11 Women Who Survived Murder Attempts
Mary Vincent Had Her Arms Cut Off, Her Ribs Broken, And Was Dropped Down A Ravine - But Managed To Get Away
On September 29, 1978, in Berkeley, CA, 15-year-old Mary Vincent accepted a ride from Larry Singleton, a 51-year-old merchant seaman. However, instead of taking the teenager to her destination, Singleton raped Vincent, used a hatchet to cut off both of her forearms, and tossed her body off a 30-foot cliff near Modesto, CA. While Singleton left the teenager for dead, Vincent pulled herself back up the cliff, eventually getting the help of a passing motorist who took her to a hospital for urgent medical care.
Several months after nearly ending Vincent's life, Singleton was convicted of rape, kidnapping, attempted murder, mayhem, and oral sodomy, and he was given the maximum sentence at the time:14 years and four months. Incredibly, after serving just eight years behind bars, Singleton was released on parole and eventually relocated to Tampa, FL. On February 19, 1997, one of Singleton's neighbors called the police and reported a struggle at Singleton's home. Law enforcement officers responded and found the elderly convict covered in blood and the lifeless body of Roxanne Hayes, a mother of three, on the floor of his home.
In 1998, Singleton was tried and convicted of stabbing Hayes to death and Mary Vincent, whose prosthetic arms were a silent testament to Singleton's brutality, appeared at his sentencing hearing to testify about the depraved and ruthless attack he subjected her to when she was only 15 years old. Singleton was given the death sentence for killing Hayes, but he died in a prison hospital in 2001. In the years after she was mutilated and left for dead by Singleton, Vincent went on to create an organization - the Marie-Vincent Foundation - to help other survivors of violent crimes, become a mother, and embark on a career as an artist, making her an inspiration to many.
Lisa McVey Noland Felt Her Captor's Face So She Wouldn't Forget What He Looked Like
While riding her bike home from work on November 3, 1984, 17-year-old Lisa McVey Noland was kidnapped by Bobby Joe Long and taken back to his Tampa, FL, home where she was tied up and blindfolded. For 26 hours, Long repeatedly raped Noland at gun-point, while she begged him not to kill her. While she was afraid her captor would end her life, Noland felt his face, making mental notes of his pockmarks and mustache, so she would be able to describe him to police if she survived the attack. Noland also made sure to leave her fingerprints all over his bathroom in order to prove to law enforcement that she had been held captive in his home.
Incredibly, after being imprisoned for more than a day by a serial killer who had already murdered several women, Noland managed to convince Long to let her go, telling him her father was ill and relied on her for help. After reporting the terrifying ordeal to the police, Long was arrested and he was eventually convicted of multiple murders and given the death penalty for his crimes.
While Long is on Florida's death row awaiting his execution, Noland went on to become a Hillsborough County sheriff's deputy. As a member of law enforcement, Noland uses her unique skills and experiences to protect her community from people like Long. Two decades after she was kidnapped and raped by one of Florida's most notorious serial killers, Noland said: "I'm a survivor and a warrior. There's no victim."
Enietra Washington Helped Put Her Attacker Behind Bars
In 1989, 30-year-old Enietra Washington was walking to a friend's home in South Los Angeles, CA, when she reluctantly accepted a ride from Lonnie Franklin, Jr., after he repeatedly offered to give her a lift. He told her, "That’s what’s wrong with you Black women. People can’t be nice to you." Not wanting to seem aloof or rude, she made got into his vehicle. After making a stop at his uncle's house, Franklin - without warning - shot Washington in the chest. When she tried to flee the car, Franklin told her he would shoot her again. Then Franklin raped Washington in his vehicle while she bled from the wound in her chest, at one point taking a picture of her bloodied body.
After raping the 30-year-old woman two times, Franklin simply opened the door of his car and pushed Washington out into the street. Struggling to remain conscious, Washington managed to get a friend's house and eventually received the medical attention she needed to survive the attack. Nearly two decades later, Franklin was apprehended with the help of familial DNA and was later convicted of murdering 10 victims between 1985 and 2007.
Washington was a star witness at his trial, and her powerful testimony undoubtedly helped put the serial murderer, who was dubbed the "Grim Sleeper" by the press, behind bars for the rest of his life. After Franklin shot her in the chest, Washington told him: "If I die I am going to haunt you." Thankfully, she managed to survive the attack and got her own justice.
Cindy Paulson Escaped The Butcher Baker, But Barely
On June 13, 1983, Robert Hansen abducted 17-year-old Cindy Paulson and took her back to his home in Anchorage, AK, where he chained her up and subjected the teenager to terrifying acts of rape, torture, and sexual assault. Then, Hansen forced Paulson into his vehicle and drove to a nearby airport. Hansen - a bakery owner with a wife and two children - attempted to make the 17-year-old board his private plane. However, the teenager, certain her captor would kill her if got onto the aircraft, managed to escape. With handcuffs still on her wrists, she flagged down a passing motorist who took her to safety.
While Paulson immediately reported the abduction and rape to law enforcement - even providing them with information that led them right to Hansen's door - the local business owner managed to convince police the teenager was trying to extort money from him. Months later, the authorities finally arrested Hansen for committing multiple murders. A psychological criminal profile by the FBI confirmed the man who attacked Paulson was most likely the serial killer who had taken the lives of multiple women in Anchorage.
Hansen was given life in prison for his crimes and ultimately died of natural causes in 2014 while in police custody. Paulson went on to get married and have three children, and when a movie was made about Hansen, she actually met with Vanessa Hudgens - who played her in the film - to share the details of her escape.
Whitney Bennett Survived An Attack From The Nightstalker
In the early hours of July 5, 1985, Richard Ramirez entered 16-year-old Whitney Bennett's bedroom through an unlocked window. He attacked the teenager with a tire iron and strangled her in the Sierra Madre, CA, home she shared with her parents. When she regained consciousness, Bennett screamed for her parents who promptly got their daughter the medical help she needed to save her life.
While Ramirez - who was dubbed the "Night Stalker" for the brutal murders he committed in and around Los Angeles and San Francisco - stole some of the teenager's jewelry, he left behind a bloody footprint law enforcement used to link the attack to his other crimes. The following month, Ramirez was apprehended and, in 1989, Bennett testified at his trial. She provided valuable testimony against the man who tried to murder her. Ramirez was convicted of multiple counts of murder, sexual assault, and attempted murder, and while he was sentenced to death, he passed away in 2013 due to complications secondary to B-cell lymphoma.
Kathy Kleiner, Karen Chandler, And Cheryl Thomas Went Face-To-Face With Ted Bundy And Won
In the early morning hours of January 15, 1978, Ted Bundy broke into an FSU sorority house in Tallahassee, FL, and brutally attacked four young members of Chi Omega. While he successfully murdered Margaret Bowman and Lisa Levy, two of the home's residents - Kathy Kleiner and Karen Chandler - managed to survive the violent assaults. At that point, Bundy was a full-blown serial killer, who took the lives of several women in Washington, Oregon, Colorado, Idaho, and Utah before traveling to Florida.
However, Bundy's reign of terror wasn't over. Shortly after killing two women and severely injuring two more, he broke into the nearby apartment of Cheryl Thomas, another FSU student. While he bludgeoned her repeatedly, Thomas - who was studying to become a professional dancer - survived the attack but was left with permanent damage that prevented her from pursuing a career in dance.
Bundy went on to kill his final victim, 12-year-old Kimberly Leach, in Lake City, FL, before he was apprehended on February 15, 1978. He was initially pulled over by an officer in the Florida panhandle for driving a stolen vehicle. Bundy was eventually convicted of multiple murders and given the death penalty. Bundy was executed in Florida's electric chair on January 24, 1989, and, just prior to his scheduled death, Kleiner told the press: "Finally, for all the families of his victims, after all this time, there will be some peace of mind."
While all three of Bundy's surviving victims were left with physical, emotional, and psychological trauma from the assaults they suffered at the hands of one of the world's most notorious serial killers, Kleiner, Chandler, and Thomas have all gone on to have personal and professional successes.
Marcella Claxton Crawled To A Phone Booth, Bloodied And Beaten, To Save Her Life
Around 4 a.m. on the morning of May 9, 1976, 20-year-old Marcella Claxton was viciously attacked by Peter Sutcliffe - a serial killer who had already murdered two victims and would go on to kill several more - as she was making her way back to her home in Leeds, England. Sutcliffe hit Claxton in the head multiple times with a hammer, knocking the young woman to the ground.
Then, as blood poured from the 20-year-old's wounds, Sutcliffe masturbated over Claxton's body, sticking a £5 note in her hand before fleeing the scene. Remarkably, Claxton managed to crawl to a phone booth and call for help. She received more than 50 stitches and had to undergo brain surgery. Sadly, she was four months pregnant at the time of the attack, and she suffered a miscarriage following the horrifying event.
After nearly killing Claxton, Sutcliffe - who was dubbed the "Yorkshire Ripper" by the media - went on to attack and murder several more women. He was finally captured in 1980, and he eventually told police about beating Claxton with the hammer and leaving her for dead. Thankfully, Sutcliffe was given a life sentence for his crimes, while Claxton, who reportedly suffers chronic headaches and blackouts as a result of the near-fatal attack, went on to become a mother.
Rebecca Garde Made Gary Ridgway Show Her His ID
On a rainy evening in November 1982, 20-year-old Rebecca Garde was walking home from work in Seattle when she accepted a ride from Gary Ridgway, the Green River Killer. While she worked as a telemarketer, Ridgway offered her some money to have sex with him, and Garde agreed. At her request, Ridgway showed her his employee ID for the company where he worked painting trucks before accompanying him to a wooded area to have sex.
However, shortly after getting out this truck, Ridgway attacked the young woman, forcing her to the ground and attempting to strangle her. Incredibly, Garde managed to get free from her attacker and ran to a nearby home for help, leaving Ridgway behind with his pants around his ankles. While the young woman knew where her would-be killer worked, she didn't report the assault for two years, largely because sex workers is illegal in Washington state.
Ridgway wasn't arrested until 2001 and he was eventually convicted of murdering 49 teenage girls and women and given multiple life sentences for his crimes. Garde - who could have easily been one of the Green River Killer's victims - later said, "I got lucky and I was able to get away and run for help."
Corazon Amurao Helped Identify Her Attacker
On July 14, 1966, Richard Speck broke into a Chicago townhouse shared by several student nurses, eventually murdering all of the women inside the home - except for Corazon Amurao. Amurao hid under a bed while Speck took eight of her fellow nurses, one by one, into another room where he strangled or stabbed them to death. After raping and murdering Gloria Davy, his final victim, Speck fled the crime scene, but he was arrested a few days later. He tried to kill himself and was admitted to a Chicago hospital, where a doctor recognized the wanted killer from a sketch created with the help Amurao, the only survivor of the attack.
Amurao testified at Speck's trial in April 1967, and when she was asked to identify the person who murdered eight of her friends, she got up from the witness box, crossed the courtroom, and stood directly in front of Speck. Pointing directly at the mass murderer, Amurao said, "This is the man." Speck was convicted and sentenced to death for his crimes, while Amurao went on to become a nurse, wife, mother, and grandmother. Speck's sentence was eventually changed to life in prison, and he died of a heart attack in 1991 while in police custody. Decades after the attack, Amurao attributed her miraculous survival to divine intervention, saying, "God was so nice."
Maria Viricheva Managed To Climb Out Of A Manhole, But Police Didn't Believe She Was The Victim Of A Vicious Killer
On the evening of February 23, 2002, Maria Virichev, a 19-year-old pregnant woman, ran into Alexander Pichushkin, an acquaintance of her boyfriend, at a metro station in Moscow, Russia. Virichev, who earlier had gotten into an argument with her boyfriend, agreed to go with Pichushkin to look at some "black market electronics" in a nearby park. He opened a manhole - where the electronics were allegedly kept - and threw the young woman inside, repeatedly hitting Virichev's head against the concrete sides of the well.
She ended up falling more than 20 feet into a sewage pipe and nearly drowned as she was pulled by the current of the underground system. Eventually, Virichev managed to climb up a metal ladder, but she was unable to dislodge the heavy manhole cover. Thankfully, a woman walked by as Virichev tried to escape and she was eventually freed with the help of two security guards. Miraculously, both the 19-year-old and her unborn child survived, and while she reported the terrifying incident to law enforcement, Pichushkin was not arrested for trying to kill Virichev. Instead, an officer reportedly forced the teenager to sign an official statement that said she accidentally fell into the well.
Pichushkin - a Russian serial killer who had already murdered several victims - killed at least 49 people between 1992 and 2006, so if he'd been stopped when he attacked Virichev, multiple lives could have been saved. In 2007, Pichushkin was sentenced to life in prison for his crimes, and he was ordered to spend this first 15 years behind bars in solitary confinement.
Kate Moir Turned Her Horrifying Experience Into A Way To Help Other Victims
On November 9, 1986, 17-year-old Kate Moir was kidnapped by David and Catherine Birnie, a married couple who had already abducted and murdered four women and girls ranging in age from 15 to 31. Moir was taken to the Birnie's home in Willagee, Australia, where David repeatedly raped the teenager at knife-point as his wife Catherine watched. She even took notes about the brutal sexual assaults. The following morning, David went to work, leaving Moir at home with Catherine.
When a visitor came to the couple's home, the 17-year-old - who Catherine had failed to restrain - managed to force open a window in the bedroom where she was being held captive. She knocked on the doors of three of the nearest houses, discovering the Birnies' neighbors weren't home, until she found a man outside of a store who immediately drove Moir to the police station. When Moir later recounted her first night as a captive in the Birnies' home, she said, "I had a 200 percent chance of dying and 5 percent chance of getting away."
Thanks to Moir's brave escape, David and Catherine were convicted of multiple murders, and they were given life sentences for their crimes. David killed himself in prison in 2005, while Catherine was denied parole in 2007. Moir has dedicated her life to advocating for victims' rights, demanding truth in sentencing and asking the courts to deny parole for sex offenders and people who commit premeditated murder.
