‘I can’t imagine doing this alone’: Women recorded during sex without permission form trauma bond

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - Christiana Werner was the first to arrive.

She sat alone, at first, in the hallway outside Courtroom 4D in the Birch Building in downtown Nashville. Then, three friends arrived, each of them embracing her.

Among the three: Aziza Cunningham, Werner’s former sorority sister and roommate when she was dating Matthew Vollmer.

In a tone you hear from women when they talk about a friend’s lousy ex, Cunningham’s eyes flash behind her glasses in describing Vollmer.

“He was just arrogant in the way that I don’t think he ever thought he would see any form of repercussion,” Cunningham said.

More women began to get off the elevator. Christiana Werner, Erika Thomas, Emily Benavides, along with others who ask not to be identified. They all greet each other with hugs or small waves. In different circumstances, it would be odd, uncomfortable even, meeting all the women who also dated your ex-boyfriend.

But when that ex is being criminally charged and sued civilly for recording women without their knowledge during sex using a hidden camera in an alarm clock, a kind of trauma bond forms.

“I can’t imagine doing this alone. I get why so many women stay silent,” Benavides said.

The women are rightfully anxious. Even though the likelihood of Vollmer himself showing up was slim, given that it was just a hearing to schedule his next court date, several of his reported victims still arrived.

“I was hoping I would see him today. I don’t know what I would do,” Benavides said. “In the hopes of getting that eye-to-eye contact, being like, I’m here. Fight to take back what you took from me. To take that power back.”

I asked Werner, the woman who was the first to discover the hidden camera and the videos and report it to police, what she would say to Vollmer.

“Hey, what are you going to plea? Guilty or not guilty? With God as your witness?” Werner responds.

One of Vollmer’s reported victims is a public relations expert who asks not to be identified, but skillfully arranges interviews with other reporters, taking them before cameras, and making sure their stories are shared with as many people as possible.

“I know I wouldn’t be able to do this if it wasn’t for the other women,” Benavides said.

Not outside the courtroom is Laura Cantwell, the third-year Vanderbilt law student who is suing Vollmer in civil court for $1.8 million.

Cantwell tells me she’s out of the country but wanted to make sure I saw the video of the latest civil court hearing, where Vollmer pleaded the fifth when asked about recording the women.

After a thirty-minute wait, the women learn that Vollmer will not be attending in person. Still, they mill about, sharing stories and offering support.

Vollmer’s attorney Joey Fuson stops to talk to me, confirming that the next court date is March 20, and quietly saying that he won’t be making any comment at this time.

I ask the women if they’re discouraged or frustrated that Vollmer didn’t appear this time. Most have conflicted feelings about it.

Ever the supportive friend, Cunningham’s stoic expression briefly breaks into a smile. “It would be really gratifying to see him standing up there. Watch him have to sort of face the music.”

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