the wedding reception but took the emails seriously and began calling the police. Her husband woke up and was satisfied when Evelyn says that she was only playing solitaire. His only words to her was, “I’m sorry I ruined the evening.” Her husband got up again and was gone for extended periods of time. At one point, he placed a damaged space heater at the upstairs landing. The master bedroom, where she was held captive, was on the first floor. There was no logical reason for a heater to be used in the location of the home. Evelyn’s family found the damaged heater and are convinced that he was going to stage a fire to burn her up with the evidence. Later discovered evidence supports this. At some point, Evelyn heard the doorbell ring again and voices outside. It was the police, but they leave again, because no one answered the door. Evelyn recalls frantically emailing her sister an almost indecipherable message begging her not to let them leave. Her sense of time is off, but she hears voices again — over a megaphone, “Stand Down” was shouted repeatedly, then the shatter of glass. It is the Franklin County SWAT coming to do what her home county failed to do — rescue her. Evelyn is very stoic in telling her story, until she discusses her daughter — her only child - being at the scene. Medics removed Evelyn from the house on a gurney and covered her face as she was taken to the ambulance. This caused Evelyn’s daughter to think that her mother is dead. For this amazing and selfless woman — who was brutally beaten and defied death — her daughter’s pain and anguish are too much for her to bear. Evelyn’s road to recovery has been a long journey. She lived with her sister for three and half months during her recovery, and she could not return to work fulltime for five months. Her long list of injuries read like a CSI script. Evelyn recalls a visit with her neurologist about nine months after the incident: “He said, “for an unfortunate woman, you are extremely fortunate; your outcome was not expected.” That’s when it hit me. The magnitude of how — what the repercussions could have been but weren’t.” She is not just lucky, she is blessed. Her husband pleaded not guilty to first degree attempted murder, first degree kidnapping, second Pictured: Evelyn (right) with her sister, Rebecca (left), who saved her life. degree felonious assault and domestic violence. With Evelyn’s approval, he took a plea deal and agreed to plead guilty to attempted murder and domestic violence and to accept a nine-year prison sentence (11 years was the maximum), along with restitution of $122,000.00 relating to Evelyn’s injuries (though it is likely that she will never receive a penny). He apologized to the court and said: “She’s my wife; I love her.” Without missing a beat, the judge said: “You can’t be serious about that. Actions speak louder than words, always have. You’re lucky she’s as tough as she is. Don’t stand here and tell me you love this woman; I don’t buy it.” During the sentencing, Evelyn — with great composure and fortitude — looked directly at prisoner A743961 and spoke courageously: “You may have won the battle that day when you viciously beat my body. I am a survivor. I won the war against your evilness and hatred. I am still alive. You damaged my body, but you did not break my spirit. But you — you will always be the selfish, cowardly, soulless monster that sits in this courtroom today. First, you strangled me with your hands and left me for dead. I regained consciousness and attempted to escape. Then, before I could get into my car, you drug me against my will into the house while smashing my head and face into the concrete porch along the way. Inside, the assault did not end. You continued with your barrage of closed-fist punches to my face and body, kicks to my entire body with hardENVISIONPROVENSUCCESS.COM | 17
18 Publizr Home