooker, assisted in the kidnapping. Stan was held in captivity for the next seven years.

During her imprisonment, Colleen was tortured, sexually assaulted, and led to believe that she was being watched by a large organization called "The Company". Hooker had her sign a "slavery contract" supposedly from "The Company". He assigned her a new slave name, "K", causing comparisons to the Story of O. She was also led to believe that members of her family would be harmed if she attempted to escape. She may have experienced Stockholm syndrome.

Hooker kept Stan locked in wooden boxes that he had made. One of the boxes was located under the bed that he shared with his wife.

Dr. Chris Hatcher, forensic psychologist and criminal profiler, testified for the prosecution.[1]

Hooker was sentenced to consecutive terms for the sexual assaults, which totaled 60 years. He also received 1 to 25 years for the kidnapping, plus a 5 to 10 year sentence for using a knife in the process.

The case was documented in a book by the prosecutor [2] and was the inspiration for an episode of Law and Order: Special Victims Unit.

After her escape, Stan went to school for an accounting degree, married and had a daughter.[3]

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[edit] References in Popular Culture

  • In 1996, American art rock band Elysian Fields released the song "Jack in the Box", on their first album Bleed Your Cedar. The song describes the experience of the box that Hooker kept Colleen Stan imprisoned in under the bed he shared with his wife, and alludes to the power Hooker had over her.
  • The Stan case is also referenced in Kathy Reichs book "Monday Mourning"

[edit] Footnotes

  1. ^ Ewing, Charles; Joseph McCann (2006). Minds on Trial: Great Cases in Law and Psychology. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0195181760. 
  2. ^ Mcguire, Christine; Carla Norton (1989). Perfect Victim: The True Story of "The Girl in the Box" by the D.A. That Prosecuted Her Captor. Dell. ISBN 978-0440204428. 
  3. ^ The Girl in the Box by Free Girl

[edit] See also

  • List of kidnappings
  • Steven Stayner, a boy from Merced, California, USA kidnapped at age 7 and held captive for a little over 7 years from late 1972 to early 1980. His ordeal was turned into a Made-for-TV movie.
  • Sano Fusako, a woman in Japan kidnapped at age 10 and held captive for 9 years from 1990 to 2000
  • Tanya Kach, a woman in Pennsylvania held at the home of Thomas Hose from 1996 to 2006
  • Sabine Dardenne, a girl in Belgium kidnapped at age 12 by psychopath Marc Dutroux and held captive for 2.5 months in 1996
  • Lena Simakhina, 17 and Katya Martynova, 14 abducted by factory worker Viktor Mokhov, 53. He kept the teenagers as sex slaves in the underground cellar for 3.5 years from 2000 until 2004.[1]
  • A 27-year-old Hungarian woman in Budapest was held captive for 13 years in her home by her father and regularly raped and beaten.[2]
  • 15 year old Shawn Hornbeck (Held for 4 years by his captor) and 13 year old Ben Ownby (Held 4 days), both abducted by Michael J. Devlin
  • Natascha Kampusch, a girl in Austria kidnapped at age 10 and held captive for 8 years from 1998 to 2006

[edit] External links