In a harrowing ordeal that forever altered her life, a Texas woman survived a brutal attempted murder after a teenager hid in her attic, waiting to attack her with a hammer and a massive knife.
The Day That Shattered a Life
Ellen Halbert's world was torn apart one morning in 1986. An 18-year-old intruder, who had spent the night concealed in her attic dressed in what she described as a 'ninja suit', waited for her family to leave. Once her husband had departed for work and her son was at a friend's house, Halbert decided to take a shower.
Stepping out, she came face-to-face with the young man, armed with a large hammer and what she recalls as "the biggest knife I've ever seen." Her immediate demand for him to leave was met with violence. He threw her to the ground and bound her, leaving her completely defenceless for a two-hour onslaught.
A Vicious Assault and Miraculous Survival
The attacker subjected Halbert to rape, multiple stabbings, and repeated blows from the hammer. The violence was so extreme she lost count of the impacts to her head; a surgeon later estimated eight to ten separate areas of impact.
In a particularly vicious act, the assailant stabbed her in the head. To retrieve the blade, he placed his foot on her skull and wrenched the knife out. Believing his final blow fatal, he left her for dead, taking an $800 cheque he had forced her to write.
Miraculously, Halbert clung to life. She managed to drag herself to a telephone and call her parents, who rushed to her aid and alerted the police. Her attacker was captured just days later when he tried to cash the stolen cheque.
The Long Road to Recovery and Justice
Halbert's path to healing was arduous. She underwent extensive surgeries to repair wounds to her head and neck. The profound trauma also triggered stress-related illnesses, contributed to the end of her marriage, and cost her job.
"I had been ripped inside out in every way possible: physically, spiritually, sexually, and emotionally," Halbert shared. "I didn’t know how I could ever recover from such violence."
At trial, her attacker was found guilty of attempted murder and received a life sentence, though he was not convicted on the rape charge. True recovery began only when Halbert connected with other victims and began therapy.
From Victim to Advocate for Restorative Justice
Determined to emerge stronger, Halbert channelled her experience into advocacy. In 1991, just five years after the attack, she made history by joining the Texas Board of Criminal Justice as the first openly identified victim of violent crime to serve on the board.
For over two decades, she has worked with the Bridges to Life programme, facilitating meetings where survivors share their stories with inmates across Texas. The programme's focus is to help perpetrators understand the devastating impact of violent crime on victims, their families, and friends.
Ellen Halbert's journey from a near-fatal attack to a pioneer in restorative justice stands as a powerful testament to human resilience and the possibility of forging meaning from profound suffering.
