For many Americans, William Kennedy Smith's accuser had no name and no face. Tonight, Patricia Bowman tells her story on national TV without the electronic shield that protected her during the rape trial.
"She is not going to hide for the rest of her life," her mother, Jean O'Neil, said in Thursday's New York Daily News."For her this is part of the healing process," O'Neil said. "She is a very strong woman and she wants this to be a message of strength to other women. She knows that what she is doing is very important."
Bowman's interview Tuesday with Diane Sawyer will be broadcast on ABC's "PrimeTime Live" tonight.
The syndicated TV program, "A Current Affair," aired Wednesday night by Fox Broadcasting, used Bowman's name and broadcast full face pictures of her.
A spokeswoman for Smith said Thursday he has no comment.
"He's just eager to put this whole experience in perspective and get on with his life," said Barbara Gamarekian.
She added that Smith hopes to begin his medical career in January as a resident at the University of New Mexico hospital, although details hadn't been worked out yet.
With Bowman's decision to go public, The Associated Press and many other news organizations that had previously withheld her identity named her and carried photographs or news footage of the 30-year-old woman Wednesday.
Bowman accused Smith of raping her March 30 at his family's Palm Beach estate. A jury last week acquitted the 31-year-old nephew of Sen. Edward M. Kennedy. The trial included nearly 10 hours of testimony by Bowman.
"Now that the trial's over, I think she wants to get out and reaffirm her story, and if that's what she's chosen to do, I hope she's prepared to cope with the opinions the public might have," said Sandy Duncan, coordinator of Palm Beach County victims' services, which counseled Bowman.
Smith's lawyers were skeptical, especially since their client was found not guilty.
"She went to so much effort to protect her privacy," lawyer Mark Schnapp said. "I don't understand her motive."
Another Smith lawyer, Mark Seiden, said the TV interview illustrates "her desire for attention . . . what I think she always wanted."
Her lawyer, David Roth, emphasized that she was not paid by ABC. She rejected offers of up to $500,000 from other sources before the trial, he said.
"Now's the time to let everybody know and get on with our lives," her stepfather, Michael "Gerry" O'Neil, said in today's Miami Herald.