Victimology Midterm Notes PDF

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These notes were taken for the midterm assignment essay. These are examples of what the essay would entail. ...

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Victimology Midterm Notes   

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Robert Berchtold Jan Broberg Jan had visited the Berchtold family for a sleepover. Jan had fell asleep next to Berchtold and woke up later that night to find her underwear slide down her legs. Berchtold was awake next to her and stated that she had been tossing and turning, which could have caused her underwear to slide down. Brobergs were blamed by the FBI agent partially because they didn’t know the signs and didn’t recognize the signs of pedophilia. (shared responsibility) Instrumental coercion: Jan was coerced into sex with Berchtold through his manipulation. He kidnaped her and made her believe she was half-alien who had to have a child with him. It was his way to manipulate her without physical force. Facilitation - Jan allowed Berchtold to kidnap her. She didn’t fight him off and had went with him during the second kidnapping. - She allowed him to continue to abuse her by lying to everyone. Berchtold wanted her to lie to everyone about the things that he told her. - When Jan was kidnapped the second time, Berchtold and Jan came up with a story that they were escaping from Lebanon so she could go to a Catholic school. She didn’t take precautions to say that it was wrong.

Borgman S., Kincaid E., & Tobey S. (Producers) & Borgman S. (Director). (2017). Abducted in Plain Sight. Retrieved from https://www.netflix.com/browse

Robert Berchtold was a family man whose family moved to the same family as Jan Broberg. The Broberg family had several children and the Berchtold family had children around their ages. The Berchtold family became close to the Broberg family as they were members of the same Mormon church as well as neighbors. Over time, Robert Berchtold made advances towards Mary Ann Broberg and Bob Broberg to get closer to Jan. Berchtold had a strange obsession with Jan. On October 17th, 1974, Berchtold asked Mary Ann Broberg if he could take Jan out horseback riding. Mary Ann was hesitant because it was a school night, but she ultimately agreed if she was back before Bob Broberg. Berchtold gave Jan what appeared to be her allergy pills, but they were sedatives. He convinced her through brainwashing with a tape recorder that she had a mission. Her mission, according to the tape recorder, was that she and one of her sisters were part of an alien race. Her mother was her real mother, but her father wasn’t related to her. She was supposed to have a child with a Berchtold or else her sister would have to do it, or her family would become blind or die. Berchtold took her to Mexico to marry her because the marrying in Mexico was 12 years old. Jan and Berchtold had sex because Jan wanted to protect her family. The Broberg family asked Berchtold to return Jan to the U.S. Berchtold stated he would agree only if her parents allowed him to marry Jan in the U.S. Her parents flew down to Mexico, retrieved their daughter, and Berchtold received kidnapping charges in the U.S. Jan and Berchtold continued their relationship behind her parents back until Berchtold convinced her parents to continue to let him see Jan. He stated that the therapist he was seeing told him that sleeping in Jan’s bed would allow him to overcome his mental illnesses. Mary Ann had an affair

with Berchtold for a year and when Berchtold went to trial for his kidnapping charges, Gail Berchtold blackmailed the Brobergs. Gail used the affair information to make the Brobergs reduce their charges against her husband, allowing him to drop his sentencing to 45 days. He only served 10 of those days. Berchtold was able to continue to brainwash Jan through a tape recorder by placing one in her room. They continued to write and call each other when they were not physically together. Jan ran away in August 1976 and the family and FBI were convinced that Berchtold knew where she was. He was worried by it was believed his worry was a cover up. After surveillance, the FBI were able to determine that Jan had been kidnapped by Berchtold in August instead of being a runaway. She had been attending a catholic school in California and Berchtold had informed the school that they were on the run because he was in the CIA. The FBI returned Jan home and charged Berchtold with kidnapping. Berchtold offered two men in prison $1,000 each if they would burn down the Brobergs’ stores. The two men were successful and the Brobergs became fearful. Berchtold wasn’t convicted of the second set of kidnapping charges but was sentenced to six months in a mental facility. Jan didn’t realize that the mission might have been fake until she was 16 years old. While at a camp, Jan decided that she would kill herself and Karen. She finally realizes that aliens aren’t real, that Berchtold had been lying to her the entire time. She relayed this information to her family, who where able to move on with their lives. Jan and her mother Mary Ann wrote a book about Jan’s life story with Berchtold. Berchtold would harass Jan and Mary Ann while they were on their book tour until Jan filed a restraining order due to a stalking charge against Berhtold. She was awarded a restraining order, lasting Berchtolds lifetime. Bikers Against Child Abuse offered to protect Jan from Berchtold. Berchtold and BACA were involved in an altercation, resulting with Berchtold receiving 3 felony charges and two misdemeanor charges. Berchtold committed suicide by medication after he was found guilty but before he could be sentenced....