Where is Alice Sebold now? Author SILENT after alleged rapist exonerated after 30 years
In 1981, Alice Sebold identified Anthony Broadwater as the person who raped her, leading him to spend 16 years in prison. Decades later, his conviction was overturned after a Netflix producer brought forward the truth - Broadwater was in fact wrongly identified. Having that conviction overturned does little for Broadwater, who has spent years living in squalor since his release in 1998.
In the meantime, Sebold ended up making millions through her book 'Lucky', a memoir of the rape that Netflix is turning into a film. The inconsistencies in Sebold's story began to crack through, eventually leading to Broadwater's vindication on November 22. But while he made headlines, and his story has dominated conversations, Sebold has been mysteriously absent. So far, the author hasn't commented on the verdict, nor has she issued an apology to Broadwater.
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It begs the question - where is Alice Sebold? The author's silence is damning, especially given the shocking revelations she herself made in the past.
Where is Alice Sebold?
That's the big question to which we have no answers. We know she lives in a $6 million mansion in San Francisco, which she brought in 2007, eight years after her memoir came out. In that memoir, Sebold was open about identifying the wrong man from a police lineup. "I placed my X in the number five box. I had marked the wrong one," she wrote. The police charged Broadwater after DNA analysis of a strand of hair identified him, and Sebold changed her testimony in court to identify Broadwater as well.
Numerous media organizations have since attempted to get a comment from the author, but so far she's maintained silence. Timothy Mucciante, the producer that cracked the case told The Daily Mail, "I am not suggesting for a moment that she intentionally identified that the wrong man. She did the best she could as a teenage girl but regardless, I really hope she reaches out to him now."
It's something Broadwater wants as well. "I just hope and pray that maybe Ms. Sebold will come forward and say, "Hey, I made a grave mistake," and give me an apology. I sympathize with her, but she was wrong," he reportedly said. But that may be hard to come by. The case could have major implications for Sebold. It's unclear if Netflix will scrap its 'Lucky' adaptation in light of the news. Mucciante noted that it was possible Broadwater would sue Sebold and her publisher, which could put Netflix off entirely. The company, like Sebold, has also refused to comment.
Scribner, Sebold’s publisher did issue a brief statement on the matter. "Neither Alice Sebold nor Scribner has any comment. Scribner has no plans to update the text of Lucky at this time," they said. It's unclear why Sebold hasn't reached out to Broadwater directly at least, but its possible public pressure may get her to do so. In the meantime, social media users have begun to pile on the pressure, slamming her for her silence. Since she's not on social media, it's unlikely to affect her directly.