‘RHOA’s’ Kenya Moore to Star in Lifetime Movie About Real-Life Kidnapping

Kenya Moore is making the switch from b to Lifetime in a new film that’s based on a true story. In an Instagram post, The Real Housewives of Atlanta star shared on Dec. 6, Moore revealed her role in the upcoming film Abducted Off the Street: The Carlesha Gaither Story. The film will premiere on Feb. 10, 2024. She captioned a still of her in the film, writing in part: “Finally I can share this with all of you!

I’m starring in a new movie for @lifetimemovies @lifetimetv I’m so proud of this my work in this film and getting the chance to exercise my acting chops!” The filmm stars Riele Downs (Darby and the Dead, Henry Danger) as Carlesha Freeland-Gaither, Moore as Keisha, Sam Asante (The Porter) as Delvin, Aiden Devine as Detective Darby, Diana Johnstone as Ana, Danny Waugh as Carl and Dylan Taylor as Officer Montgomery. According to an official logline, based on a true story, Abducted off the Street: The Carlesha Gaither Story chronicles the abduction of a Philadelphia nurse’s aide at the hands of a homicidal predator, and reveals how she fought to survive and created a trail that would ultimately lead to her rescue.

The case made national headlines in 2014. On Nov. 2, 2014, neighborhood security cameras in the Germantown section of Philadelphia captured footage of a man forcing Gaither into a car after dropping her eyeglasses and cell phone into the street and kicking out the driver-side rear window. She’d just gotten off of a bus. The man’s car was parked on the street. Gaither was 22 years old at the time.

WHYY reports the kidnapper’s ill-fated actions helped investigators solve the case, along with Gaither’s own strength. Gaither’s debit card was used at an ATM in Aberdeen, Maryland the morning after her kidnapping. Surveillance footage showed a male wearing dark clothing using her card.

Three days after the abduction, she and the suspect were found in Jessup, Maryland in a parking lot. The kidnapper, Delvin Barnes, pleaded guilty to 35 years for federal kidnapping to avoid a life sentence.

At his hearing, Barnes claimed he’d initially planned on robbing Gaither, but it “turned into other things.” He also said he chose Gaither at random. At the time, he was set to turn himself into prison for a similar crime. He was charged with aggravated assault, criminal trespass, and, among other charges, false imprisonment, in a 2005 case involving his estranged wife. He was also wanted for the kidnapping and attempted murder of a 15-year-old Virginia teen at the time of him kidnapping Gaither.