Photo: Jefferson County
It's based on a true story.
By Amy Lamare — Written on Oct 24, 2019
Netflix's Unbelievable is a riveting account of the hunt for a serial rapist that evaded police departments in Washington and Colorado between 2008 and 2011. What makes the series even more gripping is the fact that it's based on the true events of the horrific acts of Marc O'Leary.
Who is Marc O'Leary?
The Netflix series tells the story of a teenager named Marie who was raped in her foster home in Washington in the middle of the night.
None of the police or adults in her life believed her account and she ends up being charged with filing a false police report, which sets off a catastrophic string of events in her life. It would be years before the rapist was caught and several more women were his victims.
Golden Police Detective Stacy Galbraith, one of the lead detectives in the case that inspired 'Unbelievable' told Women's Health, "The investigation is well-represented. The chronology is slightly different, and they added some dramatic flair, but as far as the victims, and the investigation, they did a great job. It’s a good portrayal of us."
It wasn't until two female detectives in Colorado started working the case that justice was found.
1. O'Leary believed he was in a secret society called Alphas and Bravos.
The man who raped Marie was an Army veteran who was previously stationed near Tacoma, Washington. He was a member of a secret society in which the world is divided into "alphas" and "bravos," according to the Denver Post. Marc Patrick O'Leary believed he was an alpha and could have sex with anyone he wanted. According to detectives, he referred to alphas and bravos during his attacks on women.
2. O'Leary was accused of 32 counts of sexual assault.
Marc O'Leary was accused of 32 counts of sexual assault as well as charges of kidnapping and burglary. He pled guilty to 28 counts of rape in Colorado in 2011 after the attempted rape of a woman in Lakewood, Colorado.
3. Marc O'Leary was in a relationship.
Amy Wozny met Marc O'Leary on an online dating site. In an interview with 48 Hours, she said, "He was pretty chivalrous and protective. He was very charming. He was really fun to talk to. We talked for hours at a time quite frequently. There was a lightness to him even though he had a dark sense of humor."
She was reportedly shocked when he was arrested and charged with 32 counts of rape. When the FBI told her about his crimes, she was shocked. She had no idea that her boyfriend was sexually assaulting women when he wasn't with her. When she found out, she said: "I went and threw up. It was pretty upsetting to me."
In that same 48 Hours interview, Wozny said that their sex life wasn't great. O'Leary needed the "other person to be scared of him," she said.
4. O'Leary's was given a lengthy sentence.
Marc O'Leary was sentenced to 327 1/2 years in prison, the Denver Post reported. He made a statement at the time of his sentencing, saying: "I'm standing here because I need to be in prison. I know that probably more than anyone in this room. I've known it for awhile."
O'Leary is serving time in Colorado.
Amy Lamare is a Los Angeles based writer and editor covering entertainment, pop culture, beauty, fashion, fitness, technology, and the intersection of technology, business, and philanthropy. You can find her on Instagram and Facebook.