No sexual assault survivor can argue that not being believed is, in many ways, worse than the assault itself for them because of the anguish it causes each step of the journey. This much is currently even supported by Netflix’s “Victim/Suspect,” especially in light of the way it reveals the pattern of young people being falsely accused of reporting crimes by law enforcement. Dyanie Bermeo is one of the people who appears in this original to aid in navigating the same, so if you’re just interested in learning more about her, we’ve got the information you need.
Who is Dyanie Bermeo?
Dyanie, a student at King University and aspiring police officer, was travelling back to class on September 29, 2020, when everything in her life suddenly changed. After all, the then-21-year-old was allegedly stopped at the crossroads of Old Jonesboro Road and Spring Creek Road by a police or a person posing as an officer, only to be attacked. She respectfully denied speeding, and then was reportedly asked to exit the car for being “trouble”; however, he then touched her in the most inappropriate way while pretending to be frisking her.
According to the documentary, Dyanie was unable to see her attacker’s face as he approached her while pointing his torch in her direction. He also made sure her hands were on the car as soon as she got out. The following day, she told Virginia’s Washington County deputies, “While he was touching me…” “I could only utter the phrase, ‘Please think what you’re doing. what you’re about to carry out. Just give it some thought, please. He told me to stop talking. Before he got into his car, I barely even got to glimpse him. The young woman did estimate that he was at least 6’4” and rather solidly built, though, based on the manner he was standing behind her.
The fact is that Dyanie was very careful with the information she provided to police because attention to detail is one of her strengths, but nothing worked out in her favour because there was no supporting documentation. In fact, they turned the tables on her, publicly asserted that she had invented the entire situation, and accused her of making a fake report based on surveillance footage that, in reality, revealed nothing. All of this occurred within a week, which prevented her from having enough time to digest her original shock and also shattered her hopes of becoming a law enforcement officer.
when Detective Olivia Benson was her favourite character on “Law & Order,” Dyanie had a serious interest in having a career in law enforcement when she was in the seventh grade. It turns out that she had specific plans to intern (in-office) with the FBI to launch her ambition of working in law enforcement one day. She was actually a double major in psychology and criminal justice. Then the alleged incident happened, she was detained, and things went south. As she said in the movie, “that hope of trying to… make a difference just wasn’t there anymore.”
Where is Dyanie Bermeo Now?
In spite of being legally found guilty of the accusation in April 2021, Dyanie was granted parole and a second chance in court within four months after filing an early appeal with the aid of her attorneys. But this time, she won: “I believe this is a very tough case,” the sitting judge stated of the case. “I don’t think the police are the bad guys, but I also don’t think Ms. Bermeo lied,” the speaker said. The Washington County Sheriff therefore offered to reopen her case after her acquittal in the hopes of apprehending her accused offender, but she rejected.
Since that time, Dyanie reportedly earned her bachelor’s degree and is considering going back to school to pursue a master’s in either criminal justice or advocacy in order to continue pursuing her goals. Additionally, and maybe more significantly, she has also filed a civil case against the Washington County Sheriff’s Department on at least a dozen claims, including fraud, malicious prosecution, and intentional infliction of mental distress. Even though the court case is still pending, the now 24-year-old does appear to be doing pretty well these days.
On the End Violence Against Women International website, Dyanie’s Survivor Voices page states, in part, “It took me a while to identify as a survivor.” “Initially, everything that occurred after I reported the incident to the police made me feel very much like I wasn’t. I’m taking my healing path day by day, and I don’t know if I would be here today if it weren’t for the love and support of my friends and family. In the hopes of inspiring further changes and encouraging others to start accepting responsibility inside the system, I will continue to share my story.
