USA Olympic Athlete-on-Athlete Rape: The Kim Rhodenbaugh Story

Explicit content warning

01/31/24 • 67 min

Roar with Shari. . . All Things Justice for Women & Survivors

In this episode, Kim Rhodenbaugh Lewallen’s life revolved around swimming, and she loved it.

Kim made the US Olympic Swim Team and was thrilled to represent her country. Like many young athletes, her world revolved around the sport she loved and felt safe being surrounded by other like minded athletes. However, that sense of safety was soon shattered by some of the very same people she trusted. While napping in her room, she was awakened by a fellow athlete fondling her. When she was 16, another athlete, who she had a crush on, kissed her. But then, he overpowered her, ignoring her demands for him to stop, and he raped her.

On the outside, she looked confident, happy, and capable. But inside she was broken, fearful, and deeply depressed. Despair replaced her joy.

The seeds of self-loathing, shame and fear became deeply rooted. She had thoughts of suicide, many times wanting to run her car off the road. Soon after, Kim developed an eating disorder thinking that this was something that she could control in her out-of-control world.

I Don’t Want Another Young Olympian Athlete to Experience the Horror That I and Hundreds of Others Have Endured-Kim Rhodenbaugh Lewallen’s: Athlete-on-Athlete Rape.
Listeners, Please Note:

Shari Karney, the host of Roar with Shari. . . All Things Justice for Women and Survivors is a survivor and a practicing attorney in California representing victims of child sexual abuse, sexual harassment, and sexual assault.
Even though Shari Karney is a licensed practicing attorney in the State of California practicing in the areas of child sexual abuse, sexual assault, sexual harassment, this podcast is intended for informational purposes only, there is no expectation of confidentiality and is not intended nor should it be construed as legal advice. For legal advice, you should seek competent legal counsel. If you’re interested in speaking to Karney’s law practice they can be reached at https://karneyadvocates.com

Please also note that Karney Law is owned by Shari Karney. Karney is the founder of Roar as One. Roar as One is a nonprofit, Karney Law is a law firm and they are otherwise unaffiliated.

In this episode, Kim Rhodenbaugh Lewallen’s life revolved around swimming, and she loved it.

On the outside, she looked confident, happy, and capable. But inside she was broken, fearful, and deeply depressed. Despair replaced her joy.

I Don’t Want Another Young Olympian Athlete to Experience the Horror That I and Hundreds of Others Have Endured-Kim Rhodenbaugh Lewallen’s: Athlete-on-Athlete Rape.
Listeners, Please Note:

Please also note that Karney Law is owned by Shari Karney. Karney is the founder of Roar as One. Roar as One is a nonprofit, Karney Law is a law firm and they are otherwise unaffiliated.

Previous Episode

Sacramento DA Anne Marie Schubert LGBTQ Top Spot Attorney General, 2022 (the job formerly held by VP Kamala Harris)

In today’s episode, I’m talking with Sacramento District Attorney, Anne Marie Schubert, the first openly lesbian woman running for Attorney General of California. The job was formerly held by Vice President, Kamala Harris.
Her platform: Justice for Victims
She describes herself as a ‘tough-on-crime candidate’ who, in recent years, has helped put the Golden State Killer behind bars, and has been a leading force in the pursuit of justice through DNA evidence and cold-case prosecution.
In 2002, she formed the Cold Case Prosecution Unit and served as its first prosecutor.

While Anne Marie Schubert may be best known for the successful investigation, arrest, and conviction of the Golden State Killer, she has made a career of protecting kids from sexual predators and human trafficking and making sure violent criminals are held accountable for their crimes.
As District Attorney of Sacramento, Anne Marie Schubert has successfully put some of the state’s most notorious and violent criminals behind bars, including murderers, rapists and child molesters. She has aggressively prosecuted major corporations for practices that harm the environment and has worked to get illegal firearms off the streets.

If elected, Schubert, 57, would be the first openly gay state attorney general. She is the co-parent of two teenage boys who she loves dearly.

Even more significantly, Schubert is the rare political candidate vying for a major statewide office who is neither Republican nor Democrat but is running as an Independent.

Join us for an open, candid discussion of one woman’s powerful vision of justice for victims of child sexual abuse and sexual violence now running for Attorney General in California. She’s a SHEroe and justice warrior.
Listeners, Please Note Shari Karney, the host of Roar with Shari. . . All Things Justice for Women and Survivors is a survivor and a practicing attorney in California representing victims of child sexual abuse, sexual harassment, and sexual assault.

Even though Shari Karney is a licensed practicing attorney in the State of California practicing in the areas of child sexual abuse, sexual assault, sexual harassment, this podcast is intended for informational purposes only, there is no expectation of confidentiality and is not intended nor should it be construed as legal advice. For legal advice, you should seek competent legal counsel. If you’re interested in speaking to Karney’s law practice they can be reached at www.karneyadvocates.com

Please also note that Karney Law is owned by Shari Karney. Karney is the founder of Roar as One. Roar as One is a nonprofit, Karney Law is a law firm and they are otherwise unaffiliated

Next Episode

The Daughter of a Father Brutally Murdered and Stepmother Raped & Bludgeoned to Death

In this episode, I’m talking with Jennifer Carole, the daughter of a successful attorney, on his way to becoming a judge, who was murdered and his wife raped and bludgeoned to death, while the killer remained free to rape and kill some more, and the victims and their families were deprived of justice for 40 years!

Today Jennifer Carole is here with us to share her horrifying experience learning of her father Lynman Smith and stepmother’s (Carlene Smith) murdered & RAPE when Jennifer was just 18 years old. Finding justice was long and arduous for her. It took 38 years of dead ends, heartache, and personal struggles to learn that her father and stepmother were murdered by Joseph DeAngelo, aka "The Golden State Killer."

IT confounds her as to why and how her parents were targeted to be the only murders in Ventura by the GSK. For years she thought it was something her parents had done that caused him to murder them but now accepts this was a senseless random attack. Sadly, Joseph DeAngelo is not talking, and it is not expected that the Smith family will ever get the answers they need to have.

Throughout the search for her father’s killer, Jennifer lived with her father’s legal perspective in her head and as a result, she looked at this case through the eyes of a lawyer and the heart of a victim. We, at Roar as One, understand, that if you don’t take rape victims seriously, like the crime victims they are, you could be the next victim on the rapists, now turned murderers target list.

Listeners, Please Note:

Please also note that Karney Law is owned by Shari Karney. Karney is the founder of Roar as One. Roar as One is a nonprofit, Karney Law is a law firm and they are otherwise unaffiliated.