'It just takes a part of your soul': Victim of child rapist speaks out

Another victim of convicted rapist Wayne Chapman spoke out about his experiences as a child.

In 1975, an 11-year-old named Bob was walking in Lawrence with a friend when they ran into a man looking for his dog.

That man turned out to be Chapman.

"Just a goofy guy who lost his dog," Bob said. "That's what he came off as."

Bob said he and his friend followed Chapman into the woods, and the next events have haunted Bob for almost 43 years.

"We go to leave, and he says, 'Hold on a minute,' and he grabbed us," Bob said. He said, 'Before you go, I want to see what's between your legs,' and we couldn't get away. He held onto us, and then that's when he took his turn raping us."

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Bob said he couldn't remember what was going through his mind when the attack started.

"Just panic," Bob said. "Just hoping to God that we get this over, and we'll be okay and he doesn't kill us. That's what I really thought was going to happen."

The worry of leaving his friend made Bob stay put.

"I wasn't going to leave his friend, I didn't think he was going to leave me alone either," Bob said. "It was fear, not for myself, but for him. I think that keeps you from running."

When Bob was 13, he testified at Chapman's trial, and the attack kept Chapman locked up for 30 years.

Now, the debate has turned to whether or not Chapman should be released. Bob is convinced that Chapman is still dangerous.

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"The way he enjoyed himself, there's no way he's over that," Bob said. "It's what he loves to do."

Attorney Wendy Murphy is appealing the decision to release Chapman to the state's highest court, and she said Bob's case still matters four decades later.

"If he's still dangerous to children, and we know from his history that that's the only kind of victim he likes, how did he become un-dangerous?" Murphy said.

Cox Media Group