Ellen Halbert, a Texas woman, survived a brutal home invasion in 1986 when an 18-year-old intruder, dressed in a ninja suit, attacked her with a hammer and knife. The attacker had hidden in her attic overnight, waiting for her family to leave. When her husband went to work and her son visited a friend, Halbert was attacked as she stepped out of the shower.
During the two-hour ordeal, Halbert was raped, stabbed multiple times, and beaten with a hammer. The attacker stabbed her in the head and removed the knife by placing his foot on her head and wrenching it out. He left her for dead after forcing her to write an $800 cheque. Despite her injuries, Halbert managed to drag herself to a phone and call her parents, who alerted the police. The attacker was caught days later when he tried to cash the cheque.
Halbert underwent extensive surgeries to repair wounds to her head and neck. The trauma led to stress-related illnesses, the breakdown of her marriage, and the loss of her job. She said, 'I had been ripped inside out in every way possible: physically, spiritually, sexually, and emotionally.' The attacker was convicted of attempted murder and sentenced to life in prison, but was not charged with rape.
Halbert eventually sought therapy and connected with other victims, which helped her recover. She later became the first open victim of violent crime to serve on the Texas Board of Criminal Justice, a role she held for six years starting in 1991. She also worked with the Bridges to Life programme, where survivors share their stories with inmates to help them understand the impact of violent crime.
