A woman is found unconscious in her apartment. She has been beaten, burned, and strangled. The attacker left her for dead. She survived. She identified her ex-boyfriend from a hospital bed. He had been stalking her for months. He had threatened to kill her if she left him. He had told her friends he would rather see her dead than with another man.

In this episode, I examine the worst case of assault ever documented in the county where it occurred. The victim suffered over thirty separate injuries: broken bones, lacerations, burns from a curling iron, and strangulation marks on her neck. She was in a coma for two weeks. She required multiple surgeries. She will never fully recover.

The ex-boyfriend was arrested at his mother's house. He had been hiding in the basement. He claimed the victim had attacked him first. The evidence did not support his claim. The victim's DNA was under his fingernails. His DNA was on the curling iron. A neighbor's security camera captured him entering the victim's building at the time of the assault and leaving thirty minutes later with blood on his shirt. The ex-boyfriend was convicted of attempted murder and sentenced to life in prison. The victim testified at sentencing. She said she would never feel safe again.

Turn down the lights, put on your headphones, and press play because the worst case of assault is not just about the injuries. It is about the life the victim will never get back.

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