The following article contains discussions of sexual violence and suicide.
Warning: Contains SPOILERS for A Friend of the Family
Peacock’s new drama miniseries, A Friend of the Family, is based on the real events of what happened to Robert Berchtold and the Broberg family in the 1970s. Robert Berchtold sexually abused Jan Broberg for several years and manipulated her and her family. Jan Broberg went on to be the subject of her mother’s retelling of her story, Stolen Innocence: The Jan Broberg Story and was part of the 2019 Netflix true-crime documentary Abducted in Plain Sight, detailing the twisted affair. Yet, despite the wealth of content, many viewers continue to have questions over exactly what happened to Robert Berchtold after the traumatic events.
When Robert Berchtold first moved to town he became extremely close with the Broberg family, but as time went on it became clear that Berchtold’s end goal was to get to Jan Broberg. He had a sick obsession with Jan, which eventually led to her kidnapping when she was only 12 years old in October 1974. He brainwashed her with false narratives in order to sexually abuse her. She and her family went on to be manipulated by him for years, even after she was returned home from the kidnapping. By 2003, Jan Broberg had tried her best to move on. She worked as an actress and went on to star in several television shows and movies, such as the canceled show Everwood. Jan and her mother, Mary-Ann Broberg, went on to do a tour for the book Stolen Innocence. Berchtold would show up to the events and pass out fliers denying anything the Brobergs had to say about him. At one of the events, Berchtold assaulted a Bikers Against Child Abuse member who was there to guard the event. Due to the violence at her book tour, Jan Broberg filed a restraining order against Berchtold, which she was granted for life.
Although he ruined Jan’s childhood, Berchtold never fully paid for his vile crimes against Jan Broberg in prison. In 1976, he spent 10 days in jail after accepting a plea deal based on the first kidnapping, then was sentenced to a mental facility for 6 months. In 2005, Berchtold was found guilty of the assault committed during the Stolen Innocence book tour. Having not wanted to spend an extended period of time in prison, Robert Berchtold died by suicide during November of that year. As a result of his death, many feel that Robert Berchtold never fully faced justice for kidnapping Jan.
How Robert Berchtold Kidnapped Jan Broberg Twice
Later episodes of A Friend of the Family (whose cast includes Colin Hanks) will cover one of the most astonishing facts about this case which is that Jan Broberg was kidnapped twice by Robert Berchtold within a two-year period. After the first kidnapping, her parents were completely unaware of the sexual abuse. Berchtold made it clear to Jan that she couldn’t talk about any of their sexual encounters to anyone, and she complied since she trusted him. After years of intense grooming, Jan started to gain romantic feelings towards Berchtold. In August 1976, Berchtold convinced Jan to leave her home and come with him, creating the second kidnapping. He drove her to California, where he enrolled her in an all-girls Catholic school claiming that she was his daughter. She was missing for several months, as he was able to trick her parents into believing that he wasn't aware of her whereabouts.
Jan Broberg is now the executive producer on the Peacock miniseries based on her life, A Friend Of The Family. She endured some of the worst imaginable psychological manipulation during her childhood. After the chaos of the events, she went on to share her story by speaking at various events and warning people of the dangers of others-even those who seem completely trustworthy. She strongly continues to spread awareness of Berchtold’s crimes through the new drama series.