On a September morning in 2010, single mom Marti Hill followed handyman Brian Pennington down into the basement of her Prairie Village, Kansas home, expecting to talk about repairs, not to fight for her life. Without warning, Brian attacked her from behind, strangling her, beating her, and slashing her throat before leaving her on the cold concrete floor, convinced she would never get back up.

Marti somehow survived, managed to get help, and later named Brian as the man who had tried to kill her, evidence that led to his arrest within days. He eventually pleaded guilty to attempted first‑degree murder and aggravated burglary and was sentenced to more than 28 years in a Kansas state prison, while Marti rebuilt her life as the survivor of an attack she was never meant to walk away from.