A victim of the suspected NorCal Rapist is sharing her story in hopes of empowering other sexual assault survivors. 

Nicole Earnest-Payte of Petaluma is believed to be the serial rapist’s first victim. 

After 27 years, authorities arrested 58-year-old Roy Waller, who is accused of raping, torturing and robbing at least 10 women over a 15-year span. 

Earnest-Payte spoke told KRON4’s Gayle Ong, “It’s very hard to describe how I felt, it’s all very surreal feeling.”

She opened up about the night she was attacked more than two decades ago. 

On June 22, 1991, Earnest-Payte says Waller entered her Rohnert Park home and sexually assaulted her. 

She revealed, “l asleep on my couch and woke up with a gun to my head.”

Back then she was 21 years old. 

“It took a while to think it was real, I thought it was a joke at first, I thought it was a sick prank,” she said. “When It sunk in that it was real, it became real very quickly and then it went on for about three hours.”

On Friday, authorities announced Waller’s arrest. He had been living in Benicia and worked as a safety specialist for UC Berkeley. 

Earnest-Payte hopes her story will empower other victims of sexual assault. 

“I was a victim of a very violent crime,” she said. “I hope that other men and women, boys and girls will learn to stand up and say I was a victim of a very violent crime.” 

Now a wife and mother, she is living proof that her life wasn’t destroyed. 

“I have a fulfilled life.In many cases, women’s lives get destroyed and that kills me, it doesn’t have to be that way.”

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