As police arrested a man they say raped or attempted to rape three women, one of the victims was being released from a week long hospital stay.
“I won,” said the victim who wants to remain anonymous. “I won.”
She says she survived the attack by fighting for her life. She was laying in her bed on December 29 when a man broke into her house. He came in her bedroom with a knife and started stabbing her.
“I took the knife out of my chest. All I could think is if I leave it in and let him hit me, if he moves me, I am a dead woman.”
As she bled profusely she fought him off. She didn’t know what he wanted, so she asked him. He told her he planned to rape her. She reacted with attitude she hoped would help her survive.
“I said, ‘You did all that for this? You came in here for this?’”
She told him okay, but asked him to let her make sure her daughter wouldn’t walk in.
“I knew I was here by myself. That was a ploy to get him to let me go, because I knew I had a taser. I hurried, and grabbed my taser and started lighting up his ass,” she said.
He ran. She called police.
She was taken to the hospital, where she remained for just over a week. She was released today as news broke. Police identified a suspect as 18-year-old Darian Winfield. The U.S. Marshals Fugitive Apprehension Team arrested him a short time later.
She says she identified him in a line-up and is certain police have the right person in custody.
“Every night I have to fight with his face,” she said. “You don’t forget that.”
She said as she fought him she was thinking of her three children. She isn’t done watching them grow up.
While in the hospital she met the family of another person police believe was attacked by the same man, a 17-year-old girl.
“I got a daughter the same age as she is,” said the victim.
Police say the teenage victim is in critical condition. She was stabbed in the head during the assault.
“I can’t imagine finding my daughter like that,” she said.
