Cold Case Files: I Survived – "I Couldn't Understand What Was Bringing My Neighbor To Do This To Me"

Podcast: Cold Case Files (A&E / PodcastOne)
Host: Paula Barros
Air Date: November 1, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode of Cold Case Files, drawing on the compelling true-crime storytelling tradition of A&E, features harrowing firsthand survival stories. Three separate accounts are presented: Debbie, a hospice nurse kidnapped and assaulted by her neighbor after he murdered her husband; Christine and Heidi, two travelers who survived the deadly sinking of a Greek ferry; and Jim, who survived a brutal attack by his neighbor. Each narrative exposes the raw terror of confronting death, the resourcefulness required to survive, and the aftermath of trauma. The tone is grim but resilient, focusing on endurance in the face of evil and catastrophe.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Debbie: Kidnapping, Assault, and Survival (Millsboro, Delaware, 1998)

• Setting the Scene ([01:18])
  • Debbie is a hospice nurse planting rose bushes at home when she is abruptly attacked by an unseen assailant inside her house.
• Attack and Abduction ([01:35–03:40])
  • She is tied, dragged downstairs, and sexually assaulted. The attacker is searching for money, and she is left wondering about the safety of her husband, Nino.
  • Notable detail: Debbie pleads with her attacker, but he “laughed and just continued.” ([01:04])
• Further Assault and Realization ([03:45–08:49])
  • After further assaults, she's bundled into the trunk of a car, transported, and held captive in a strange house.
  • Over radio news, she hears her husband has been killed, and the kidnapper confesses–“I'm sorry I had to kill your husband.” ([08:08])
  • Debbie describes her calculated approach: giving her captor respect (“sir”), never pleading, always aiming to survive by outwitting him ([10:03]).
• Enduring Captivity and Survival Strategies ([08:49–14:04])
  • Debbie is repeatedly tied, gagged, raped, and kept in degrading conditions.
  • She notices her assailant’s lack of intelligence and adjusts her survival tactics: “Maybe, Debbie, you can get out of this. I wanted him to like me.” ([10:59])
  • Maintains composure for her children, even when she learns she’s a suspect in her husband’s murder.
• Escape ([14:04–16:31])
  • On the fifth day, after being left un-blindfolded with handcuffs instead of ropes, she seizes an opportunity to call 911.
  • Emotional 911 call: “This man kidnapped me, killed my husband.” ([15:56])
  • Police arrive within six minutes, freeing Debbie.
• Aftermath and Reflection ([17:30])
  • Perpetrator Donald Flagg receives multiple life sentences.
  • Notable quote: “I survived because I was a smarter person than my assailant... As time has gone on, I’ve actually considered [my scars] my badge of courage.” ([17:30])

2. Christine & Heidi: The Express Samina Ferry Disaster (Greece, 2000)

• Before Disaster Strikes ([19:30–21:19])
  • Christine and Heidi travel through Greece, looking forward to relaxing on the islands.
  • Observations about the ferry’s apparent lack of oversight—“nobody’s driving the boat. I guess we’re on autopilot.” ([20:26])
• Collision and Chaos ([22:04–24:47])
  • The ferry slams into rocks two miles from Paros. There are no crew instructions; panic ensues.
  • “If I die, what didn’t I do? What didn’t I say? Every one of my family members came into my head, and I just said, I love you.” – Heidi ([24:04])
• Escape and Survival ([24:47–31:51])
  • Amid darkness and terror, they avoid the panicked crowd, find a lifeboat, and leap aboard as the ferry rapidly sinks.
  • Lifeboat malfunctions: Bench breaks, Heidi’s foot gets stuck, a hole in the boat.
  • “When this lifeboat hit the water, then I was scared. That’s the point where I really, really felt in fear of my life.” – Christine ([27:13])
  • They persist through fear, even rescuing another survivor despite warnings that “too many people” are on the boat ([30:42]).
  • Local fishing boats finally appear and rescue them.
• Aftermath ([32:10])
  • 82 passengers die. Ferry officers are convicted of negligence and manslaughter.
  • Heidi and Christine reflect on their reliance on each other: “We may have survived without each other, but I was stronger because Heidi was there.” – Christine ([32:43])

3. Jim: Betrayal and Attack by a Neighbor (Rockford, Illinois, 2002)

• Unexpected Visitor Turns Attacker ([33:51–36:22])
  • Jim, returning home from the YMCA, invites neighbor Tom Roach up to talk.
  • After disquieting silence, Tom suddenly produces a utility knife and slashes Jim’s throat. “God told me to kill you.” – Tom Roach ([33:54])
  • Demands $200; Jim writes a check, but Tom becomes frustrated because of the blood on it.
• Fight to Survive ([36:22–38:39])
  • Jim attempts to defend himself, striking Tom with a teakettle to no effect.
  • At one point, after stating “I’m going to stand here and watch you die,” Tom surprisingly leaves upon being told, “You get out of here,” giving Jim a chance at survival ([38:18]).
  • Severely wounded, Jim writes down Tom Roach’s name before driving himself through near-blindness to the hospital.
• Emergency Response and Recovery ([39:22–40:26])
  • Security guard helps stem the bleeding outside the hospital.
  • Jim undergoes intensive surgery: “118 staples and 53 stitches...he missed my jugular vein by less than an inch.” ([40:10])
• Justice and Reflection ([40:26])
  • Tom Roach is sentenced to 25 years for attempted murder—also linked to the murder of another neighbor.
  • Doctors attribute Jim’s survival to his fitness: “I survived. This other man died.” ([40:37])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Debbie (on survival):
  “I survived because I was a smarter person than my assailant. Also because of my experience as a hospice nurse, I had the life experiences... befriending him and making him believe that I was someone who he could care about.” ([17:30])
• Debbie (on shame and dignity):
  “To have my husband’s murderer just washing my hair, it was horrible... I had to put his clothes on.” ([11:40])
• Heidi (on facing death):
  “If I die, what didn’t I do?... I just said, I love you.” ([24:04])
• Christine (on the lifeboat):
  “When this lifeboat hit the water, then I was scared. That’s the point where I really, really felt in fear of my life.” ([27:13])
• Heidi & Christine (teamwork):
  “We may have survived without each other, but I was stronger because Heidi was there.” – Christine ([32:43])
• Jim (awareness in trauma):
  “I couldn’t understand what was bringing my neighbor to do this to me.” ([36:25])
• Jim (miraculous survival):
  “In the slash across my throat, he missed my jugular vein by less than an inch.” ([40:10])

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Debbie’s Ordeal: [01:18] – [17:30]
• Christine & Heidi’s Ferry Sinking Survival: [19:30] – [32:10]
• Jim’s Attack by His Neighbor: [33:51] – [40:26]

Tone and Language

The storytelling is candid, direct, and harrowing, preserving each survivor's voice. Each speaker’s resilience and resourcefulness are foregrounded, even as they recount moments of extreme vulnerability and terror. The host provides context and connects the stories, but the survivors’ own words dominate, lending authenticity and impact to each narrative.

Summary Takeaways

• The episode is a powerful exploration of what it takes to survive the unimaginable, from calculated psychological tactics and physical endurance to the importance of support—whether from within or from others.
• Across all three cases, survival comes down to split-second decisions, presence of mind, and—sometimes—sheer luck.
• The episode is emotionally intense, often graphic, but ultimately underscores the human capacity to endure, escape, and rebuild after trauma.