Welcome to

While Florida lawmakers made sure they started to try and clear the state’s well documented rape kit backlog this year, the new law meant more to a survivor of the brutal crime. Matt Galka talked to her.

Kellie Greene told her story to a group of victims advocates at the Capitol this week. Greene was a rape victim at the hands of David Shaw in Orlando. But then she became a victim again – this time because of a rape kit backlog in the state. It took three years to process her sexual assault kit.

“When I got the phone call from my detective that my kit had been processed after three years, and they identified the suspect, who the offender was, I broke down in tears because it meant I didn’t have to look over my shoulder anymore. I didn’t have to study the faces in the crowd to figure out if the rapist was still around,” she said.

Florida took steps towards ending that backlog this year. Greene hopes it helps prevent other people from becoming victims.

“If they decide to make the report to law enforcement, that sexual assault kit is going to be processed. There’s timelines for when law enforcement has to submit it to the crime lab,” said Greene.

The legislation was one of the top priorities for Florida attorney general Pam Bondi. Bondi says it’s another step forward for victim’s of the violent crime, something that wasn’t always the case.

“Many years ago, even rape victims would have to go through the process and some would even find out that the case was dropped, or a plea was entered, and they didn’t even know about it,” she said.

There are more than 13,000 untested rape kits in Florida – meaning there could be an unknown number of suspects free because of the backlog.