I SURVIVED: I Begged For My Life

Summary

Cold Case Files: Episode Summary – I SURVIVED: I Begged For My Life

Released on December 9, 2024 | Host: Paula Barros

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Introduction

In this gripping episode of Cold Case Files, host Paula Barros delves into harrowing survival stories that illustrate the human spirit's resilience in the face of unimaginable adversity. This episode features three compelling personal accounts of individuals who endured life-threatening situations and overcame them against all odds.

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1. Denise’s Ordeal: A Brutal Store Attack

Setting the Scene

Denise recounts a terrifying incident that took place in August 2004 in Jacksonville, North Carolina. Working at a discount chain store with her aunt, Denise's routine day took a dark turn when two men, both under the influence of crack cocaine, entered the store.

The Attack

At approximately 1:30 PM, as the store began to empty, one of the men approached the counter where Denise was ringing up a boom box purchase. Denise describes the moment of realization:

"I saw blood dripping to the floor and I knew then that something, you know, he was stabbing me in my neck and the back of my head." [01:08]

Despite her pleas for mercy:

"I said, please don't kill me. I begged for my life." [01:24]

The attackers were fixated on obtaining a videotape, escalating the violence when Denise couldn't comply. She vividly describes the physical and emotional pain endured during the assault, including severe blood loss and multiple stab wounds.

Escape and Survival

Denise's determination to survive led her to play dead when her attackers momentarily left. Covered in blood and battling severe injuries, she managed to crawl to a nearby friend's store 150 feet away. With the help of an off-duty paramedic and store owner, Denise received urgent medical attention, which ultimately saved her life.

"I never gave up hope. I always looked for what to do next." [14:28]

Aftermath

Both attackers were apprehended and sentenced—Sean Curtis received 40 years with the chance of parole for attempted murder, and Timothy Lehman was sentenced to 27 to 36 years. Denise's life was forever changed; she lost feeling in her hand and neck and never returned to her job. However, her spirit remained unbroken.

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2. Nick’s Survival: Lost in a Lake Tahoe Blizzard

Adventure Turned Nightmare

In December 1998, Nick embarked on a solo ski trip to Squaw Valley, Lake Tahoe. Unprepared for the sudden and severe weather change, he found himself caught in a blinding blizzard with limited resources.

Struggle Against the Elements

Nick describes the overwhelming challenge of navigating through heavy snowfall and treacherous terrain without sufficient clothing or equipment:

"It was really snowing now and it was approaching kind of a whiteout." [16:24]

Despite the frigid temperatures reaching below -40°F and physical exhaustion, Nick exhibited remarkable survival instincts. He attempted to find shelter, maintain body warmth through physical exercises, and continuously sought a way to signal for help.

Desperate Measures

After enduring nearly three days in the harsh conditions, Nick's perseverance paid off. On the third day, as dawn broke and visibility improved, he made his way towards a grove of trees to rest. His cries for help were finally heard by rescuers, leading to his dramatic rescue by helicopter.

"I survived because I maintained a positive attitude throughout the situation. And I never gave up." [28:57]

Recovery and Reflection

Nick spent several weeks in the hospital recovering, having lost eight toes to frostbite. His experience profoundly impacted his perspective on life, instilling a deep appreciation for each day and the importance of preparedness.

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3. Leonilda’s Battle: Escaping a Violent Relationship

Early Life and Relationship Turmoil

Leonilda met Louis in 1990, and their relationship deepened over the years. However, as Louis descended into drug abuse and violence, Leonilda sought refuge through a temporary restraining order.

Final Confrontation

Two days after their breakup in Thanksgiving 2001, Louis sought shelter at Leonilda's home, leading to a violent confrontation. Denise recounts the harrowing experience:

"He pulled out the loaded 9 millimeter. He pointed the gun at my face. I begged for my life." [32:52]

Louis's paranoia and aggression culminated in a vicious attack where Leonilda was shot six times while desperately trying to protect herself and her 11-year-old son, Alex.

Miraculous Survival

After a life-threatening struggle and moments teetering on the brink of death, Leonilda was found at an intersection, severely injured but alive. Her survival was attributed to sheer determination and divine intervention, as she believed her will to save her son was her guiding force.

"I survived not because I was lucky, but because of the grace of God." [39:49]

Legal Consequences and Healing

Louis Melendez was sentenced to 35 to 70 years for attempted murder and kidnapping. Despite the physical and emotional scars, Leonilda returned to her life, resuming her job and remarrying in 2006. Her story serves as a testament to the enduring strength required to overcome domestic violence.

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Conclusion

In this episode of Cold Case Files, Paula Barros masterfully presents three intense survival stories, each highlighting different aspects of human resilience. From overcoming violent attacks and battling the unforgiving forces of nature to escaping abusive relationships, these narratives underscore the extraordinary lengths individuals will go to preserve their lives and protect their loved ones.

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Notable Quotes

• Denise on realizing the attack: "I saw blood dripping to the floor and I knew then that something, you know, he was stabbing me in my neck and the back of my head." [01:08]

• Denise on maintaining hope: "I never gave up hope. I always looked for what to do next." [14:28]

• Nick on survival mindset: "I survived because I maintained a positive attitude throughout the situation. And I never gave up." [28:57]

• Leonilda on divine intervention: "I survived not because I was lucky, but because of the grace of God." [39:49]

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Final Thoughts

Cold Case Files continues to deliver emotionally charged and meticulously detailed accounts of survival and justice. This episode not only entertains but also inspires listeners to appreciate the fragility and value of life.

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Note: All timestamps are referenced directly from the provided transcript.

Transcript

[Narrator]

Every day, our world gets a little.

[Host]

More connected, but a little further apart.

[Narrator]

But then there are moments that remind us to be more human. Thank you for calling Amica Insurance. Hey, I was just in an accident. Don't worry, we'll get you taken care of. At Amica, we understand that looking out for each other isn't new or groundbreaking. It's human.

[Denise]

Amika.

[Narrator]

Empathy is our best policy.

[Host]

Life can throw a lot your way. In the morning, you might be battling drop off times while your kids are battling imaginary monsters or their shoelaces.

[Leonilda]

But no matter what life brings, Life.

[Host]

Cereal puts a smile on everyone's face.

[Leonilda]

With 24 grams of whole grains and.

[Host]

Unexpected sweetness in every serving, sure to.

[Leonilda]

Please even the pickiest eaters.

[Host]

Help start your mornings with Life Cereal.

[Leonilda]

I really love my life.

[Host]

This episode contains subject matter that may be disturbing to some listeners. Listener discretion is advised.

[Leonilda]

I saw blood dripping to the floor and I knew then that something, you know, he was stabbing me in my neck and the back of my head.

[Host]

Real people.

[Narrator]

The thought that was going through my mind at that point was someone might.

[Host]

Find my body out here who faced death.

[Denise]

I said, please don't kill me. I begged for my life. But he didn't listen and lived to tell how.

[Leonilda]

He brought the knife up to my throat and with my other hand I just grabbed onto the end of the knife and held to it the whole time while he was trying to cut my throat.

[Host]

This is. I survived. It's August 2004 in Jacksonville, North Carolina. Denise and her aunt worked at a discount chain store.

[Leonilda]

This was a Monday and generally I was off on Monday. That was my day off. But my aunt had to do something that day, so I took her place. Two customers came in the store. One of them I had seen before. He had been in the store about a week earlier. And I talked to him. He was very nice, very kind and polite and I helped him. He was buying stuff to set up housekeeping, so I talked to him for a good while. It was just me and him in the store at that time. It was probably about 1:30 when they came in. I recognized the one, but I didn't recognize the other one. I had never seen him before. The store started getting busy then, so I didn't actually have time to talk to them a lot, but they just, they shopped around in the store for about 45 minutes along with the other customers.

[Host]

There were 10 customers in the store. When the store was empty, one of the two men went to the counter.

[Leonilda]

I was ringing up his smaller items and he had purchased. He was going to purchase this boom box. And so we always kept our bags up underneath the counter, our large bags for larger items. When I bent down under the counter to get this big bag, I couldn't come back up. And I realized that something was holding my head down. And I remember saying, stop it. Because I realized at that point he was moving around to where I was at on my side of the register. And then I saw the blood dripping to the floor. And I knew then that something, you know, he was stabbing me in my neck and the back of my head. The first thing I got was mad because I'm like, this man's holding my head down underneath this cabinet. And I don't know why. And then when I saw the blood start to drip, I knew exactly what he was, what he was doing, and what his motive was. I knew his motive was to kill me. And I raised my arm up to him to try to get my balance to get up. And when I reached my hand up, I guess he thought I was going to hit him or punch him. And he just took the knife and he sliced through my wrist after he had stabbed me. I don't know how many times he actually stabbed me in my neck and my back before the other guy started on me. But he told me to give him the videotape. He thought that he was on videotape. And I told him that it didn't work, it was down. And he didn't believe me. And then he threatened to kill me. I remember thinking, this man doesn't have a mask on, no gloves on, and he wants this videotape so he intends to kill me. He made me give him the money out of the cash register. And then he made me go to the front door, walk to the front door and lock the front door so that nobody could come in. He was stabbing me in my back, and he was pushing me with a knife. I've never been around anybody that could be nice like that one minute and then turn into something the next minute that's beyond my comprehension. I mean, when they came in the store, they were nice. They were just like everybody else. And then in just such a short time, they could turn into to these monsters that did what they did. I don't understand that.

[Host]

Both men were under the influence of crack cocaine.

[Leonilda]

All this time. I'm wondering, where is John?

[Host]

John was the assistant manager.

[Leonilda]

I remember rounding the corner with a knife to my back, and I saw John laying on the floor.

[Host]

John had been struck in the head with a Hammer.

[Leonilda]

And I knew then that I didn't know if John was dead. I went on upstairs to the office, and I got the office door open, and I couldn't get the safe open. We had a picture up over the safe. It was hid. And the other guy had taken the picture down off of the safe. I explained to him after he had already messed with the tumbler, that I couldn't get it open with just my key. So I said, I've got the combination wrote down. I'll just have to get it. So I turned around to get the. The combination to the safe. And all this time, the blood's just shooting out of my wrist.

[Host]

An artery was cut and blood was spurting with each heartbeat.

[Leonilda]

So I'm trying to hold to my wrist with my other hand and trying to get the safe open, and I never could get it open. It made him mad when I couldn't get that safe open. So he just hit me with his backhand. And he reminded me that if I didn't get the safe open, that he was going to kill me right there. And I knew that they were going to kill me. They were mad enough because I couldn't get the safe open. So I told the guy that had the knife. I said, if you'll let me go downstairs. This was just things I was thinking in my mind to get away. I told him that we hid money downstairs in the stock room, which we didn't. It was just my strategy to try to get to that back door. The one guy that was holding the knife handed it to him and told him to take me down there. And so he drugged me down to the stock room. And the whole time I'm thinking, I know what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna run for that back door. And if I can ever get that back door open and get outside where people can see me, then they won't. He will. He won't bother me. I'll be free. I'll be safe. I knew that if I didn't get out that door that I was gonna die. So I was just constantly thinking over and over, what am I going to do next? What am I going to do next? I've got to make a plan because I didn't want to die. As soon as I got to the doorway that led into the stock room, I broke from him and ran for that stockroom door. Well, he was right behind me, so I never got. I got to the door, but before I could get the handle pushed and get to the outside, he grabbed, Ahold of my hair and pulled me back. He sort of, like, jumped. He was on me. And I remember he dropped the knife. And when he dropped the knife, I reached for it. And I did get the knife. The week before, my dad's brother had gotten in an accident and got killed. And the only thing that was going through my mind is that my dad was at the funeral home last week, and he's going to be at the funeral home again next week. That's what was in my mind. And I couldn't let that happen. We were scrambling around, both of us on the floor together, and I reached for the knife and I got the knife, and I actually stabbed at him one time and cut his hand. It just made him furious. He was a lot meaner than what he was before. And he just told me. He said, oh, no, you don't, you bitch. He said, I'm gonna kill you. He was so mad. I mean, he was in a rage, and I was scared. I didn't. I had thought I had run out of options. We were fighting a little bit, and at that time, I had already come to the conclusion, and I had settled in my mind that, you know, I was fixing to die. And that's when he pulled my head back. And I knew what he was fixing to do. I saw him bring the knife up to my throat, and with my other hand, I just grabbed onto the end of the knife and held to it the whole time. He cut my throat, and he hollered for the other guy to bring the hammer and bashed my head in and finished me off. I cut all of my fingers because I held to the knife the whole time. I never turned loose of it.

[Host]

Nerves and tendons in Denise's hand were severed.

[Leonilda]

I never felt any pain. The only thing that I felt close to pain was when the first time that he stabbed me in the back of my neck when I bent over. But when he cut my throat, all the other times that he stabbed me, I never felt any pain at all. Still going through my mind was, what am I going to do next? I've got to do something next. I've got to come up with another plan. And that's when I told him. I said, if you'll let me up, I'll try to go back upstairs and I'll get the safe open this time. And my dad had always told me when I started working at that store, in case we ever got robbed or anything, to not let them take me out of that store to play dead or faint or, you know, anything to get them to not take me out. And that's the next thing that popped in my mind. That's the only option I had left. He helped me up. I got up and I got as far as to the bottom of the steps to where the office was, and I dropped and I just laid there and played dead.

[Host]

She plays dead, hoping her attackers will leave.

[Leonilda]

He stood there for a few seconds and naturally I had my eyes closed. I didn't know what he was going to do. I didn't know what he was going to do next. And I heard the other guy from around the front of the store holler at him and say, let's get out of here. I guess at that time they had gotten nervous about being in there so long. And as soon as he left, I heard the front door close and I knew they were gone.

[Host]

Denise was in danger of dying from.

[Leonilda]

Blood loss at that point. I couldn't believe I was able to get up. I couldn't believe I was still alive. I was kind of in shock, but I knew that I had to get help because I knew I was bleeding, bleeding so bad I was drenched in blood. I've got a friend that works next door about 150ft away. Said if I can just get over there, he can get me some help. When I finally did get out to the door, I managed to get my shirt up and put around my neck. And I held it to my neck to keep that from bleeding so bad. When I got outside free, I just ran as fast as I could run.

[Host]

Denise ran 150ft to her friend's store.

[Leonilda]

When I first went into the store, he said that his first reaction was that somebody was playing a Halloween prank on him in the middle of August. Because I was covered in blood. My clothes and my hair was completely covered with blood and it was red and standing right straight up on my head. I remember going to his door and opening his door and walking in and telling him that I had been stabbed, I had been robbed and that John was next door and we needed help. There happened to be an off duty paramedic that had came to the store to shop that day. And she saw the two guys when they came out of the store. And she told me later that she thought they were painters because they were covered in red. And she said she thought that was paint. But when she saw me run next door, she knew then what had happened and she came right behind me.

[Host]

The store owner called 911 and the paramedic began to help Denise.

[Leonilda]

She asked the store owner for some towels and a first aid kit. And he just kept bringing towels to her. And she would hold them to my neck until that one would fill with blood. And then she would put another one to my neck and she just. She kept talking to me. She put pillows under my feet and she kept. I remember asking her, at least I remember twice, was I going to die. And she would tell me, no, not as long as I'm here.

[Host]

Although she survived, Denise lost a lot of feeling in her hand and neck. She never returned to her job. Her assistant manager, John, also survived the attack.

[Leonilda]

It's made me look at life a lot different. It's made me appreciate every day that I have. It's also made me learn to live every day like it could be my last day and to always be ready to go, no matter where I'm at.

[Host]

The men who attacked Denise and John so violently took just $190 from the store.

[Leonilda]

I didn't have to think about forgiving them. It just. To me, it came natural. I was just so thankful to be alive that I didn't have room in my heart for hate. I didn't have any room for anything but thankfulness and happiness to be alive. I just didn't want to die. I wanted to live. I think everybody does. And when it comes down to it, you do everything that you can to survive.

[Host]

Sean Curtis was sentenced to 40 years with chance of parole for attempted murder. His accomplice, Timothy Lehman, was sentenced to 27 to 36 years.

[Leonilda]

I never gave up hope. I always looked for that. What to do next? What to do next. And I knew that as long as I was still up and even as bad as I was bleeding, I knew that if I had strength enough to be up and talking and walking, I knew that there was hope. And I never gave up hope. It.

[Host]

I survived is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Most of you listening right now are probably multitasking.

[Leonilda]

Yep.

[Host]

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[Narrator]

I had a large breakfast because I knew I was going to be skiing for a while and checked the weather report. The weather report was for light snow and fairly warm weather. I had on a light jacket and my ski pants and then I was ready to go.

[Host]

Nick's family have flown to Florida and Nick's friend Roger planned to join him on Sunday.

[Narrator]

I didn't tell anybody which ski resort I was at. I decided to go to Squaw Valley. So I had skied a couple of intermediate type runs which are fairly easy to ski, and then I was headed toward a Black diamond, which is an expert run, not the most difficult, but more difficult than the ones I had been skiing. And as I got off the chairlift and was heading toward that ski run, I noticed that it was starting to snow. And then I was skiing over toward where the run would begin and it started to snow very, very heavily. So I stopped and I knew that I should not ski the Black diamond at that point because I would definitely be in trouble. So I just stopped and kind of took my bearings. It was really snowing now and it was approaching kind of a whiteout.

[Host]

The snowfall was so thick it was difficult to see anything.

[Narrator]

You can probably see maybe 2 to 3ft in front of you, so you have to go very, very slowly because you don't want to run off into a rock or run off into a very steep area. So as I looked at the trail map appeared that there was a shortcut through some trees over to an intermediate slope and that actually led to one of the lodges. The plan was to find a lodge and kind of wait out what was going to happen with this storm. I had a cell phone, but I didn't bring it with me. I don't think it would have worked. I was on the backside of this mountain granite peak and it was an out of bounds area. So I was skiing and skiing and every now and then I would stop and try to kind of get My bearings, But it was hard to tell what direction I was heading.

[Host]

The blizzard winds were raging at 30 to 40 knots.

[Narrator]

It was very difficult skiing. A lot of trees, a lot of large rocks that I had to ski around. So after about two hours of doing that, I got to a point where I was kind of looking over into a precipice. Found out later that that was about a 500 foot drop down into a kind of a valley with a stream running through it. And at that point, I realized that I was in very big trouble. I heard something which sounded like a stream or a creek or something. And I thought if I worked my way down this hill, I would find the stream and then follow that stream, and it would eventually lead me to civilization or to a way out.

[Host]

The stream did lead to a town, but it was 100 miles away.

[Narrator]

I realized that it was too steep, and I decided, instead of doing that, to sidestep my way back up from the direction that I had come and then try to ski in another direction. My plan was to keep moving as much as I could to keep the body warmth and keep the blood flowing through my body.

[Host]

It was below freezing, and Nick was dressed lightly. He had no food, no cell phone, and no one knew where he was.

[Narrator]

I knew that I could survive for a long time without food, but I had to have water. So whenever I got thirsty, I would just stop and get the snow and let it melt in my mouth. And I had water available to me.

[Host]

Eating snow can be dangerous because it lowers core body temperature.

[Narrator]

I tried to ski in another direction, and I couldn't really tell direction because there was no sun. There was no way to tell direction. As I skied in this other direction, though, it was about another hour. And then I came to a second dead end, which was kind of a mountain that the top of a mountain, and was kind of like a dead end where I couldn't go any further.

[Host]

After seven hours, Nick stopped skiing. His body temperature dropped dramatically.

[Narrator]

I had worked out very hard, so I was kind of covered in sweat, and the wind was really picking up, and it was getting colder, so. So at that point, I knew I had to find shelter.

[Host]

As night fell, the temperature dropped to negative 30 degrees Fahrenheit. Nick knew he would freeze if he slept in the snow.

[Narrator]

What I did was I found, like, a grove of trees, and I found a tree in the center of that and leaned face first against the tree with my back to the wind. Periodically, I would kind of nod off and fall asleep for a short time, and then when that happened, I would fall away from the tree, and that would wake me up, and I would do exercises. Jumping jacks, bend over and touch my toes, swing my arms in circles to get the blood flowing into my hands. I was also thinking a lot about my family, my friends. I was praying for strength to make it through the situation.

[Host]

On the second day, the blizzard is still raging. Snowdrifts are thick, 3ft high.

[Narrator]

The snow was probably up to my thighs, and I was still in my ski boots. I had my poles so I could kind of work my way through the snow. As I was walking, all of a sudden I fell, right? I just kind of fell straight down. And I ended up in this stream bed. And the stream was not very deep, but it was just deep enough to fill my boots with water. So now I knew that my feet were soaking wet. And I knew that, you know, that was. That meant a lot of trouble for me. As I'm walking, my feet are getting colder and colder. And after, I'd say a couple of hours, they started to get very painful.

[Host]

Nick's feet have frozen his symptoms. Pain and numbness are classic stages of frostbite.

[Narrator]

Now, I had been moving for another eight hours that day. It was about 4 or 4:30, and I knew I had to find shelter. So I did the same thing again that I had done the night before, and that was to find a group of trees and then try to find a tree in the center of that.

[Host]

It was negative 30 degrees Fahrenheit, and the temperature continued to fall.

[Narrator]

But this time there was also a granite rock face. I knew that my ski poles had metal tips, and I knew that if I struck the granite with my ski tip that it would make sparks. So I was getting extremely cold. I thought my feet were frozen, so I thought I should try to make a fire. I went and gathered kindling, and I stacked it at the base of this granite rock face. And I started to strike the rock face with the tip of my ski pole. And as I did that, sparks came onto the kindling. And so I saw that happening and thought I may be able to build a fire. I actually had some bills in my wallet and stacked those onto there because I thought that might create the necessary fuel for the fire. After about an hour, actually, the ski tip broke off of that pole, so I had another pole. So I continued to do that. And then eventually the fire did not start.

[Host]

It was now negative 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Nick is in danger of freezing to death.

[Narrator]

The second night was colder than the first night. So I knew I had to just be very, very positive and, you know, stick with it and make it through this night. So I thought about that and I just said, okay, I'm gonna renew my determination. I prayed some more. I thought about my family and friends again and thought, I have this to look forward to. I'm going to make it through.

[Host]

Nick has now been missing for 36 hours. His friend Roger had no idea where he was.

[Narrator]

I thought that there should be people out looking for me. And I did wonder why I hadn't heard any rescue vehicles or snowmobiles or somebody out looking for me.

[Host]

Nick has been lost in a blizzard for two days. He is afraid to sleep because he might freeze to death.

[Narrator]

So I decided that I would not sleep the rest of the night. The exercise that I added that night was just to kind of kick the tree or the rock to try to get blood into my feet because I felt like my feet were frozen.

[Host]

Nick's feet were solid blocks of ice.

[Narrator]

The thought that went through my mind was, take my feet. I really don't need my feet. Just give me the strength to make it through this situation. I did actually fall asleep and woke up. I kind of did fall away from the tree, but I think I had been sleeping for a while because this was. And I had my watch. So I looked. It was 2am and I was just extremely cold.

[Host]

The temperature had dropped to negative 40 degrees Fahrenheit.

[Narrator]

This was the only time during the days and the nights that I was out there that I felt like I might not make it through there.

[Host]

As a person's blood chills, organ failure begins.

[Narrator]

I was shivering. My teeth were chattering. There was an extreme amount of cold throughout my entire body. So I didn't think I was going to make it through. The thought that was going through my mind at that point was someone might find my body out here.

[Host]

On the third day, Nick's friend Roger reports him missing.

[Narrator]

The lady that had towed my car remembered it from a Marine Corps sticker and had the license plate number written down. So now they knew I was lost somewhere in Squaw Valley.

[Host]

Nick's wife then called the local county sheriff.

[Narrator]

He told her that it had been snowing for two days and two nights. There was four feet. It was 30 below the first night, 40 below the second night, and don't expect to find your husband alive. That she needed to make arrangements to bring a body back from Squaw Valley. The third morning, the snow stopped and I could now see the direction that the sun was Going to rise. So I knew where east was. So I started marching with my boots and poles toward the direction that I knew I had to go in. Then I got to this point around 11am where the snow was kind of blown away and it was frozen. And I could walk without sinking down into the snow. And in the middle of this area was a dead tree. And so what I decided to do, I was all covered in snow and ice, was to stop, take a rest. The sun had now just peaked above the mountain. So I leaned against this tree facing the sun, and let the sun beat down on me.

[Host]

Two hours later, Nick heard a snowmobile in the distance, but it moved away.

[Narrator]

I'm continuing to lean against the tree. I hear snowmobiles again, and I start screaming again, and I hear return. We hear you, and it's amazing, the feeling that you have because you didn't know if you were going to make it out, and now you know that they hear you. About 20 minutes later, I see a helicopter come up over the mountain and fly over me. And I'm literally crying because I know I'm going to be rescued. And I just go running across this snow. And as I'm running up to the helicopter, one of the guys in the helicopter had gotten out, and he sees me running now. I actually had kind of a nice suntan from leaning against this tree with the sun beating on me. There was no snow or ice on me. And he's got a walkie talkie, and he's saying into the walkie talkie, this isn't the victim. This can't be the victim. This is somebody who's been, you know, snowshoeing or hiking. And I run up to him, he says, asks me my name. I tell him my name, and he says, this is the victim.

[Host]

Nick used the rescuer's phone to call his wife.

[Narrator]

My wife gets on the phone and I said, I'm okay, you know, I'm rescued. The guy who had the walkie talkie now gets on the phone with her. He says to her, your husband is okay. He just has cold feet. Okay? So it goes from dead to cold feet.

[Host]

Nick was taken to the hospital. His boots were frozen to his feet.

[Narrator]

It takes about an hour to melt the boots off my feet. And as they do that, then they peel the socks off and my feet are black. But it didn't bother me at that point. I was now alive, and I knew everything was fine because I was alive. And if I'd lost my feet, I lost my feet. An experience like this changes your perspective on life. It gives you the perspective of what things are really, truly important in your life. Your friends, your family, your spiritual life. Those are all extremely important.

[Host]

After six weeks of treatment, Nick's feet were saved. Although he lost eight toes.

[Narrator]

I survived because I maintained a positive attitude throughout the situation. And I never gave up. I continued to find ways to survive.

[Host]

Did you know you can watch all your favorite crime shows for free on Pluto tv?

[Narrator]

Totally free.

[Host]

Totally free. They've got csi, New York, ncis, Criminal Minds, Blue Bloods Tracker, FBI, swat, all for free. There's something suspicious going on here. Nothing suspicious, just hundreds of free crime shows on Pluto TV. Crime never pays and neither do I. Pluto TV stream now pay never. It's December 2001 in Reading, Pennsylvania. Leonildo was a young single mother when she met Louis.

[Denise]

1990. I met Louis at a bus stop. We started as friends and then we got deeper into a relationship. I thought this was love. I just, wow. I guess I was very mistaken about what love was at the time.

[Host]

The couple began living together. Eleven years later, Lewis started using drugs and became violent. Leonilda took out a temporary restraining order against him.

[Denise]

He would always tell me that he was going to get help and that I needed to help him get into a drug rehab. And that's what kept me there. Above all. He treated my son so special all the time that I kind of forgave him for everything else. On the weekend, he was using very heavily. So I did tell him that I just didn't want anything else to do with him until he got help.

[Host]

Leonelda and Luis stayed together until Thanksgiving 2001. Two days after breaking up, Lewis phoned Leonilda at 5am he pleaded for a place to shower and sleep. Leonilda let him in.

[Denise]

He started accusing me of being with someone in the house. He was very paranoid and started looking for that other someone. And I just ignored everything and went upstairs to my bedroom. He came to my bedroom after checking all my closet doors and under my bed as well. And he started accusing me of cheating. And I became furious. And I told him, if you're not gonna come to do what you said you were gonna do, then just get out my house. That's when he pulled out the loaded 9 millimeter. He pointed the gun at my face. And as soon as I saw a small distraction, I. With my left leg, I kicked the gun. I kicked it hard enough that the gun fell on the ground. And then the struggle started. I. I dove for the gun, but he lift me from my Neck from the ground, I managed to kick the gun under the bed. I was so close on getting it. I remember that he did put his two hands on my neck, but I don't remember anything else. I guess I blocked out. He did tell me, I came here to kill you, and I asked you to go with me. If not, Alex is going to wake up. Alex, my son. He was on the third floor in his bedroom, sleeping.

[Host]

At the time, Alex was 11 years old.

[Denise]

I knew that if I wouldn't listen to him, he would have shot me right there. And he was right. My son would have. Walking up and I was afraid, afraid that he would shoot my son. I kept as quiet as I could and I managed to get dressed. He walked me to my car and made me drive. I saw a police officer drive right in front of me. And he did say, if you bring any attention to us, I'm going to kill you. And I started pleading for my life. I said, please don't kill me. My son's at home and he's the only thing I got. I begged for my life, but he didn't listen.

[Host]

Lewis believed Leonilda had been cheating on him.

[Denise]

He kept hitting me and pointing the gun at my head, my face, my neck, my chest, and telling me how much he hated me. At this point, I knew I had no way out. At this point, reality sunk in. I knew he was gonna try and kill me. He said, I'm done talking to you. You're not gonna tell me the truth. I'm gonna go and kill you. I'm gonna shoot you and throw you in the river. We switched seats and we started driving towards an industrial area. And I saw a moving truck going the same direction we were going. I wanted to get the driver's attention, and I opened the door and I was trying to jump out of the car, but he was holding me with the same hand that he had to loaded gun. The driver of the tractor trailer just kept going. I guess he didn't see me trying to get out of the vehicle. We started struggling. I was punching and just trying for him to let me jump out of the car. He did point the gun on my head and he shot. Just that one shot. The bullet grazed the back of my head and I also saw the window. Shattered glass just went on me. I remember tasting and feeling the blood just coming down my neck. And half of my body was out of the car and half was in the car. I know I kicked and I was punching and kicking for him to let me go. And he finally Let go of my leg and I fell out of the car and rolled into train tracks. And I got up and started running. As I was running, he shot two more times and got me on my right leg. There was a park tractor trailer. I didn't see anyone in there, but the passenger's door was open. And I went into the cab to take cover and Lewis crashed my car against the tractor trailer. I was trying to catch my breath, but it just happened so fast. He was already at the driver's side shooting. And that's when he got me on my chest. I felt that I couldn't breathe, so I was on the passenger side, side seat. And I fell like into a fetal position. I saw him getting closer and closer to me. I actually felt when he placed the gun on my back and fired two more shots. As I looked to my left side. After he had fired those two last shots, I would never forget his face, his look when he fired those two last shots. Such a betrayal. So cold.

[Host]

Leonilda has now been shot six times.

[Denise]

It was just becoming more difficult for me to breathe and I. I felt very cold and I felt so alone. I never felt so alone in my life. I didn't see him anymore. He was gone. At that point, I'm not really sure what I was thinking about other than the fact that I was dying. I remember closing my eyes and just feeling the coldness. And I went into this dark place. I'm not sure how long I was there for, but it was scary. I thought I was gonna die, so I prayed. I asked that God will take me to heaven. I kept thinking about myself, son. The only purpose I had at the moment was to get my son. That's it.

[Host]

Shot six times. Leonelda is near death. She has collapsed in the cab of a parked truck.

[Denise]

When I opened my eyes, I saw. I saw light. I saw a bright light like when the sun comes out. And all I could remember is I need to. To get home and get my son. This guy is crazy and he's gonna kill my son.

[Host]

Leonelda's 11 year old son was asleep at home.

[Denise]

According to witnesses, I was found at the. At an intersection, trying to cross the street. And I flagged this gentleman and he rolled down his window and I remember telling him, please help me get my son. He's gonna kill him. He said, no, you're. I guess he must have thought I was crazy. He saw me so covered in blood. And he rolled up his window and he drove away.

[Host]

Leoneldo was in a state of deep shock.

[Denise]

I flagged. This gentleman, this. I guess he was an angel. He stopped. I woke up in a hospital. I remember there was a lady and a police officer that went right next to me on the hospital bed and say, we do have your son, Alex, and he's okay. That was the happiest moment of my life. I survived not because I was lucky, but because of the grace of God. And I believe that I survived because of the eagerness I had to save my son.

[Host]

Luis Melendez was sentenced to 35 to 70 years for attempted murder and kidnapping. Leonilda is still in pain from the bullet wounds, but has returned to her old job. She was married in 2006. Hi, I'm Stassi Schroeder. On my podcast, I share candid updates from my personal life, chat with some of my best friends about what's going on in our lives, give commentary on the latest pop culture headlines, and sometimes deep dive into random topics. I'm obsessed with, like human design. It's a bit all over the place, but that's how I like it. And you will, too. Listen to my podcast, Stasi. Wherever you get your podcasts.