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It was in 1989, during a book club event, that actress Jan Broberg first opened up about the years of s*xual abuse she endured at the hands of her family friend, Robert Berchtold, during her pre-teen and teenage years. According to Broberg's narrative, the man managed to kidnap her twice - once at the age of 12 and again when she was 14 years old, from right under the nose of her family.
The actress reported that Robert Berchtold, who pretended to be a friend, manipulated and brainwashed both her and her parents while having s*xual relationships with her mother and father and r*ping and abusing her for years. Berchtold, however, was never brought to justice, given that he committed suicide not long before his sentencing.
While Jan Broberg's narrative has garnered sufficient attention lately, an upcoming documentary, A Friend of the Family: True Evil, will further delve into her story. The doc will feature an exclusive interview as she sits with her mother, a victim of the same crime, and revisits the past, while also featuring another one of Berchtold's victims who will speak up for the first time.
Robert Berchtold brainwashed and manipulated the Brobergs to kidnap Jan twice
The terrifying experience of Jan Broberg started when Berchtold, his wife, and their children moved into the same neighborhood as her family in Pocatello, Idaho, in 1972 and quickly established friendly relations. The Brobergs reportedly viewed him as a member of their own family, thus getting involved with the master of manipulation himself.
Broberg was first victimized by Berchtold in the fall of 1974, when she was just 12 years old and the offender was in his 30s. He reportedly kidnapped her and took her away in an RV after making fake promises of taking her horse-back riding. She recalls being frightened when she heard an unusual voice informing her she was part alien when she awoke inside the RV, bound and chained.
Jan was brainwashed by Berchtold's tales of aliens and UFOs. When she was first kidnapped, she claimed that while she believed she was aboard a UFO, a voice informed her that she needed to have a child with Berchtold in order to save her younger sister from going through a similar fate and to save the suffering alien species. They were located in Mexico by the FBI a few weeks later.
Broberg returned home after Robert Berchtold was taken into custody and was found guilty of abduction in 1974. His sentence was lowered from five years to 45 days, and he ultimately served only 10 days in prison. Moreover, reports state that her parents did not call the police about the first kidnapping for several days.
However, not long after the incident, Broberg's parents let Robert Berchtold stay in touch with their daughter for years, which led to her second kidnapping when she was 14 years old by having separate sexual relationships with both her parents, blackmailing them into keeping quiet about kidnapping her again. He was caught once more, only this time he was taken to a mental health facility rather than jail.
What happened to Robert Berchtold ultimately?
Jan Broberg's story was first published in her memoir at the beginning of 2004 that revealed her connection with Robert Berchtold decades after the initial occurrences. However, he denied Jan's allegations and stated that their connection was only platonic. He did, however, acknowledge that he did cross a line with the bond that he shared with the young girl.
Robert Berchtold blamed his actions on mental illness and his upbringing, stating that they were the root cause of his misdeeds. He was never brought to justice for his crimes, but he got into legal issues when he showed up at one of Jan's book tour stops and ran over a member of her security team with a minivan.
He eventually faced charges of illegal trespassing, disorderly conduct, and simple assault. Despite eventually being convicted guilty of assault, Robert Berchtold killed himself just before being sentenced in 2005.
Tune in to Peacock's A Friend of the Family: True Evil this Tuesday, November 15, to learn more about Jan Broberg's story and the role of Robert Berchtold in her traumatic past. The documentary premieres on the channel at 3:00 am ET.
