April 19 marked a tragic anniversary for one American Indian woman, and not just because of the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995. Her own horror occurred on that date three years later.
"That was the day my own husband wanted to kill me. He told me, ‘Look at the sun one more time because it's the last time you're going to see it,'” the woman told reporters Tuesday morning.
Her story was the chilling conclusion to a conference call arranged by Amnesty International to announce the release of a new report on sexual violence against American Indian women.
The woman, a member of the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokees from Oklahoma, was the only victim to speak. She said her abuse lasted 23 years, beginning with a slap here and there that escalated to regular beatings.
"I thought things would change. It did — for the worse,” she said.
She said her husband blindfolded and gagged her, then took pictures of her naked.
"One time he hung me up from my wrists on the door. Sometimes he tied me to the bed. When he couldn't perform, he beat me up, saying it was my fault,” she said.
The day he tried to kill her, she had run to her sister's home for protection after finding a gun in his pocket. He found her there, pushed her into his truck and drove to a deserted area.
"He beat me. He raped me. ... He kicked me in the privates, then poured a whole bottle of whiskey into me. I'll never forget that pain as long as I live,” the woman said. The Oklahomandoes not print the names of rape victims.
The woman said her husband then drove her home, splashed her face with boiling water and raped her again.
"He told me I was going to die in my own bed, but he demanded first I fix his breakfast for one last time,” she said.
Instead she ran even as he shot at her. After a stop in the emergency room, she ended up in a shelter, where she could only drink from a straw because of her burnt lips.
Her husband was arrested but released on bail less than eight hours later. He was charged with maiming and attempted murder and a plea agreement resulted in five years of probation and a restraining order for life, she said.
"I think God spared my life so I could speak out. If I could leave, maybe I can prove to other women they can do it too,” she said.
