The Road Through Wonderland: Surviving John Holmes

by Susan Murphy-Milano

The Road Through Wonderland is a real-life story that impacts not only the storyteller, but those affected 365 days a year by human trafficking--the abuse and power and control happening behind closed doors and across the country. Tune into Nancy Grace or Jane Velez-Mitchell and and all you get is 30-second sound bites of human tragedy neatly packaged for commercial viewing. In my opinion, there is the real tragedy.

We don’t bother to listen to victims and their families unless they have made the nightly news. We do not take the time to understand and learn from others who could stop children being taken from our streets and sold for sex. We do not listen to the battered woman’s cries for help until she is listed in an obituary. We wait until a helpless child is murdered by a family member before we show any outrage.

It is time we stop and listen to those who have survived the unimaginable. We need to allow survivors voices to be heard so that lives are no longer condensed into sound bites. The subject of human trafficking in this country still has a long way to go and there is one voice effectively answering the call that is changing lives for those in harms way, Dawn Schiller.

Dawn is the author of The Road Through Wonderland: Surviving John Holmes, which tells the story of a young girl who was caught in the whirlwind of the underworld surrounding John Holmes, an infamous porn star with many questionable ties.

From a broken home, Dawn Schiller was, by society’s definition, a "throwaway teen." For survival in a poor home with a disabled father, she was unwittingly thrown into the arms of John Holmes at the age of 15. Dawn was at this man’s side for years, even as he got her hooked on drugs, just like thousands of today’s trafficked teens. He beat her, and then prostituted her on the street corners of Los Angeles. She was, by all accounts, carefully brainwashed, groomed to bring in money, and trafficked so Holmes could maintain his drug habit and ultimate power over this child. When she didn’t bring enough cash in from the streets, Holmes withheld food and the basic necessities for daily survival.

Survival is what Dawn Schiller’s book is about, not the infamous porn star and self proclaimed public persona, but the abuser which his fans never saw up close and personal. Frankly, that is why abusive men get away with their violent and controlling behavior, the world sees the side they want you to see and nothing more. In the eyes of his fans it is not possible for John Holmes to have treated anyone unkindly. What those adoring fans, who still watch his movies, refuse to acknowledge is that John Holmes was, first and foremost, a human trafficker. He hijacked the life of teenager Dawn Schiller.

Most teens do not survive. Instead, we read about them only after they are abducted and are reported missing by their families. Dawn Schiller is changing all hat. She uses her story with the hope that other young teens won’t fall into the same hell that she did. She has developed a national presentation titled “Our Throwaway Teens: Who Are They and How Can We Help?” to raise awareness of the vulnerabilities of teens growing up in abusive and neglectful environments.

Dawn educates audiences about what a teen might be experiencing internally when targeted and groomed by a predator, how to identify a young victim in trouble, pedophile seduction techniques, and the use of drugs to manipulate and trap a victim. She gives an inside view of what it’s like to be a throwaway teen and how we, as a community, can help. Dawn has founded E.S.T.E.A.M., (Empowering Successful Teens through Education, Awareness & Mentoring), a nonprofit dedicated to assisting teens who are struggling to find a safe and successful path to adulthood.

"How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world."--Anne Frank.

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My Top 8 Stories of 2010

by Robin Sax


Eight cases, why not? Everyone else can do a Top 10 list -- here are my Top 8 from 2010:

8. Casey Anthony going to trial 

In the case of Casey Anthony,  the mother who allegedly murdered her child Caylee, the jury will want to know how a mom, an attractive, normal woman, could do such a thing to her own daughter. The most damning evidence against Casey Anthony -- the reason, the answer to why she might murder her own daughter, the smoking motive: she didn't want to be a mother anymore.  Anthony wanted to party and be free, and so researched a murder method (chloroform) and went ahead and got rid of her daughter one mile from their home. Sounds like an awful scenario. But it may very well be true. That Casey Anthony is a party girl who killed little Caylee in favor of a liberating, carefree life is not a new theory. But the jailhouse letters and inmate interviews support the idea that she was too young to have a kid and could not hang with being a mom, that she wanted freedom from everything, and that she was willing to do absolutely anything to get that freedom - including murdering her 2-year-old baby. This case may top the list for next year when it goes to trial.

7. Bruce Beresford Redman's wife's murder

Beresford Redman, former Survivor producer, went on vacation to Cancun with his wife, who was found strangled to death adjacent from the Moon Palace Resort. Factors that tend to show that he is guilty: the 3 different life insurance policies he took out on his wife's life within 3 months, including the accidental death and dismemberment policy; witnesses that will attest to fighting the night before her mysterious death; a weak, if not lame, excuse that she went shopping but whoops didn’t bring a cell phone and left at 8:30 am (who does that in Cancun while on vacation?); scratch marks on his neck; inconsistencies in his accounts and the accounts of witnesses; need I go on?  Face it people, we live in a judgmental society. We size people and situations up all the time. We draw conclusions over cocktails, in lunchrooms, and in op-ed pieces, like this one.  I say Bruce (and Richard) it’s time to think of a new PR strategy because this one isn't working! We'll see what happens.

6. Mitrice Richardson murder -- any closer?

This 24-year-old Cal State Fullerton graduate mysteriously vanished after walking out of the Lost Hills Sheriff's station nearly three months ago. According to the Los Angeles Times, authorities believe that Mitrice had gone without sleep for as many as five nights before she was arrested for not paying her bill at a Malibu restaurant. They think she may have had a major mental breakdown, including possibly suffering from bipolar disorder. This begs the question, why didn't anyone at the Lost Hills sheriff's station notice anything strange about Mitrice's mood and behavior? Tragically, the body of Mitrice was found this year (she went missing in September of 2009). Richardson's body was found naked, and her bra and jeans were found apart from her body. The search is still in motion for her killer. 

5. Mel Gibson and Oksana domestic violence blow-up/out

After the details of the January 2010 domestic abuse incident surfaced against Mel Gibson, and the taped rant and tirade were released, the incident chills down the spines of even the most hardened people. No one thought Mel would survive the abuse against Oksana Grigorieva, his girlfriend and mother of one of his children. It seemed clear to all he was going down this time, at least in PR if not as a criminal. To make sure I was not missing something, I called a few of my detective buddies at Lost Hills Sheriff's station back in January and found that they concluded as similarly as I -- that Mel Gibson committed a crime against Oksana and if it were any other person, he or she would have been arrested on the spot. The evidence, when compared to that of a typical domestic violence case, was overwhelming. A report from Oksana, taped calls corroborating Oksana’s words, a suspect clearly afflicted with anger among other issues, medical records and statements consistent with the injuries, and another victim who says similar crimes have happened to her. But the tides shifted to disbelief of Oksana and the case virtually died out. It's unlikely that we'll see much justice in this case.

4. John Gardner confession to killing Chelsea King & Amber Dubois 

How could a man who admittedly molested a 13-year-old girl in 2000 serve only five years in jail when he could have served 30? How could he wind up living yards away from an elementary school? In this case, there are lots of questions but only one answer: It should have never happened. There is no excuse, justification or mitigation that can comfort the King or Dubois family for the murder and rape of their beloved daughters. These are deaths that simply could have been avoided. I participated in a press conference and rally this year to help shed light on the horrible parol system in California that could allow this kind of monster out on the streets. Where is the public outcry on this parole supervision crisis? Where is the accountability? Why are these parolees not being properly supervised and monitored by parole agents? Where is the governor of the State of California on this? Why do these parole administrators continue to have their jobs? Shouldn't they be held accountable for these resulting disasters? How many more innocent people have to be murdered for the department to make changes? How many more innocent victims have to suffer at the hands of roaming parolees?

3. Lindsay Lohan saga

Lindsay Lohan has an appetite for destruction. What can we learn from the recent media blitz on Lindsay Lohan besides just a baffling dose of "why" when watching all of her legal debacles? You may expect me to come up with some hidden message or special lesson here but sometimes the obvious is the hardest to digest. The lesson from LiLo's case: don't drink & drive.  I would like to use my platform and big mouth to rant a little about the issue of driving under the influence. Most of you reading this probably have driven home buzzed at some point in your life. Don't do it again. It's not worth it. Just call a cab or a friend if you have had too many drinks. Not only because you don't want to go to jail like our Ms. Lindsay, but because you want to prevent tragedies. Life is too short. We see that Lindsay did get some celebrity justice but, sadly, there doesn't seem to be enough of time on these celebrity news shows to discuss the dangers of getting a DUI and how rampant, and deadly, the practice of drinking and driving is.

2. Human Trafficking on Craigslist and other sites

Websites like Craigslist, MySpace and MyRedBook have facilitated and spurred new growth in child/human trafficking and prostitution within the United States. The Internet has made it possible for pimps and traffickers to sell and solicit children from thousands of miles away. Savvy online criminals can easily pick up at-risk children and runaways through social networking sites. Craigslist seems to be at the forefront of the online solicitation of children in America, and indeed came under fire in 2010 for this practice. Craigslist CEO Jim Buckmaster said any ad on Craigslist that enables human trafficking and child exploitation is completely unacceptable and that his company works tirelessly with law enforcement to help stop the attackers on their site ... really? Well, I think we will be hearing a lot more about the Craigslist site in 2011. Tragically, human trafficking of children for the sex industry is a rapidly growing domestic crisis. Yes, here right in America!

1. Ronni Chasen's murder mystery

The police are convinced that the shooting of Ronni Chasen, a wealthy and respected Beverly Hills publicist, was not a professional hit and that 43-year-old Harold Martin Smith acted on his own with the motive being a robbery, albeit a botched robbery. But there have been a ton of rumors and speculation. It is possible that all the premature speculation generated too many unanswered questions to what really happened to Chasen on November 16. Some questions, that are harder than others, contradict Beverly Hills Police Department statements that 43 year old ex-con Harold Smith rode his favorite bike to commit an armed robbery with Chasen the random victim. BHPD will hopefully come forth very soon with convincing information to legitimize their theory that this was not a merciless contract murder that took the life of this vital member of the entertainment industry. Until then, the questions remain. Rest in peace, Ronni Chasen. We will continue to press on as we know you would have. 

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Human Trafficking on the World Wide Web

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Shaniya Davis: A Case of Domestic Human Trafficking

By Robin Sax

Human trafficking is one of the most hidden crimes. A lack of understanding encourages many to deny the existence of and doubt the magnitude of this horrific crime.

The most prevalent misconception is that human trafficking is only a problem in other countries. That this abomination is happening right here in the U.S. simply doesn't seem possible. The reality is very different. In the U.S. alone, the sex-slavery trade is a multi-million dollar industry. The U.S. Department of Justice estimates that each year 200,000 U.S. citizens, mainly children and young women, are at high risk of being trafficked for sexual purposes. Nevertheless, the perception of human trafficking as an “overseas” issue persists.

To put it bluntly: We need to get the word out that human trafficking for sex is a problem not just in Thailand or Cambodia, but right here at home.

The only way for our nation to begin to understand that human trafficking is occurring in our own country, even in our own communities, is for prosecutors to label these crimes for what they are: human trafficking. When that happens, not only will the jurors and judges seated in the courtroom become educated but so will the community through news reports and community chatter.

A first step was the shocking case of Shaniya Nicole Davis. Finally, human trafficking went public. As you've undoubtedly read or heard, North Carolina police allege that Shaniya's mother sold the five-year-old as a sex slave. According to arrest documents, Antoinette Davis “knowingly provided Shaniya Davis with the intent that she be held in sexual servitude” and that Davis "permitted an act of prostitution.”

Human trafficking is not new to the Charlotte area. In fact, the FBI has a team specializing in human trafficking positioned in the city. In addition, a Durham County department of social services report from this past April reads: "Baltimore police closed down a brothel that used Mexican women imported into the country through Durham County.” The report also cautions: “we cannot ignore this issue locally.... North Carolina has been identified as among the eight most common destination states for human trafficking, due in part to its location along I-85 and I-95 highways.” This acute awareness to the problem by local officials may have contributed to the swiftness of the charge brought against Davis.

Police spokeswoman Teresa Chance said after Davis's arrest that she was “prostituting her child.” The implication with these words was that the act was for commercial sex purposes, that Davis was trying to make money from selling her daughter for sex. It's the monetary motive that separates trafficking from other sex crimes against children. While any sex crime involving a child is horrendous, it is additionally horrific to think that a mother would hand over her daughter to someone like Mario McNeill in exchange for drugs, cash, or to payoff a debt.

I applaud the prosecutors in the Davis case for calling this crime what it is and not labeling it as another offense. In legal terms, in North Carolina the charge of human trafficking is equivalent to a felony child abuse charge for prostitution, a class E felony, with a conviction carrying a minimum sentence of 98 months in prison.

In the chain of law enforcement command, prosecutors decide what charges (if any) apply to a certain set of facts in any given case. They have tremendous discretion in deciding which charges to file. It's not unusual for prosecutors to decide against human trafficking charges in favor of other types of charges, including kidnapping or prostitution. Why?

Prosecuting human trafficking cases can be more difficult to prove. One problem is that many of the victims live on the fringe of society, such as prostitutes and illegal immigrants. Sometimes officers are reluctant to intervene in sex and labor trafficking situations due to a belief that victims were complicit. That, of course, isn't an issue in Shaniya’s case. How could a 5-year-old be complicit? But there can be other concerns. For instance, in Shaniya's case, it may be difficult for jurors to believe any mother would sell her young child for sex.

Despite all the evidence to the contrary, many are still reluctant to accept that evil can lurk in women. That reluctance is multiplied when the accused is a mother. But not all women are true mothers, nurturing and caring for their children. Some women are willing to victimize their own children.

Perhaps Shaniya's tragic death will open eyes and minds, forcing law enforcement and society to realize that human trafficking isn't an issue reserved for other countries. It's right here, in our own cities and towns, and the first step toward stopping it is to acknowledge that it exists.

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What is Human Trafficking Anyway?

by Robin Sax

Upon hearing those words, many people assume that is not a crime that happens here in our country. Most people think human trafficking is synonymous with Thailand, Indonesia, and Russia. When asked what are the biggest crimes facing kids here today, most people say drugs. And why do people talk about drugs and alcohol so much when it comes to kids? The reason is simple—we have spent time educating society.

Adults and children of all ages know about drugs because there has been a conscientious effort to make sure people know. So that is where we must begin with human trafficking too. Adults and children need to learn what human trafficking is, how it happens, and perhaps most importantly recognize that human trafficking is not just a foreign problem…it is a problem that is happening here, right on our soil, and happening more and more. Where better to begin than going to the kids themselves.

To get a sense of how kids perceive this epidemic that effects THEM, I turned to my trusty network of Facebook friends and found a teenager who has her act together to get a sense of what she thinks about this phenomenon of human trafficking. And this is what Senior High School Cassie Nelson, said: “As a seventeen year old entering my senior year in a high school with over four thousand students, I constantly witness young girls dressing and acting as though they were prostitutes. From cut off shorts that hardly cover their underwear and see-through tank tops, to hosted events at houses called “pimps-ho’s” parties where everyone dresses in lingerie and pictures are posted online, it becomes almost impossible to watch girls and boys play make-believe of an enterprise that strikes every country, every day. One may sit back with a smirk upon his or her face and say that these men and women, boys and girls chose their lifestyle; however upon hearing the words human trafficking that smirk is immediately swept off and replaced with an open mouth of shock.

Human trafficking is not a new problem, nor is it a fad that will soon end, instead it is an issue that has existed for decades and will continue to grow and prosper as a result of being ignored each and every day. Due to being such an unsettling and upsetting issue, most individuals would prefer to get up and walk away rather than to sit and listen to what happens and how it can be prevented.

All, if not most high schools consist of a broad curriculum consisting of four core subjects, as well as numerous electives and advanced placement classes. In my three years of high school I believe the topic of human trafficking was only brought up once in health, a required course in the tenth grade, and never again. The topics of sex, drugs, alcohol, abuse, adultery, and many more are discussed, but the topic of human trafficking never is. Unlike evolution and sex-ed, human trafficking is not a topic of debate or controversy. It is an issue sweeping all countries, and affecting thousands and even millions of girls, boys and their families.”

So with this perspective in mind, I took my new friend Cassie with me to see the screening of the “Playground Project” a documentary by Libby Spears that puts into perspective how this crime reeks havoc on young people’s lives. After we left Cassie said, “No one gets it, everyone needs to see this film.” And, while I agreed with her I also relayed to her the difficulties in getting our society to accept a film on this difficult issue of sex crimes, prostitution, and human trafficking. Our society is much more open to hear about drugs, gangs, and even killing but there is something that makes people queasy when it comes to sex crimes. But Cassie reminded me of the words of the producer Libby about why this film is so important, “Wherever drugs are sold people are sold too.” While this is a realization that many would prefer to process into short term memory and forget rather then encode and store in long term memory for constant retrieval both Cassie and I decided this is a lesson that must be repeatedly taught. So, together, we decided that we are going to do our part in our respective populations, circle of friends, regions or the country to educate people about this prolific problem.

So here is what we learned and what we want to share with you so that you begin to view the issue with eyes wide open and instead of with your head buried in the sand.

- Trafficking primarily involves exploitation which comes in many forms, including: * Forcing victims into prostitution * Subjecting victims to slavery or involuntary servitude * Compelling victims to commit sex acts for the purpose of creating pornography * Misleading victims into debt bondage.

- Human trafficking is big business. Although estimates vary, it is thought that about $7-9.5 billion is made every year from human trafficking.

- Worldwide, it is estimated that somewhere between 700,000 and four million women, children and men are trafficked each year, and no region is unaffected.

- Despite an estimated prevalence of 100,000 to 150,000 slaves in the U.S., fewer than 1,000 victims have been assisted through the efforts of federal, state, and local law enforcement since 2001, when services for trafficking victims were first made available.

- Traffickers typically lure women and children with false promises of jobs, money, or security. They are promised jobs as waitresses, nannies, models, factory workers but once they accept “invite,” they suffer extreme physical and mental abuse, including rape, imprisonment, forced abortions, and physical brutality.

- As many as 2.8 million children live on the streets, a third of whom are lured into prostitution within 48 hours of leaving home.

We are on a mission to educate society and make human trafficking something so understandable that it rolls off your tongue like “Just say no,” or the recognition of “Pink” as the color of breast cancer awareness. We hope that you will join us by spreading the word.

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