A serial killer's ex-wife slept next to the killer for 8 years and never suspected his deadly double life.

Bonnie Lou Gower has missed the terrifying warning signs that she shared a bed with serial killer Richard Owenitz for more than eight years.

This story talks about suicide. If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

For years, Bonnie Lou Gower shared a bed with a man she thought she knew better than anyone. He did not know that the man sleeping next to him was capable of murder.

Her husband, Richard "Mark" Owenitz, led a double life, one that eventually revealed him as a serial killer who preyed on young girls.

Her victims included a 16-year-old who died while Owenitz was still married to Gower.

Survivor of serial killer who escaped 18-hour captivity reveals instinct she wishes she'd never ignore

Richard Owenitz and Bonnie Lou Gower were married from August 1988 to January 1997. (research discovery)

Decades after Owenitz's crimes came to light, Gower, along with the young woman who survived him, revisits the warning signs he didn't recognize.

In the Investigation Discovery true-crime documentary "The Serial Killer Connection," Gower meets Kara Robinson-Chamberlain, who endured 18 hours of captivity and torture before escaping from Evonitz, as they discuss whether she might be connected to other unsolved cases.

For Gower, a question has haunted her ever since she discovered the truth about the man she married.

Bonnie Lou Gower has since remarried. She is now a mother of two children. (research discovery)

That was my first question to the FBI: How could I not know this? You know I slept with someone who did this for eight and a half years?'' And of course, they assured me there was no way I would know."

Looking back, Gower admitted there were things he didn't question at the time.

Whenever Owenitz left town to visit family, he insisted on staying behind, claiming he had to work. Only later did Gower realize that he had actually taken a leave while he was gone.

"One of the reasons he never came with me was because he said he was working," Gower said.

Richard Owenitz is seen here in South Carolina, circa 1988. (research discovery)

“And then, I came to find out, he had actually quit on the days I was out of town. But at that time, I wasn't worried at all about leaving him. I just went and visited my family. "It definitely makes you look at everyone and everything now, whether you can trust someone's words or actions."

Gower met Owenitz, who was eight years his senior, in South Carolina. He was the older brother of one of her friends and came home whenever he got leave from the US Navy. As he got to know her, he quickly developed an interest in her, and at the age of 16, Iovnitz asked her out on a date.

They married in August 1988 when she was 17 and he was 25.

After their marriage, Bonnie Lou Gower and Richard Owenitz moved from South Carolina to Maine, where Owenitz was stationed at the time. (research discovery)

"You think you know who you are when you're 17, I really don't think I did. And I was relatively sheltered. I was very naive, very trusting, and I took everything in terms of appearances. I think he knew that."

During the marriage, there were moments when Gower suspected Owenitz of infidelity. Whenever Owenitz asked him questions, he told her that it was all in his head. He believed him. But as the relationship progressed, Iovnitz began to cut her off from friends and family as they moved across the country, from Maine to San Diego and Virginia.

Bonnie Le Gower initially believed that Richard Owenitz was having an affair. He assured Goer that it was all in his head. (research discovery)

"He kept this part of himself under strict control and did not show it to the people he was closest to."

In "Serial Killer Connection," a three-part documentary, Bonnie Lou Gower and Kara Robinson Chamberlain delve into Richard Owenitz's past. (research discovery)

The marriage began after Owenitz left the Navy. Financial pressures fueled growing tensions between the couple, Gower said, while Ivnitz became prone to mood swings and what she described as "rages." He also often criticized her weight. Behind closed doors, Gower also resented his interest in captivity, according to the documentarians.

In June 2002, Bonnie Lou Gower (seen here with Richard Owenitz in the '90s) learned that her ex-husband was a murderer who had killed at least three young girls. He kidnapped a fourth. The FBI showed up on his doorstep in California and informed him of his former secret double life. (research discovery)

Even when the marriage reached its breaking point, Gower said she still didn't see Owenitz as someone who could hurt her. He said the move away was a decision made after years of growing frustration.

When Gower decided to leave the marriage, Gower said it was her fear, not his.

"When he said he was going to take the gun and kill himself, I was concerned for his safety," Gower recalled. "I never feared for my life."

According to the FBI, Richard Owenitz fled to Sarasota, Florida, where he died after being surrounded by law enforcement. (FBI)

Even after he finally walked away, Gower said Owenitz questioned whether he had any justification for doing so.

"When I left, I felt like I was leaving for no real reason," she said. "[But] I wasn't happy."

According to Gower's TikTok account, she and Ivnitz were married from August 1988 to January 1997. Multiple reports indicate that their divorce was finalized in 1998. Years later, Gower realized how much he didn't know about the man he left behind.

Richard Owenitz held teenager Cara Robinson Chamberlain captive in his apartment for 18 hours, where he sexually assaulted her. (research discovery)

On June 24, 2002, 15-year-old Chamberlain was at a friend's house in South Carolina when Ivnitz walked into the house. A stranger approached him in the hallway with pamphlets and asked if his parents were home. He then put a gun to her neck and threatened to shoot her if she screamed. He forced Chamberlain into a dark container in his car.

At Owenitz's apartment, Chamberlain was repeatedly sexually assaulted. He kept her on the bed. After hours of torture, Chamberlain managed to free one of his hands from a pair of handcuffs with his teeth, undo a leather leg strap, and silently bolted the door as Owenitz slept. As he got up, Chamberlain was met by two men who took him to the police station.

Cara Robinson Chamberlain after a medical examination. (research discovery)

Chamberlain led the officers to his captive's apartment. But when investigators arrived, Ivnitz had fled. Police chased Owenitz to Sarasota, Florida, but when they caught up with him, Owenitz died by suicide. He was 38 years old.

When investigators began digging into Owenitz's past, Chamberlain's abduction was only part of the story. Evidence recovered from Owenitz's South Carolina apartment, former Virginia residence and vehicle links him to three unsolved murders.

Cara Robinson Chamberlain worked with law enforcement as a sex crimes and child abuse investigator. (research discovery)