Washington, D.C.: Susan, how do you relate personally to this week's storyline?
Susan Estrich and Kelly St. John: Kelly: The premise of the story is a personal story, the gist is that in 1987 a girl was kidnapped in Orange County and she was later found raped and murdered. The following year I was raped and let go. The assailant plead guilty and spent 20 years in prison. Only many years later a DNA match solved the earlier unsolved murder, in 1996 he was prosecuted for it.
Susan: I'm a lawyer and a rape victim and I've worked on rape law for many years. I think fate is obviously a huge issue, but those of us who have survived carry our scars. It is enormously brave and important of Kelly to be telling this story. There is no underestimating the pain of doing so. This sense of being lucky to be alive stays with you. I had a girlfriend who had the same experience -- and there is something terrifying about the recognition of how close you were to death.