A woman who survived a brutal attack by the serial killer known as the Railway Killer has shared her story. The incident occurred on an August night in 1997 in Lexington, Kentucky, when she and her boyfriend, Chris, were sitting by railway tracks after a party. A man appeared from behind an electrical box, demanding money and brandishing an ice pick. He bound their hands and legs with clothing and gagged them before dropping a huge rock on Chris's head, killing him.
The survivor was then stabbed in the neck with the ice pick and beaten repeatedly with a plank of wood, losing consciousness. When she woke, the attacker had fled. She staggered to a nearby house covered in blood and was taken to hospital with a broken jaw, smashed eye socket, and an inch-deep stab wound. She later learned Chris had died.
Eighteen months after the attack, police linked the crime to Angel Resendiz, a serial killer suspected of up to 30 murders, known as the Railway Killer for his method of using the national train system. The survivor, who had never been publicly identified, lived in fear of being tracked down and transferred universities, spending a summer studying in the UK.
Resendiz surrendered to Texas police in July 1999. As the only known survivor of his attacks, the woman testified in court. She described her terror upon seeing his 'empty, black eyes' and had to be carried from the witness box after shaking violently. Resendiz was executed by lethal injection on 27 June 2006.
Now married to Jacob, the survivor works to ensure she is seen as a survivor, not a victim. She lectures on personal safety and keeps a framed photo of Chris in her home. Despite the passage of time, she says she can never forget the sound of the rock hitting Christopher's head.
