When Elisabeth Röhm first heard about the Sarah Lawrence sex cult, she felt an immediate need to delve deeper into the story. In 2010, Lawrence Ray moved into his daughter’s dorm room at Sarah Lawrence College and began a reign of terror that included sexual, psychological, and physical abuse of her schoolmates and other young people. Ray’s so-called therapy sessions were a guise for conditioning his daughter’s roommates into victims of abuse, forced labor, and sex trafficking, as detailed in a 2020 indictment.
As both a mother and a proud alumna of Sarah Lawrence College, Röhm felt a personal connection to the story. She recently opened up about her motivation to explore this harrowing true crime tale in her latest directorial project, Lifetime’s “Devil on Campus: The Larry Ray Story,” during an exclusive interview with PEOPLE.
“I, like the rest of the world, didn’t know about this until I read the New York Magazine article, and I just couldn’t believe it,” Röhm recalls. “I thought, ‘How did this happen over a decade with the unfortunate events of him, the father, Larry Ray, living at the campus?'”
Röhm has a deep affection for Sarah Lawrence College, describing it as “one of the most special academic institutions to exist.” She fondly remembers her undergraduate experience there. However, as a mother to her 16-year-old daughter, Easton, she was “shocked” to learn that the university had failed in its responsibility to protect its students.
“Then I felt like, ‘Well, let’s get deeper,'” Röhm continues. “I discovered that other people wanted to get deeper on this story, so you saw a few other projects happen,” she says, referencing her Wondery+ podcast, “Devil in the Dorm,” which preceded her partnership with Lifetime.
Röhm’s film aims to be more than just a cautionary tale. It was made out of a “deep reservoir of empathy” she holds for the students. After all, she and the victims shared a similar experience. “I know that dorm, I know that world. I know that New York City, I know myself, I know the Sarah Lawrence student — and the Sarah Lawrence student is very special,” she says. She describes the student body as “right,” “deep,” “seeking,” and “soulful.”
“I could see how it would’ve all gone down, and it probably would’ve happened to me,” she admits.
In April 2022, Lawrence Ray was convicted of 15 criminal counts, including sex trafficking, extortion, and racketeering conspiracy. His crimes spanned nearly a decade and affected several of his daughter’s classmates and other acquaintances across three different states. Ray reportedly forced some of his victims into prostitution, threatened to dismember another, and recorded coerced and false confessions from each, admitting to crimes and offenses they never committed. In January 2023, Ray was sentenced to 60 years in prison.
Röhm’s film, “Devil on Campus: The Larry Ray Story,” is set to premiere on Sunday, June 23, at 8 p.m. ET on Lifetime. The project is a testament to her commitment to shedding light on this dark chapter in the history of her beloved alma mater and ensuring that such a tragedy never happens again.
Source: PEOPLE
