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Patrick

I hit 200 on the scratcher. Did the scratcher come to your house

Advertiser/Promo Voice

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Host

Okay, that's fair.

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Patrick

Not like the lottery at all, actually.

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Narrator

This episode contains subject matter that may be disturbing to some listeners. Listener discretion is advised.

Sharon

I felt a warm sensation of blood just gushing down my face and instantly everything had just disappeared. Everything just went totally pitch black.

Patrick

Real people and you start to ask yourself, what did I do wrong? You know, I just got up to go diving and now I'm in a situation that is going to probably cost me my life.

Narrator

Who faced death.

Host

I knew that there's no way I could overpower the both of them. I knew that then, you know, I was pretty much going to die and

Narrator

lived to tell how.

Sharon

From the moment I was pushed down into that mattress, it was how am I going to get back to my kids? I do not want my children to grow up without me.

Narrator

This is I Survived. It's May 1980 in Coconut Creek, Florida. It's 11pm and Sharon is driving home after an evening with friends.

Sharon

There was a car I noticed behind me with one headlight that was burned out and the other one was aimed in my rear view mirror. And it was rather annoying. So I just decided I was going to ease back on the gas pedal a little bit, let that car just pass and I kept my focus on the road straight ahead in front of me. And as that car pulled out next to me and pulled right next to me, I noticed A flash of light. And it appeared as if somebody had thrown a firecracker from that car. Because I saw the flash of light. And then I heard a popping sound come from that car. And at the very same time, I felt a pressure that pushed me over in the seat. And I felt the warm sensation of blood just gushing down my face. And instantly everything had just disappeared. Everything just went totally pitch black. I couldn't see anything at all.

Narrator

Sharon had been shot in the face by a passing motorist.

Sharon

So I was faced with my very first dilemma. Because I was traveling between 45, 50 miles an hour. And I knew I had to stop the car some way, somehow. So I did manage to put my foot on, remove it from the gas, put it on the brake, turned the wheel, the steering wheel, to the right. And brought the car safely to a stop at the side of the road. The first thing I did was I laid on the horn to draw attention to myself. And that's the only thing I could think of. I needed help. I needed it now. And if I lay down the horn, maybe somebody would hear it and stop. And it actually worked, because in a matter of only a few moments, a man's voice appeared at the window, pushing me off of the horn and just saying those words I wanted to hear. It's like, oh, my God, who did this? I'll help you, and I'll take you to the hospital. I couldn't see who this man was, so I had no idea what he looked like. But the sense of urgency in his voice and knowing what I had just experienced, I was just glad he was there. So he opened up my car door, helped me over to his vehicle. In fact, he threw me over his shoulder and carried me very carefully over to his car. He told me that he was a medic in the service, and he knew that head wounds would bleed a lot. So. So he just reminded me to remain calm and that he would get me to the hospital.

Narrator

The car came to a halt, and the driver told Sharon that they were outside the hospital.

Sharon

When we got to the building, he opened up the door. And that is when my sense of safety completely left. Because as he opened up the door, at the very same time that he was assisting me in, he shoved me from behind down into a mattress that was low on the floor. So I responded very quickly. I yelled, I said, this is not a hospital. I didn't get any response. All I could think of at the time was fighting second by second, moment by moment, just to stay alive. Who was this person? What was going to happen next. I knew I was flat on my back on a mattress, on something soft that was low on the floor. And then I felt a pillow come down over my face. I had no idea what was going on. All I know is that I wanted to continue to breathe. So again, moment by moment, second by second, I wanted to breathe. What did I need to do to continue to breathe? I remembered I had shoes on and I had heels. And I thought if I could only get one of those heels off of my foot. So very carefully, I lowered my hand to the little buckle that was on the strap, undid that, grabbed the shoe by the front of the shoe, turned it around with heel coming up first. And I started swinging as hard as I possibly could. And apparently it was effective because he released one side of the pillow just enough where I was able to put my hand underneath the pillow. I shoved it off and I yelled at him. I said, hey, wait a minute. And he said, what's wrong? So I told him, I said, you're suffocating me, I can't breathe. And he says, oh, I'm sorry. And he took the pillow off my face. Now, I didn't know how effective that was going to be, but I sure thought if I would have known that was going to work, I would have done it much sooner. After the incident with the pillow. And he would walk around the room and then he wouldn't say anything. And I could hear the television droning on quietly in the background. And then he would walk over to me and I reached out and he reached down and he was taking off my clothing. And I was thinking, what is going to come next? It can't be. And it was. I was raped. I was thinking, what is going to come next? And then I felt something cold go into my chest and on my neck. I remained silent. And since I remained silent, he remained silent.

Narrator

Sharon was stabbed twice and sliced down the length of her body.

Sharon

The body is a miraculous thing. And I was spared from any pain. I felt pressures, I felt sensations. And I remember feeling terribly, terribly cold. Whether it was the blood or whether it was. He had taken all my clothing. But I was shivering. I mean, just shivering uncontrollably. You don't instantly adapt to blindness in a matter of an hour or two. You don't. It's terrifying. First of all, all I had left was to focus on the sounds, the television. I could tell it was on an all night station. And so there were reruns of old movies that were on. And I just listened to where he was going. He went into the other room. He left me. And I could feel him, you know, pacing and watching and just staring.

Narrator

Weak from blood loss, Sharon eventually passed out.

Sharon

I dozed off. And apparently he did, too, Because I was awakened to him breathing very heavily at the foot of the bed. It's like he was sitting on the floor with his head resting on the mattress. And as I'm lying there, I'm listening to the street noises. And there were very, very few. Minimal at best. So I thought, it's still either very late in the evening or very early in the morning. And I thought, what are my chances if I were to try to make a break for. And I'm thinking, where? The door? Where's the door? I had no idea where the door was. Door was. I was awakened to the sound of a plastic trash bag Being shaken out and unfolded over me. And at the same time, I noticed that the world had become alive. The street noises became busy. And then he came over, and he reached down and he picked at my wrist, Assuming that I possibly wouldn't have a pulse. And he held it for a few moments. And then he released it. And I let my hand fall right back to the bed. I didn't move. And then I heard his footsteps walking around the room. And they went further and further away. And then I heard a door open. And I could hear the street noises get a little bit louder as I'm analyzing those sounds. And then I heard him close that door. And then I heard him check the handle. He jiggled that handle to make sure that the door was locked. And then I heard a car start up. When I heard it leave and blend in with the rest of the traffic noises, I thought, this is my opportunity, and, boy, I better take advantage of it. Immediately, I dragged my body off of that bed and found the closest wall and started trailing that wall. And then very quickly, I found the door. I turned the doorknob. The door opened, and I could hear the street noises get very loud. That's why I knew it was the door to the outside.

Narrator

Naked and covered in blood, Sharon started screaming for help. She was only a few yards from a busy road.

Sharon

No one was stopping. So the next strategy was find something, throw it out into the street. Get someone to stop if they didn't see me. Make a spectacle of yourself. Even though I had no clothes on, I was usually very bashful and very shy. But in this case, my life is depending on it. So as I'm screaming, I found a very large catch net. A Fishnet that was there. And I grabbed it and I started waving it. But then I was going to throw it into traffic to stop traffic, too. I wanted help. But as I was getting ready to throw it, all of a sudden a man's voice came up behind me and he says, oh, my God, who did this? I'll help you and I'll take you to the hospital. Very quickly, I turned towards the man, towards the voice. I said, what is your name? Who are you? Where are you going? Where are you coming from? And he said, my name is Charlie. I'm a maid of work. I'm an air conditioning repair man. And as he's talking, I'm listening to his voice, and I'm thinking, that's not the same man. So I asked him, I said, do you know where the hospital is? He said, yes. I said, let's go. He very carefully helped me over to his car. He placed me in the passenger seat. He quickly got in.

Narrator

Sharon was driven to the hospital.

Sharon

All of a sudden, his car comes to a stop. And I heard the sound, the voices of two nurses who were opening up the passenger side car door and just went, oh, my gosh. And they helped me out of the car, put me on the gurney, covered me with the sheets, and wheeled me into the emergency room. The nurse told me I was covered from head to toe with blood. She was cleaning blood out of my toes, and I had to point to them where the injuries were. I thought something felt like it hit me here and then over here. Well, in fact, what had happened was, was when that vehicle was on the road, the person in that vehicle fired three shots from a handgun. And one of the bullets passed directly through both of my eyes, entered in the corner in the crease of my left eye, passed right through, and came out the corner of the crease of my right eye, taking out both eyes completely. And then I had to point out a few more. I said I felt a pressure to my neck, to my chest. And they found. They said those were stab wounds. And the nurse said it also looked like I was sliced. Not direct punctures, but sliced from head to toe.

Narrator

Sharon was told that she would never see again.

Sharon

I had already come to terms with it because when that bullet went through, it just felt very final. So when the doctor came to me in the hospital and said, you're going to be blind for the rest of your life, I said, doctor, I realize that. And I guess he just left me shaking his head because people, I guess, just don't adjust that quickly. But I knew I had a feeling it was going to be final. And that was it.

Narrator

Thomas Edward Rossi was was arrested three days later. Sharon's bloodied clothes were in the trunk of his car. He is now serving a 104 year prison sentence. In 1985, Sharon was presented with the Victim Services Award by President George H.W. bush. Sharon now works for the Florida Attorney General as the Assistant Director of the Division of Victim Services.

Sharon

I survived because he had already taken enough and I wasn't going to let him take one second more. When you're blind in the way that I was through a gunshot and then somebody coming and offering help and then realizing that the person that you thought was going to be your Good Samaritan was not, it's absolutely terrifying. It's frightening, it's terrifying. But in order to get to find that survival in yourself, you have to get over it, you have to get beyond it, and you have to find what is going to help you to live.

Narrator

One of the most stressful questions after a long day is what are we having for dinner? I'll spend 20 minutes staring in the fridge thinking what to make and then scroll through takeout options just to wait another 45 minutes for it to arrive. That's exactly why I've been loving Tempo. Tempo delivers fresh, chef crafted dietitian approved meals right to your door, making it easy to eat well and save time on your busiest days. Each meal is perfectly portioned for lunch or dinner and ready in just two minutes. So you're getting real food real fast without the sad cobbled together dinner or takeout regret. They've got over 20 recipes each week made with nutrient rich ingredients so it never feels repetitive and it actually helps you stay consistent with healthier habits and whatever your goals are. There's something for you Protein packed meals with over 30 grams of protein, fiber rich options, calorie conscious meals, gut Support and even GLP1 smart meals. If you're looking for something easy this summer, the GLP1 smart meals are a great option. High in protein and fiber to help you stay on track and feel your best. It's incredibly convenient but still flexible enough to fit the way you want to eat for a limited time. Tempo was offering my listeners 60% off your first box. Go to tempomeals.com survive that's tempomeals.com survive for 60% off your first box. Tempomeals.com survived rules and restrictions may apply.

Advertiser/Promo Voice

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Sharon

Pssst.

Narrator

I have a secret that's about to seriously upgrade your downtime. Mistplay is always running these massive sweepstakes.

Sharon

From major cash prizes to top brand bundles to thousands of dollars in gift

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cards for Amazon, Visa, Target and more. You just play your favorite mobile games, earn points and you cash out those points for entries. Mistplay is 100% free. No deposit, no subscription, no hidden fees. Download Mistplay today and start winning. It's May 2008 in Port St. Lucie Florid. Patrick and his dive partner are going spearfishing. They have been dive partners for over 15 years.

Patrick

Coming out the inlet, it was rough, but we thought maybe it was going to lay down that day and it wasn't something that would keep us at home because you can't. If you stay at home all the days that are rough, then you'll never go out. So it was probably two to four foot seas. We were diving approximately 10 miles each of shore. You have one person in the water doing the spearfishing and the other person following around on the boat. As soon as I went in the water, the wind increased about five miles an hour within a short time afterwards and the SEAs built to 6ft upon surfacing. After approximately 10 minutes, the current had taken me to the northeast from my location.

Narrator

Patrick was 75 yards from the dive boat and being pulled away by a strong current.

Patrick

I knew that the situation was bad and that was that was not a good feeling.

Narrator

Unable to see Patrick, his dive partner called the Coast Guard.

Patrick

I saw the first Coast Guard helicopter on scene about a half hour and a half every after I surfaced. We've never called the Coast Guard on each other ever. And like I said, we'd been diving for a long time. So there, right then, I knew that something was up.

Narrator

The Coast Guard and Patrick's dive partner continued to search for him. He had drifted 4.2 miles northeast from his original dive site.

Patrick

I saw them show up and then they started doing their search. They set up their grid and I knew it was gonna be hours before they got to where I was.

Narrator

Patrick kept his oxygen tanks so he could inflate his buoyancy vest.

Patrick

The whole time that I was on the surface, I wasn't just drifting. I wasn't just on an inner tube in the Bahamas enjoying myself. It was a struggle. The entire Time to keep my head above water, even with a flotation device, because the wind's blowing the tops of the waves off and throwing them in your face. You can't use your hands to paddle or do anything to keep your position because both your hands are. You got the death grip on your equipment.

Narrator

After two hours of battling the conditions, a helicopter flew overhead.

Patrick

You're gonna make the biggest commotion you can so that they can see you. And I was doing that by. Or putting my bag on, on the end of my pole spear and with the flashlight hanging on there. It was a yellow flashlight. I was waving that back and forth for eight hours.

Narrator

Several rescue aircraft flew directly over Patrick, but never saw him.

Patrick

As another helicopter was approaching, I went to go grab the bag to put it on the pulse bear, and I realized that I had dropped the bag.

Narrator

Patrick's flashlight was attached to his catch bag.

Patrick

I knew that if I was gonna make it to nightfall, that was my only chance. And now I just. The frustration just was, you know, really took hold. And that's when I just threw a couple other pieces of equipment away. I was like, why am I even holding on to this stuff?

Narrator

Patrick threw away his speargun and pole spear.

Patrick

As the sun was setting and the desperation was building, I realized that this last helicopter was coming by. If they didn't see me during the day, they're never going to see me at night. So I was trying to think of a way to get their attention. Right now as it's dark.

Narrator

Patrick used the speargun attachment called a powerhead, which fires a bullet. He hoped that the muzzle flash would attract attention. The.

Patrick

The powerhead is about probably 3 or 4 inches long, and it's as big around as your thumb.

Narrator

Having thrown his spear gun away, Patrick could only fire the power head by hand.

Patrick

It kicks back just like a gun would if you were holding it. And so you have to figure out a way to get it, allow it to kick out of your hand as opposed to, you can't hold it because it's basically a controlled explosion in your hand.

Narrator

Patrick fired the power head by hitting it on a piece of dive equipment.

Patrick

You know, it's going through your mind that something bad might happen. And something bad did happen when it kicked back. Instead of kicking back out of my hand like I anticipated, it went right between my fingers and pretty much blew my knuckle on my index finger on my right hand. Just kind of shattered it, and then it lodged in between there.

Narrator

Neither the pilot nor Patrick's dive partner saw the flash from the Power head.

Patrick

Now I know I'm gonna be out there all night. It's rough and it's getting rougher. The helicopters didn't find me during the day. I know I'm gonna be out there all night. I blew my hand apart. I'm not gonna be able to use it if I need it. It's bleeding. I don't know if sharks gonna show up in the middle of the night. The water's cold, it's 80 degrees now. The wind's blowing, it's nighttime now. You're getting cold and you start to ask yourself, you know, what did I do wrong? You know, I didn't, you know, I just got up to go diving and now I'm in a situation that is going to probably cost me my life.

Narrator

Patrick decides to swim to shore after his attempt to attract attention fails after nightfall.

Patrick

I started to think, I need to save myself now. So I just took myself right out of the search grid. And so they're looking for me in a certain spot. And I know now I'm out of that, but I had to do something. I wasn't gonna sit there and wait, you know, who knows, you gotta help yourself. So that's what I did. I could see two condos on Hutchinson island and they look like very small and I knew they weren't. I knew they were large and I swam towards them.

Narrator

Patrick's right hand was shattered and bleeding. He used his fins to propel himself and rescued his injured arm on his buoyancy vest.

Patrick

You're not going as fast as you can. You're just trying to get into like a fast walk like you would do on land and you're trying to get in a type of swim and you just want to keep going without taking any breaks. I was freezing, I was really cold. And probably ultimately, if you were to put your finger on one thing that was just absolutely the worst, that would be it. The cold will just drive you crazy. Now you're going through your mind, am I going to have hypothermia? Is that going to kill me? Am I going to go into kidney failure? Is that going to kill me? Am I going to hit by a boat? Is a shark going to eat me? What's going to happen that's going to, you know, worse now? I mean, nothing went my way. So that's what you're thinking, what am I going to do as those waves are breaking? The best way I can describe it is if you were to sit here and let me take a five gallon bucket of water. Every three seconds and slam it into your face. After a while, it's catching you off guard. You can't see the waves coming. They're filling your mouth up with water, filling your nose up with water. Busting into your eyes. You can't open your eyes. Forcing that cold water down into your wetsuit, changing that. You're shivering like there's no tomorrow. And it's just before you can even catch your thought. Boom. I just constantly felt like I was gonna drown. Your mind wanders and it just does its own thing. You can't shut it off. There's no knob to it. You're thinking about your family. What happens if I never am found? Well, you know, who's gonna, you know, my wife's not gonna be able to pay the electric bill. She's not gonna be able to balance the checkbook. We're gonna lose the house. Who's gonna walk my daughter down the aisle? You know, and all these things are going through your mind and you're like, are they gonna grow up without a dad? My wife had lost her father early, so I knew it was tough and I didn't want to do that. I wanted to try and be there for him. The moon came up and so it lit it up a little bit. And then about five miles an hour came off of the wind. You're looking for little things, and when everything's been going wrong, all you're doing is looking for a little thing. I mean, that was huge. Huge because now the white caps weren't breaking and I wasn't getting water stuffed in my mouth.

Narrator

By 6am the wind had dropped and the swell died down.

Patrick

I mean, it was. That day was the most beautiful day. It was a complete 180 from the day before. It was not a cloud in the sky. It was just as clear and blue a day as you could ever imagine because you don't know what you're doing or how far you've got. And then when that sun comes up and those condos that were a speck on the horizon now look like they're a half a mile away, you know, that you made some way more progress than you had ever anticipated. At least I did. I kicked it up a notch. At that time. I happened to see a little Cessna plane, a small aircraft just cruising down the condos there. And I was like, God, I wonder if that's my brother in law. Because I knew he was a pilot. And it went by, and then I just continued to swim.

Narrator

A Coast Guard helicopter appeared nearby.

Patrick

I saw this happen six times yesterday, seven times yesterday. And it just kept on going. So I'm thinking that's going to happen again. And as it approached, it approached at the perfect direction. And he was looking, I was waving and he went by and I just, I didn't even really look. I was like, hey, missed me again. And then I looked over and I saw him bank the churn and I knew he saw me then, you know.

Narrator

So after 23 hours in the ocean, Patrick was rescued and flown to the hospital.

Patrick

He said, we're going to be at St. Mary's in 13 minutes. And off he went. And then he said, you see that little Cessna? And he said, that's your brother in law. So I knew he was out there looking for me. When they got me out of that basket to walk to that stretcher, I told him that I could make it, but I didn't realize how tired I was. I stood up and it was like 20ft. And the girl realized I wasn't gonna make it. She brought it over and got me, you know, because I was gonna fall. So. And then she dialed my wife's number and hand me the phone. And I just, and I just said, well, she knows what I said. I just said, I'm sorry.

Narrator

Finding the one can feel impossible. And in today's world, it's even harder. False profiles, inaccurate pictures, incompatibilities, ghosting on dates. Is this sounding familiar? But if you're ready to make your move to a new place, it doesn't have to feel like dating. All it takes is a simple search on apartments.com to find your perfect match. Whether you're looking for a three bedroom condo downtown, a two bedroom duplex in a quiet neighborhood, a cozy studio in a walkable city, or even a single family home in a cul de sac. You can find a place that checks all the right boxes. So whichever stage of life you're in, settle down in your perfect home by using apartments.com. no more swiping and awkward first dates. Make it easier to get a place that gets you visit apartments.com, the place to find a place. This is a paid message from GoFundMe. Meet Juan Naula. When his son was hospitalized for a viral infection, Juan started a GoFundMe to pay for medical expenses.

Host

It was 5k to pay the bill for my son and I need only 22 hours. It was amazing. People really trust on GoFundMe.

Narrator

How did Juan raise $5,000 in less than a day? He posted a short video on GoFundMe telling his story in 30 seconds.

Host

30 seconds. Be specific, be quick and tell. What are you going to be using the funds for? I was nervous to do it because it doesn't feel okay to ask money. But you shouldn't be nervous. Sometimes you just have to do it and see the results. We were able to to save my son's life thanks to gofundme that we still have my son with us.

Narrator

Start your GoFundMe today at gofundme.com that's gofundme.com gofundme.com this message reflects one person's experience.

Host

Hi, Ryan Reynolds here for Mint Mobile. Are you looking for a beach read this summer? May I suggest your big wireless bill? It's got suspense, mystery, a slightly flat emotional arc and a shocking twist where you realize you've been overpaying the entire time. Fortunately, though, Mint's story is better. Every plan $15 a month. Even unlimited.

Sharon

That's it.

Host

Happy ending, zero tears. Give it a try@mintmobile.com Switch upfront payment

Narrator

of $45 for three months, $90 for six months or $180 for 12 month plan required $15 per month equivalent taxes and fees. Extra initial plan term only greater than 50 gigabytes. May slow when network is busy. See terms. It's May 2004 in Zanesville, Ohio. Renee has been Eva's best friend for 17 years.

Host

We talked every day. I was her kid's godmother. She's kind of like an extended family. Not a day went by we didn't talk, you know, do something, whatever. But we never even had an argument ever in life.

Narrator

Renee, her boyfriend Kelly and their four children moved to Columbus, Ohio a few months later. Eva followed them.

Host

Eva's mother had passed away and left her this house. She could have easily stayed in the house. She decided she wanted to start over in a new town and didn't have the money to do so. So she had an idea that she would come to Columbus, live in this shelter for women and children, and after a couple of weeks that they would give her an apartment and pay the utilities free. You know, she could stay there for free for six months to get on her feet. So she chose to do that.

Narrator

After six months, Eva had to leave her free apartment.

Host

Eva would come and stay with me for a few days at a time. She'd say, oh, do you mind if I come stay for a couple of days? And of course it was fine. The whole time she'd be there, she would sleep, she'd get up and Eat dinner and go back to sleep. And my boyfriend was like, you know, that's not. That doesn't seem right to me. Something's wrong. You know, is she on drugs? She has to be on drugs.

Narrator

One morning, Renee went for a run with a friend.

Host

I got back from the trail, and as I'm pulling up, my boyfriend's in the driveway, and he's talking to Eva and her brother Terry.

Narrator

Terry had previously been convicted on an assault charge.

Host

It's not uncommon for Eva to come by Terri. It just didn't sit well with me. My stomach knotted up. I didn't feel right. I even hesitated. I just wanted to drive on by. Something was like, this is not. I whispered to my boyfriend, I said, why are they here? And he said, renee, they're your friends. You know, I don't know.

Narrator

Renee's boyfriend, Kelly, left.

Host

As I'm sitting on the front stoop with them, it was like an eerie feeling. They really were kind of just quiet in a weird sense of way. You know, you come over to my house to visit me, but you're not saying anything. You're just sitting there.

Narrator

Eva asked to use the phone to call for a ride.

Host

I thought to myself, why are you calling for a ride? And how did you get here if you had a ride here? Why didn't they just take you where you need to go? It just all did not sit right. And I'm just like, okay, if I give her the phone, somebody's gonna pick her up, and they're gone, and I don't have to deal with this.

Narrator

As they entered the house, Renee heard the deadbolt click behind her.

Host

You would never think, you know, it's such a small noise. But when I heard that, I just stopped because it was the loudest noise I had ever heard. And I turned around, and Terry had a gun pointed at my forehead. And I just stopped. And I'm like. I looked at him, and I'm like, what are you doing? I thought they're playing, you know, because she's my best friend. I look over at her. She never once made eye contact with me through the whole time. She would look away. She'd look down. Cause I was kind of like, wanting to look for. Look at her, be like, help. You know, what is wrong with him? But what was wrong with him was they hatched this plan. They're both against me. She's not going to help. Terry said that they needed money. And I said, well, I don't have any money. Eva spoke up and said, well, Kelly's Friends do, and he will pay to get you back. When they asked for money, I knew she had. She's in a situation she needed to get a place to live. I'm thinking, could she do this for rent money? Really? I didn't have money to give them, so it didn't. The whole situation was not well thought out. It didn't make sense.

Narrator

As Terri stood guard, Eva went down to the family room.

Host

Immediately, I thought, she knows where my gun's at. We have a nine millimeter we kept underneath our mattress for protection. She knew we kept a gun there. When she went down the stairs, it just dawned on me. She's going to get my gun. My only source of protection that I have.

Narrator

Renee followed Eva downstairs.

Host

For whatever reason, he didn't follow, but I went down the stairs, and when I turned the corner to go into our family room, she's coming out of my room carrying my gun. And the safety on the gun is very, very tricky. And not everyone knows that but me and Kelly. So as she comes out, I lunge, and we're, like, struggling over this gun, and I'm stronger than she is, and I knew I'm going to take this gun, and if I have to shoot him to get out, I will. We were kind of like pulling on it, trying to get it out of each other's grasp. I'm gaining control over the gun. I could feel her grasp starting to slip. And then as she's hollering for her brother, you know, I'm thinking, I've got to get this from her now. The next thing I knew, he had his arm around my neck kind of like this, and he's trying to pull me off of her. And he was having trouble getting me off of her. And so he bit my back. And it hurt so bad, I had to let go of the gun with one arm to try to go like that, to get him off of me. And when I did that, she gained control of the gun. And then they both had pointed the guns. Both guns were against my head. I knew that there's no way I could overpower the both of them. Them. I knew that then, you know, I was pretty much going to die. I just fell to my knees, and I was thinking. I was praying, God, they're going to kill me, you know, And I was crying because I thought one of the kids was going to come home from school and find me there. And I was picturing that in my mind, and I just was sobbing, and I could feel the guns against my head. And I had My head down. I was out. I knew I was about to die. After a few seconds, nothing happened. And I kind of opened my eyes, and I'm looking around, and I'm like, how am I going to get out of here? I'm in my basement with two guns at my head. I looked up, and I saw my cell phone laying on the pool table. And I thought, I've got to call 911. So I acted like I was getting sick. I kind of stood up and said, oh, my God, you guys, I feel like I'm going to be sick. And I got up, and I walked out to go to the restroom. And as I did so, I grabbed my cell phone, hit 911, and hit it down by my leg. So as I get in the restroom, I'm sitting on the side of the bathtub with my cell phone under my leg where they can't see it. And I'm leaning over the toilet, acting like I'm gagging. They come in and are standing over me with the guns on my head again. And I kept saying, terry and Eva, why are you doing this? Get the guns out of my face. I wanted someone to know if they killed me, that who it was, you know? And I kept saying, why are you trying to kill me? So 911 would say, what? You know? So I thought help was on the way.

Narrator

Eva saw the cell phone that Renee was hiding.

Host

She took it from me, and she immediately looked at the phone to see my past call history, and she said she called 911. They're on their way. We've got to leave. So at that point, they held me or they pointed their guns at me and led me at gunpoint up the stairs. Throughout that whole time, I kept thinking, what happened? You know, what happened to our years of friendship? That she felt like I didn't matter anymore. Maybe I never did matter to her is what I started to think. How could they betray me like that? You know, they're supposed to protect me, not try to hurt me. Terri said to Eva, you know, where are we going to go? And she said, we're going to take her to the apartment. And I didn't know if she meant her apartment. They had another one somewhere else.

Narrator

Eva left to get Renee's van.

Host

I knew that if they put me in that van at all, that I'm dead.

Narrator

While Eva was gone, Renee tried to convince Terri to let her go.

Host

He's standing over me pointing the gun at me. And I was like, terri, why are you doing this? You know? I said, I Helped take care of your mom till she died. I got you out of jail. You know, I've always taken care of everyone. You know, we're family. And he said, renee, that's my sister. I had to. So my only choice was to run. If they're going to kill me, they're going to chase me down to get me. I'm not going to go easy.

Narrator

Eva returned after getting the van.

Host

She walks in the house, and I'm still like, you guys, where are you taking me? Why are you doing this to me? You know, I just want to know why, why, how? And she would not look at me and wouldn't answer. She put her. The gun she had, she put in her waist of her pants. And I noticed that her pants were tight. So I'm thinking the safety's tricky. Her pants are tight. It's going to be a couple seconds for her to get this gun out. So when we walk out of the house, she's first, I'm second, and Terry's behind me. Well, when we get to the stoop, as she stepped down, I shoved him with all my might because he has a bad hip. He's not going to be able to just run after me. I ran as fast as I could, and I'm screaming, help me. Somebody help me. They're trying to kill me. And as I'm running, in my mind, I'm thinking, whose voice is that? I knew I was screaming, but this. It was a voice from, like, one of those scary movies you watch. It was so desperate, and it was not my voice.

Narrator

Renee reached a neighbor's house and pleaded for help.

Host

I'm pounding on the door, and I'm crying, and I'm screaming, please help me. She is so close. She's right on the other side of the door, and she's like, honey, wait a minute. I gotta get the deadbolt key. And I'm thinking, oh, my gosh, are you serious? And I'm screaming, please hurry, hurry. They're gonna kill me. And I didn't know where they were at until I heard the tires squealing. And I looked back, and they were about three houses from me. At that point, I didn't have time to wait for her to find the key. And I jumped off the stoop and ran around the side of the house.

Narrator

Renee reached a chain link fence.

Host

So I jumped over the chain link fence, and in doing so, my T shirt caught it, and it pulled me down on it, and it was one of the jagged ones, and it kind of like cut my stomach. I had to stand there and, like, rip my shirt off of the fence. I'm stuck. After I did that, I ran through the yard and jumped another fence. And there was a garage with some weeds and overgrown flowers. And I just crouched down in there, and I heard car doors. And I'm thinking, please don't let them find me. And I heard their voices, and they had to have been about five feet from me. I didn't want to turn and look for fear they might see the weeds move. And I'm under the weeds in the mud, and I'm praying, oh, my God, Please just help me. Don't let them find me. After a few seconds went by, I heard the car doors and the tire squeal again. And I was. I was afraid to come out. So I waited for a few more seconds. I didn't hear anything. And then I came out. And I'm shaking, I'm muddy, I'm bleeding, I'm crying. And the guys, the guy who lived at the house, whose garage I'm hiding behind, come outside, and he happened to have his cordless phone in his hand. And he looked at me and said, are you on drugs? I said, no. They tried to kill me. Can I use your phone? And he had this look of disbelief. And he handed me the phone so slowly, and I called 911. The police pulled up, seemed like seconds after I walked out, and I just collapsed in the yard. And I looked up at the sky and was like, oh, my gosh, I'm still alive.

Narrator

Eva turned herself in a week later. She served four and a half years in prison. Terry was found by police and served three and a half years.

Host

Eva was like my sister. So if she would have came to me and said, look, you know, I messed up and I don't have rent money and I have to make move out, they would have been more than welcome at my house until she got a place. I would have helped her get a place.

Narrator

Renee has a lifetime restraining order against both Eva and Terry.

Host

Having your best friend come to your house and do that is like. It's overwhelming, you know, at the same time, you know, I'm struggling for my life. I don't hold anything against them. I feel very sorry for them because true friends and good family are really hard to find. And I was one of the truest people that they will ever meet. And they threw me away like I was nothing. She could have destroyed my family over nothing. You know, she said, I survive because God has a plan for me. I am in school for criminal justice now. And my children and stepchildren are almost grown. I have two grandchildren, which I absolutely love. I'm supposed to be here, and I love my family. And I believe that I survive because I'm a fighter. Hello, and welcome to Pluto Foe. If you know the name of the movie you'd like to see, just stream it for free on Pluto tv, where all your blockbuster favorites are landing all summer long. Catch. Anchorman. The Legend of Ron Burgundy.

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