A Life Interrupted

Just a few short years ago, hundreds of thousands of rape kits sat unexamined, the legal time limit for prosecution slowly ticking away, while offenders who committed unspeakable acts walked free. Debbie Smith changed that.

A shy mother and wife, Smith led a quiet life as a homemaker in suburbia — until the events of one horrific day turned her world upside down. After being dragged from her kitchen in broad daylight and raped in the woods behind her home while her husband, a police officer, slept upstairs, Smith suffered through the dehumanizing rape-kit exam in hopes of capturing her brutal attacker. But her fear and paranoia did not subside, as months turned into years — six years, to be exact — before her rapist was finally identified through a chance DNA test.

Smith vowed to work tirelessly on behalf of women in similar situations so that they didn't have to endure the same agonizing wait for justice. Inspired by actual events, "A Life Interrupted" follows this brave woman's journey to reclaim her life and put thousands of rapists behind bars.

Director: Stefan Pleszczynski

Screenplay: John Wierick

Executive-producers: Anne Carlucci, Jean Bureau and Stephen Greenberg

Year: 2007

Genre: Drama