Patricia Bowman, the 30-year-old Jupiter, Fla., woman who lost her rape case against William Kennedy Smith, says she fainted and had to be helped off the floor after hearing the jury's verdict acquitting Smith.
Bowman told her story on ABC's "Prime Time Live" Thursday for the first time since being on the witness stand - this time without an electronic dot covering her face."I'm not a blue blob. I'm a person," Bowman, whose name most media organizations had previously kept confidential, said in an interview with Diane Sawyer. "I have nothing to be ashamed of."
Smith was acquitted last week of rape charges after a 10-day trial.
During the trial, TV cameras covering the proceedings blocked out Bowman's face during her testimony with a fuzzy blue electronic dot.
Bowman told Sawyer Thursday she made the decision to come forward because she wants to encourage other women to report rapes, and because Smith's attorney, Roy Black, accused her of being mentally disturbed.
"I know that reporting of rapes has gone down. I'm terrified that victims everywhere have seen my case, and potential victims who have seen my case will not report because of what's happened to me," Bowman said. "And that is one of the strongest motivations to quote, `come out,' because you can survive."
Bowman said she watched the jury's verdict on a television in the prosecutor's office.
"And I remember just leaning up against this door frame. And I remember the words, `not guilty.' And the next thing I remember is . . . they were helping me off the floor."
Bowman also stuck to her claims against Smith during the interview, saying the jury's decision "doesn't mean I'm not a victim of rape."
"I know that man raped me and I seriously wonder what part of the word `no' he doesn't understand," she said.
The woman also struck back at Black's attempts to attract favorable publicity for his client in the days before the trial.
"Each and every morning, each and every day at noon, each and every day from five to seven, and in each and every newspaper, I had to see the face of the man who raped me," she said. "This isn't a political campaign, this is a rape case."
Associated Press Poll
Palm Beach rape trial
Do you think news organizations in general paid...
Too much attention: 73%
About the right amount: 18%
Don't know/No answer: 7%
Not aware of trial: 2%
Too little attention: 1%
Did you happen to watch any live television coverage of the trail?
Yes: 56%
No: 44%
Patricipants in the trial used explicit sexual terms that were broadcast live on television. Do you find that disturbing or not?
Yes: 42%
No: 52%
Don't know/No answer: 6%
Source: Associated Press poll of 1,003 adults taken Dec. 13-17 by ICR Survey Research Group of Media, Pa. Margin of error: plus or minus 3 percentage points. Sums may not total 100 percent because of rounding.