The Attempted Murder of Alison Botha

Summary

Morbid - Episode 656: The Attempted Murder of Alison Botha

Released on March 20, 2025 by Morbid Network | Wondery

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Introduction

In Episode 656 of Morbid, hosts Elena and Ash delve deep into the harrowing story of Alison Botha, a woman whose resilience and determination exemplify the human spirit's capacity to overcome unimaginable adversity. This detailed recounting not only highlights the brutality of her attempted murder but also her remarkable survival and unwavering strength in the face of relentless trauma.

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Alison Botha's Early Life

Alison Botha was born on September 22, 1967, in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, to parents Brian and Claire Collier. Despite her parents' divorce in 1977, Alison and her brother Neil were raised in a loving environment by their mother, who instilled in them a profound sense of self-worth. Alison's headmistress at Collegiate High School described her as "a mature young woman of the utmost integrity and sound moral values" ([09:32] Ash).

During her senior year in 1985, Alison was unexpectedly honored as head girl—a testament to her character and leadership. However, despite this achievement, she felt uncertain about her future, acknowledging, "I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life" ([10:00] Ash). With her mother's encouragement, she pursued a secretarial course, leading her to a fulfilling career as an insurance broker by her mid-20s.

---

The Night of the Attack

On the evening of December 18, 1994, Alison planned a casual gathering with friends at the beach in Port Elizabeth. The evening was filled with laughter, pizza, and board games, embodying a typical, spontaneous friend hangout. However, as midnight approached, Alison's night took a sinister turn.

Returning home after promising her friend Kim a ride, Alison circled her neighborhood searching for a parking spot. Frustrated by the closed lot near her apartment, she settled for a darker, more isolated spot farther away ([12:58] Ash). As she entered her vehicle to gather clean laundry, Alison was abruptly confronted by a tall, scrawny man with light blonde hair wielding a knife. He swiftly pressed the blade to her throat, commanding, "Move over or I'll kill you" ([13:43] Ash).

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The Ordeal of Survival

Under the knife's threat, Alison complied, sliding into the passenger seat as her assailant took control of the vehicle. The attacker, who identified himself as Clinton (later revealed to be Franz Dutoit), confessed a disturbing motive: he needed Alison's car to locate and retrieve money owed by a friend who had stolen his TV ([15:25] Ash).

As Clinton drove them away from her neighborhood into unfamiliar, wooded areas, a second man, Tian Kruger, joined the assault. Ellis described the attackers' methodical cruelty: they brutally stabbed Alison multiple times—16 times to her throat and over 50 in her abdomen—resulting in nearly decapitated neck wounds and exposed intestines ([26:14] Ash).

Despite the severity of her injuries, Alison's extraordinary will to survive kicked in. She played dead, a strategic move that allowed her to survive the initial assault. As her attackers momentarily lost interest, Alison seized the moment to free herself from the immediate threat. Summoning unimaginable strength, she tied her intestines with her shirt to prevent further damage and crawled toward the main road, enduring excruciating pain and blood loss ([35:58] Ash).

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Rescue and Medical Miracle

Just as Alison despaired, believing she might perish alone on the road, Tian Kruger stumbled upon her. Recognizing the gravity of her situation, he provided immediate assistance. Tian, a veterinary student, applied life-saving measures—repositioning her thyroid and applying pressure to her wounds—to stabilize her before the arrival of EMTs ([53:00] Ash).

Alison was rushed to the hospital in critical condition. Dr. Volodya Angelov, the attending surgeon, marveled at her survival, stating, "I've seen many injuries as a doctor, but the severe cruelty of the wounds really shocked me" ([55:52] Ash). Her recovery was nothing short of miraculous, considering the extensive nature of her injuries, including a nearly severed neck and exposed intestines.

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Legal Aftermath and Continued Struggles

Alison's attackers, Franz Dutoit and Tions Kruger, were apprehended following detailed police investigations. Initially facing life sentences without the possibility of parole, changes in South African law in 2012 threatened to alter their custody status. Determined to prevent their release, Alison became an outspoken advocate for justice, successfully delaying their parole applications for another decade ([65:14] Ash).

However, in the summer of 2023, both men were released on parole despite Alison's relentless efforts. This shockingly premature release forced Alison to confront ongoing fears for her safety and the well-being of society at large. The emotional toll was immense, culminating in her suffering a massive brain aneurysm in September 2024. Despite this new medical emergency, Alison's indomitable spirit persisted as she continued her arduous journey of recovery ([74:00] Ash).

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A Symbol of Resilience and Hope

Throughout her recovery, Alison focused on healing both physically and emotionally. She became a beacon of hope for many, particularly young women in South Africa who had faced similar traumas. Alison emphasized the importance of self-worth and resilience, reflecting on her mother's early lessons: "You must know that you are special and value yourself. It's what got me through my attack" ([68:45] Ash).

In 1997, Alison found love again, marrying Teeny Botha and defying medical expectations by giving birth to two children despite her severe abdominal injuries. Her ability to rebuild her life, even after her attackers' heinous crimes and her subsequent health struggles, underscores her extraordinary strength and capacity for forgiveness.

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Conclusion

Alison Botha's story, as recounted in Morbid Episode 656, is a profound testament to human resilience and the enduring will to survive. Despite enduring horrific violence and facing immense personal challenges, Alison transformed her trauma into a narrative of empowerment and advocacy. Her journey inspires countless individuals to find strength in the darkest of times and highlights the critical importance of unwavering support systems and justice.

Notable Quotes:

• Alison Botha on Self-Worth: "You must know that you are special and value yourself. It's what got me through my attack." ([68:45] Ash)

• Dr. Volodya Angelov on Alison's Survival: "I've seen many injuries as a doctor, but the severe cruelty of the wounds really shocked me." ([55:52] Ash)

• Alison on Choice and Resilience: "The one thing I do have control over is choice. I have the freedom to choose how I will respond to it. I have the choice to make of it what I must and learn from it." ([67:31] Ash)

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Supporting Alison's Recovery

Alison's ongoing medical needs have placed a significant financial strain on her family, as she lacks medical insurance and has accrued substantial debt from her surgeries and treatments. The Morbid team urges listeners to support Alison and her family through a fundraiser set up at backabuddy.co.za/campaign/help-Allison-Botha-in-her-time-of-need. Contributions can be made in both South African Rand and US Dollars, ensuring flexibility for international donors.

Donate Here: backabuddy.co.za/campaign/help-Allison-Botha-in-her-time-of-need

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Final Thoughts

Alison Botha's story is not just one of survival but also of triumph over insurmountable odds. Her unwavering determination to reclaim her life and support others facing similar traumas serves as a powerful reminder of the human spirit's ability to heal and inspire. As Morbid concludes, listeners are left with a profound respect for Alison's courage and a call to support her ongoing journey towards healing and advocacy.

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Stay tuned for more riveting true crime stories on Morbid, where horror meets resilience.

Transcript

[Elena]

Hey, weirdos. Elena here. If you're looking to kick back and relax with morbid, Wondery plus is the way to go. It's like having a cozy seat in our haunted mansion. No ads, just you and early access to new episodes. You can join Wondery plus in the Wondery app or in Apple podcasts or Spotify.

[Ash]

You're listening to a Morbid network podcast.

[Alina]

Have you ever grown tired of searching for your favorite movies and TV shows across your numerous streaming accounts? I have like 457 streaming accounts.

[Ash]

@ least I used to.

[Alina]

And it can be so frustrating to have your favorite content live across multiple logins and apps. You're always forgetting your logins. It's a pain in the butt. But on Prime Video, you can add over 100 subscriptions like Max, Apple TV and Paramount plus all in one app. Experience the convenience of having your favorite subscriptions in your Prime Video account with one login and one password. That's so much more easy to remember. There's also a hundred more premium and specialty subscriptions to unlock a world of movies, TV and sports all in one one app. I personally, oh my God, I'm obsessed with yellow jackets.

[Ash]

I literally dove into the entire series.

[Alina]

And I was able to watch it on Prime Video with a Paramount plus subscription instead of having to log into a separate app to watch. And I also even watch White Lotus through Prime because they have Max as well. So check out subscriptions on Prime Video. Listen up, weirdos. We gotta talk about drunk elephants. Proteiny Polypeptide Cream I am straight up.

[Ash]

Obsessed with this stuff.

[Alina]

Imagine adding a protein boost to your morning smoothie for extra energy. But now picture protein doing the same for your skin.

[Ash]

It is that powerful.

[Alina]

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[Ash]

Which I really love. I'm not a super big fan of.

[Alina]

Like a heavy cream. This is a gel cream that delivers daily moisture visibly firm skin. It has nine signal peptides and I.

[Ash]

Am obsessed with it.

[Alina]

Discover Proteiny Polypeptide Cream at Ulta Beauty stores and also@ Ulta.com hey weirdos, I'm Alina.

[Ash]

I'M ash and this is morbid.

[Elena]

I wasn't ready for that.

[Ash]

I liked the pause.

[Elena]

I went to grab my coffee and I was like, oh, it's a pull up.

[Ash]

It's early felt right. I think we were listening to the affirmation song with your kids today.

[Elena]

Yeah, we were.

[Ash]

And there was like weird ass voices in that. So I think I just became one. It's true, you know.

[Elena]

Yeah.

[Ash]

Today's gonna be an amazing day. There's no one better to be than myself.

[Elena]

It's true. My feelings matter.

[Ash]

Yeah, I get better every single day. Listen, if your kids are having a bad day, the affirmation song is great.

[Elena]

It is. It gets em pumped up for the day.

[Ash]

It does. And I dance silly to it. And I think that's true. The funnest part.

[Elena]

Cause sometimes, you know, it's hard to go to school sometimes. Cause especially when your parents are so fucking awesome.

[Ash]

I know.

[Elena]

And your auntie, you know, like me and John. So like you don't wanna leave em.

[Ash]

They just wanna hang.

[Elena]

So they just didn't wanna le. The affirmation song got him laughing and got him ready for the day.

[Ash]

And I did sick braids today on them.

[Elena]

It's true.

[Ash]

Well on one of them.

[Elena]

Yeah.

[Ash]

I was pretty excited about that.

[Elena]

Tis true.

[Ash]

Tis true. We have a cute little fam. Bam. It gives full, full house vibes here in the morning. Just like Uncle Joey over here.

[Elena]

It's true.

[Ash]

Like a combination. Maybe a combination of Uncle Jesse and Uncle Joey. Yeah, you know my Gemini nature.

[Elena]

I like that.

[Ash]

I don't know, just ranting over here. We did yoga this morning. We really grounded ourselves.

[Elena]

We really did.

[Ash]

It was so nice.

[Elena]

I know we're getting back. I think like spring is coming so I feel like we can get back into the swing of like. I really fell out of my workout routine in the winter.

[Ash]

Well, it was so nice driving today and not having it be pitch black.

[Elena]

It was getting light out.

[Ash]

It was like 5:30 probably when I left the house and it was already light out.

[Elena]

Yeah.

[Ash]

Which was sick. And then on my way home today, on my way see, I said to myself, this is why you gotta wake up early because you just don't know what's going on.

[Elena]

You don't know what you're gonna run into.

[Ash]

You just don't know. This morning I'm coming back, yoga class and I passed a farm and there was cows that like escaped this farm and they were on the front lawn of the neighborhood.

[Elena]

I love this so much.

[Ash]

And there's just a Cop, like standing on this guy's front lawn and I'm like, what's a cop gonna do about a cow? He just. He's been trained with him.

[Elena]

He's been trained in. The matter is that. He's been trained in bovine matters. Is that, you know.

[Ash]

Do they tell you what to do if a bovine escapes? Maybe. I don't know.

[Elena]

Possibly.

[Ash]

That's crazy.

[Elena]

That's crazy.

[Ash]

It was so funny. I was laughing so hard. I was like, cry. Laughing by myself. I love it.

[Elena]

I think it's very small town vibes.

[Ash]

It really was. I was like, my. Am I just in the Midwest?

[Elena]

Where am I?

[Ash]

Where am I? It was cute, though.

[Elena]

Cows are crossing the road.

[Ash]

Just like three big ass cows just in somebody's front lawn. Hell, yeah. I'd be pissed if that was my friend lawn. Yeah. I feel like they'd up your lawn real bad.

[Elena]

I would kind of love it, though.

[Ash]

I would love it. But then afterwards, I feel like I'd.

[Elena]

Be like, yeah, but honestly, their manure is some of the best soil.

[Ash]

That's true. But contributes to it. I don't want to leave that on my yard because that's a big stink. Stinky.

[Elena]

It's very true.

[Ash]

You know, but look at you looking for the brakes. You know, you're all grounded. And I am.

[Elena]

I'm very grounded.

[Ash]

I love that.

[Elena]

I had a good coffee.

[Ash]

That's good. I had a great coffee.

[Elena]

There's cool things happening.

[Ash]

Yes. But I think you'll know about them by now. Yeah.

[Elena]

I think I'm gonna stop teasing these things because I'm so confused about what episodes come out when.

[Ash]

It'd be super dope if we could just, like, put them out when we wanted to.

[Elena]

I just, like, don't know where or when these come out. And I apologize for that. Yeah. We won't be confused forever. But it's right now. I just don't know if what episode is coming out. So if it are, if the bonus episode already happened, wasn't that cool? And if it hasn't happened, exciting. So there's that.

[Ash]

God. Christ almighty.

[Elena]

Christ on a cracker.

[Ash]

Christ on a biscuit. Jesus was a biscuit.

[Elena]

Was a biscuit.

[Ash]

Who said that on Drag Race?

[Elena]

I have no idea.

[Ash]

Oh, my God. Everyone's screaming at who's a Drag Race fan? Laugh. La la la la la la la. Mikey's not here today.

[Elena]

I know. Or Mikey would be screaming, latrice. Oh, there you go.

[Ash]

You know when it's like right in the forefront of your face and you're like, oh, God.

[Elena]

Yep.

[Ash]

All right. Well, we. We yogaed, we cowed, we. Jesus was a biscuited. We did it all.

[Elena]

All the important things. Yeah.

[Ash]

We affirmated.

[Elena]

Yeah.

[Ash]

And now we're going to talk about a wild survivor tale that I think is probably one of our most requested cases.

[Elena]

It is. This is a doozy.

[Ash]

This is a doozy of a case.

[Elena]

And a doozy of a human. I mean, in the best way.

[Ash]

I don't think there's a single person more resilient.

[Elena]

Bionic woman.

[Ash]

Yeah. Truly unbelievable tale.

[Elena]

Yeah.

[Ash]

So this is wild. Let's get into it. We're going to be talking about Alison Botha today. Allison Botha. She was born September 22, 1967, in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, to Brian and Claire Collier, or Colier. According to Allison, her house growing up was a place of unconditional love, which she got from both of her parents. She said, often as we were growing up, I love this. My mother would take us aside and tell us how special we were. She would always add, though, that this did not mean that we were above or better than others, but we had our own inner value. Oh, my God, I love that I'm gonna do that when I have kids.

[Elena]

Just, like, take your child aside just to be like, I love that.

[Ash]

Like, you're so special. Yeah. But, like, you're. You're not above anybody. You're not, like, more special than somebody.

[Elena]

Else, but you are so special.

[Ash]

Like, I love that.

[Elena]

That's great.

[Ash]

Sadly, despite the love and support and the happy household that they had 10 years after Allison was born, Brian and Claire did end up divorcing. It was about 1977 when the divorce was finalized, and Allison and her brother Neil continued living with their mom. But luckily, they still saw their dad on a pretty regular schedule.

[Elena]

Oh, good.

[Ash]

The divorce obviously created a pretty, like, less than ideal situation to raise two kids, but it sounds like Brian and Claire really made the best of it. They made sure that Allison and Neil always had what they needed and were always thriving.

[Elena]

Good for them.

[Ash]

Yeah. Very mature. Allison led a pretty normal life in Port Elizabeth, where she went to Collegiate High School. During her senior year in 1985, she was named head girl, which is an honor that kind of came as a shock for her. She didn't expect this at all.

[Elena]

Damn.

[Ash]

She said, I was always considered bright, but I knew I did not apply myself to the fullest in my last few years at school. I wasn't good at any sport, and I didn't really shine in any One area. So I guess I thought I wouldn't be good enough to be head girl.

[Elena]

Damn.

[Ash]

But whether she realized it or not, the teachers and the headmistress at the college at Collegiate High School thought very highly of her.

[Elena]

Yeah.

[Ash]

They described her as a mature young woman of the utmost integrity and sound moral values.

[Elena]

Like, the. The term head girl just. It makes me think of, like, Harry Potter.

[Ash]

Yes.

[Elena]

And it's that. It just sounds so prestigious that I can't fully comprehend it.

[Ash]

Like, I want to be head girl, I think.

[Elena]

Imagine being head per. Anything.

[Ash]

Yeah.

[Elena]

In school. Like, wow, that's, like, really, really impressive.

[Ash]

Yeah. That did not happen for me. I made you head in charge at my wedding.

[Elena]

You did, that's true. So I got to do that instead.

[Ash]

Of maid of honor. I said had. Bitch in charge.

[Elena]

Hell, yeah.

[Ash]

Well, when Allison graduated from high school, she felt that the honor she'd earned in her final year gave everybody this impression that she was a high achiever and would continue her education and pursue a very impressive career. But she said, the truth was, I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life, which I feel like a lot of people feel that way when high school is over.

[Elena]

It's really not. Like, that's not unheard of at all.

[Ash]

No. You're 18 years old. Like, most of the time you have. You're still a baby, and there's so many options at your fingertips. I feel like people expect you to have, like, exactly what you want to do figured out. And for a lot of people, that's just not the case.

[Elena]

Yeah. For sure.

[Ash]

When she was younger, Allison had always dreamed of becoming a writer or maybe a poet. But now that she was in a position to pursue whatever goal she wanted, she just couldn't figure out which direction to go in.

[Elena]

Well, because it. It really can feel like the whole world is your oyster.

[Ash]

Yeah.

[Elena]

Like, you know, I mean, like, when you're that young and you're just like, start. You. Like, I can choose anything, which is awesome. How do I narrow it down?

[Ash]

That's the thing.

[Elena]

Too many options.

[Ash]

It's awesome, but. Exactly. It's overwhelming.

[Elena]

It's a great problem to have.

[Ash]

Yeah. Well, as always, Claire supported her daughter, suggesting that she just take a secretarial course while she considered some of her options. And she said, if nothing else, you'll learn some new skills that will apply with whatever you do for sure. And it turned out that that course was a really good decision for Allison's future career, because when she finished it up, she took a job as an insurance broker, a job she enjoyed and was really good at, Although she hadn't pursued a high stress career as, like, a doctor or a lawyer, as several of her teachers and classmates thought that she might. By the time she reached her mid-20s, she was building a respectable career for herself, and she was really happy.

[Elena]

Good for her.

[Ash]

So she was, like, living her best life.

[Elena]

She was just going for it.

[Ash]

Yeah. Well, on the afternoon of December 18, 1994, Allison met up with her friend Kim and Kim's son Devin and Jared for just an evening on the beach in Port Elizabeth. Just like a nice little friend hangout. They hung out at the beach for a little while, and then they went back to Kim's apartment that night, and they were joined by their mutual friends Phil and Richard, who just stopped by unannounced. And Allison said it had been one of those wonderfully spontaneous evenings, which I love.

[Elena]

I love that.

[Ash]

They chatted for a while. They enjoyed the nice weather, and then they decided to go to Allison's apartment, where they ordered a pizza and played a board game. Just like cute little night friends being dudes.

[Elena]

Sounds like a fun night to me. Yeah.

[Ash]

When the night finally came to an end, a little after midnight, Phil and Richard left. And Allison had promised Kim that she would drive her home that night. So she was driving Kim back to her apartment, and then she got back to her own house a little after or a little before. Excuse me. One in the morning, she circled the block a few times, looking for a place to park. And the place where she usually parked wasn't open, which was, like, very close to the apartment. She finally spotted an open space just a few dozen feet from her front door. Now, the neighborhood that she lived in wasn't, like a rough area, but the spot was further from her apartment than she preferred.

[Elena]

Yeah.

[Ash]

And it was in a dark part of the street. There was, like, a tree covering the lights.

[Elena]

I hate that you have to worry about this.

[Ash]

Yeah, you shouldn't have to worry about that at all. So she hesitated for a few seconds and was like, maybe I should find something better. But she was like, whatever. Like, I. She really wanted to go in and take a shower. Yeah.

[Elena]

You just want to go to your house.

[Ash]

Yeah. So she pulled in the spot, put her car into park. She said, later, I had just turned off the engine and flicked off the headlights. It was so routine. I did it all in one swift movement before opening the driver's side door. She reached over to the passenger seat to gather up a pile of clean laundry. And she suddenly Felt a gust of warm air rush into the car as somebody opened the door.

[Elena]

Holy.

[Ash]

She looked up just in time to see what she described as a scrawny, tallish young man with light blonde hair. Just push his head into her car.

[Elena]

No.

[Ash]

She also noticed a long, thin knife in his hand.

[Elena]

I hate this.

[Ash]

He immediately put the blade up to her throat and said, move over or I'll kill you. And she said, his voice was quiet and controlled. She had never seen him before, but he seemed to know exactly what he was doing. So she just, without thinking, slid over to the passenger seat and he got in behind the wheel.

[Elena]

That's horrifying.

[Ash]

Which I feel like she did the best thing you could in that situation. You have to try to be as calm as possible.

[Elena]

What are you supposed to do?

[Ash]

He's got a knife to your throat.

[Elena]

Like, I don't know what I would do.

[Ash]

I don't either. So as he drove, he kept the knife close on the seat next to him, close to the door. He fumbled with the dashboard, trying to find the control for the lights, and then asked her how to turn them on and told her, don't worry. I don't want to hurt you. I just want to use your car for about an hour.

[Elena]

I'd be like, I'm not saying I would do this. I'm saying, like, when he says something like that, you just want to be like, then take the car.

[Ash]

Yeah. Like, why do I have to be.

[Elena]

Like, why do I have to be here?

[Ash]

You can just take it.

[Elena]

You just have it.

[Ash]

Well, she.

[Elena]

You can take it for more than an hour.

[Ash]

She basically said that.

[Elena]

I was going to say, I'm sure she was just like, you can take this.

[Ash]

Yeah, eventually she said that, but at the. When he said it, she was so confused and also completely terrified.

[Elena]

This is a horrifying situation. I can't even fathom your brain working in that situation.

[Ash]

No way. So she just didn't say anything. She was just sitting there, like, stunned, and she contemplated opening the passenger door and jumping out. But she said she felt strangely immobilized and just couldn't bring herself to do or say anything. Of course, now, they hadn't been driving long when he broke the silence and said, you live in number one, don't you? So he knew exactly where she lived.

[Elena]

What the.

[Ash]

And she said it was less of a question than a statement. Like, he was clearly letting her know that he'd been watching her, like, oh.

[Elena]

I know you live here.

[Ash]

Knew. Exactly.

[Elena]

That's horrifying.

[Ash]

He asked what her name was. And thinking on her feet, she told him her name was Susan. She didn't give him her real name.

[Elena]

Even that.

[Ash]

I don't know that I would think to do that.

[Elena]

I don't think I would think to do that. I really don't.

[Ash]

Because you're just like.

[Elena]

Because I'm. I'm nervous just listening to this. I can't imagine being in it. And to think on your toes like that already. I'm like, damn.

[Ash]

Just smart. Survival, like, skills, you know? So he said. He said his name was Clinton, which was not true. But hoping to appeal to his humanity, she started asking questions about him, figuring that if he could see her as an ordinary person and they could just strike up a conversation, he would let her go without hurting her.

[Elena]

Another smart tactic.

[Ash]

Very smart.

[Elena]

That takes a lot of, like, wherewithal control and, like, keeping yourself calm to do, because otherwise you're just gonna freak out.

[Ash]

I mean, my voice would be shaking.

[Elena]

I'd just be crying, and I don't.

[Ash]

Think I'd be able to. Yeah, I would definitely be like, that's.

[Elena]

Just out of fear.

[Ash]

And I wouldn't know what questions to even ask.

[Elena]

That's the thing.

[Ash]

Well, unfortunately, that plan didn't quite pan out because in a harsh tone, he answered her and said, I'd rather not tell you anything about me. Just wouldn't say anything.

[Elena]

I hate that.

[Ash]

So when that didn't work, she did what you were just saying and said, why don't you just take my car? I'll go. I'm not gonna say anything to anybody. Just take the car.

[Elena]

Yeah.

[Ash]

But he told her no and said he just wanted company.

[Elena]

I hate this so much.

[Ash]

Terrifying. He explained to her that he had a friend who stole his tv, and he said he was driving to go find him and get some money that he owed him. Which is just. That story is strange.

[Elena]

Yeah.

[Ash]

So she grew increasingly fearful as they just drove further and further away from her apartment and further from the city proper until they ended up in a part of the city that she hadn't been to in several years and was almost entirely unfamiliar to her. They approached a large group of people on the sidewalk and quote, unquote, Clinton slowed down and started scanning the crowd, clearly getting more and more agitated and muttering under his breath like he was looking for somebody. And obviously he hadn't found whoever he was looking for. So he jerked the car down a side street and did a loop around and then slowed down to scan this crowd a second time. And then it appeared he found whoever he was looking for. So he slowed the car to a stop and a short man dressed in all black approached the driver's side. Neither of them said anything to each other, but Clinton slid the driver's seat forward and the second man climbed into the back seat.

[Elena]

So scared.

[Ash]

Like, oh, my God, I can't imagine. Because now there's two men.

[Elena]

Two men in this car.

[Ash]

Your car.

[Elena]

I hate this.

[Ash]

And it's like 1A. It's after 1am so Clinton told the other man, meet my friend Susan, and just started driving back to the main road.

[Elena]

Fuck.

[Ash]

So he gestured to the man now riding along with them in the backseat and told Allison, this is TN's and the Man. The two men talked as Clinton drove, but Allison was too nervous to even follow what they were saying. She just caught a few words here and there.

[Elena]

Yeah.

[Ash]

And instead she was trying to keep her attention focused on the landscape outside of the car and was also hoping at the same time that she might catch the attention of another driver.

[Elena]

Yeah.

[Ash]

But nobody seemed to be paying any attention to what was happening outside their own vehicles. And even if you saw this.

[Elena]

Yeah.

[Ash]

You might want to think anything's weird because it's just three people in a car driving.

[Elena]

And a lot of people don't want to intervene with that stuff.

[Ash]

Oh, yeah, that comes up, which is really scary. It is scary. So eventually it occurred to Allison that they had been driving for quite some time, and they seemed to be headed along the beach towards Summer Strand, a suburb of Port Elizabeth about five or so miles outside of city limits. So they were kind of just like in the middle of nowhere.

[Elena]

Yeah.

[Ash]

As they got further from the city, they stopped talking. The two men just stopped talking completely, and the car was filled with an unbearable silence in her head. Allison convinced herself that they were just taking the long way to visit this friend, as Clinton had indicated earlier. But the further and further they got from Port Elizabeth, the less likely it was all seeming. So finally, when they put the lights of Port Elizabeth behind them, Clinton broke the silence and told Allison, tians doesn't speak good English.

[Elena]

Okay.

[Alina]

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[Ash]

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[Ash]

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[Ash]

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[Alina]

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[Ash]

Been trying to you know, get like.

[Alina]

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[Ash]

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[Ash]

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[Ash]

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[Ash]

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[Ash]

Now the sound of his voice jolted Allison out of a panicked state and brought her back into reality. The statement seemed to come out of nowhere and wasn't Followed by anything else which she thought was very strange.

[Elena]

Yeah.

[Ash]

But now, with her attention focused on what was happening in the car, it occurred to her that Clinton was starting to slow down as they were reaching a wooded area. Oh, God. Yeah. So as that happened, he made a U turn and pulled the car onto a small path that led down to the beach, driving the car right up to the sand until they reached a dark, isolated spot among the trees about 300ft away from the road.

[Elena]

The fear she must have felt as.

[Ash]

This car is just slowing down. You're in the middle of nowhere.

[Elena]

Incomprehensible.

[Ash]

Two strangers who are just being weird. Like, obviously, they've abducted you at knife point, first of all. And they're just being weird and creepy and quiet.

[Elena]

And just as a woman, being alone would be two men. You don't know. Is this regardless of whether they're being threatening or not. I'm sorry. Automatically scary? Automatically is very, very scary.

[Ash]

Yeah.

[Elena]

For them to be this weird and threatening and to be driving you into an isolated area of a wooded area would be. I mean, like, my nervous system is in orbit right now. Just thinking about it.

[Ash]

Even just being, like. Not even, like, completely alone with two strangers that are men. Being, like, with friends and then two strangers that you don't know that are men is scary. Like, I've had that experience.

[Elena]

You don't know what they're about. Yeah. You don't know what's gonna happen.

[Ash]

Exactly. I just. I do wanna. I mean, some. I think a lot of people know this story, but if you don't, I do just want to forewarn you that there's going to be talk about a very intense sexual assault and rape.

[Elena]

Yeah. It is extremely graphic.

[Ash]

Yeah. Very graphic. I did my best to make it a little less graphic, but it's kind of impossible to take it fully away.

[Elena]

Yeah.

[Ash]

So. And we gotta tell the story for what it is. So Clinton brought the car to a stop under a cluster of trees, and Tians got out, leaving Allison completely alone now in the car with her abductor. And Clinton sexually assaulted Allison at this point.

[Elena]

Piece of.

[Ash]

And this was all while Tans was just, like, sitting on the hood of the car.

[Elena]

Oh, my God.

[Ash]

Just, like, got out of the car, knew that this was gonna happen.

[Elena]

Monsters.

[Ash]

And then when Clinton was finished sexually assaulting Allison, he called Tians into the car, and Tian started to do the same thing, also sexually assaulted her. But moments later, he shouted, no, I can't do this. And he got out of the car and sat back down. On the hood and just smoked a cigarette instead of, like, trying to stop this at all.

[Elena]

What the.

[Ash]

He couldn't bring himself to continue assaulting.

[Elena]

But he wasn't gonna be. He wasn't gonna be a good person and try to stop it.

[Ash]

No.

[Elena]

No.

[Ash]

So when he finished his cigarette, he hopped down from the hood and looked back at the car, and looking at Clinton, he yelled, franz.

[Elena]

Oops.

[Ash]

Yeah. Not. Not his real name, Clinton. Franz is his real name.

[Elena]

Very bright.

[Ash]

It was the first time that Allison had heard the name of her attacker. So she just started repeating it over and over again in her head, like, silently, determined not to forget his name, but almost as if he knew what she was doing. Franz looked over at her and said, if we take you into town now, you're going to go to the police. It was almost like he could sense it. She tried to assure him that she wasn't going to say anything to anybody, but neither of them would be convinced. And one of them then said to the other, what do you think Nick would want us to do with her?

[Elena]

What the.

[Ash]

Nick Allison recognized as another name for Satan. What? The Oom is like a South African word. It basically, it's. It's akin to uncle for us. It's like a sign of respect. So Oomnik. They were referring to Satan. Satan's also known as Old Nick, which I didn't realize.

[Elena]

That is weird.

[Ash]

But I was looking into it the other night.

[Elena]

Or, like. I don't mean weird. I mean, that's different.

[Ash]

Yeah, it's different. He. So he looks at the other night.

[Elena]

He says, uncle Satan would want us to do with her.

[Ash]

Yeah.

[Elena]

And he doesn't exist. He's gonna give you.

[Ash]

Yeah, exactly.

[Elena]

I don't think he's gonna weigh in here.

[Ash]

Well, and she's sitting there, and she said she thought to herself, like, what does Satan have to do?

[Elena]

Like, what the.

[Ash]

What the are you talking about? But she didn't know what to do. So Tian's answered. I think he wants us to kill her.

[Elena]

They're just having this conversation.

[Ash]

Yes. And they're just acting like. Like this is all normal. Like they're not acting freaked out or anything like that. Like, they're acting just like. This is another casual conversation. Yeah. So Franz then instructed Allison to get out of the car and remove all of her clothing, which she did, because at this point, she's just. I would. I would do the same thing.

[Elena]

I was gonna say, I just don't know what else you do.

[Ash]

And remember, he has a knife, and the two of them have just. Just raped her. So when she'd taken off all her clothes, he gestured at the rings on her hand and told her to even take those off. And Tians quickly grabbed them, like, snatched them out of her hands. The next thing she knew, she was knocked to the ground and Franz was choking her.

[Elena]

They made her take off those rings so she couldn't be identified.

[Ash]

Later she said, I was. I was surprised by how strong he had become. This man knew what he was doing, and he was determined to do it. And we will find out. He knew what he was doing because this was not the first time they had attacked somebody. Allison managed to get a few words out while he was choking her, just begging him not to kill her. But all Fran said was sorry. While he continued violently choking her until she lost consciousness. So he's standing, like, straddling over her, choking her into unconsciousness and apologizing but still doing it. But how like that adds such a layer of just. I like, of terror to this whole thing. Apologizing while you're doing this.

[Elena]

Yeah. And just continue.

[Ash]

But not stopping. It's horrifying. So she regained consciousness just a short time later and realized she was still on the ground. And she's looking around and she sees that she's surrounded by trash and broken bottles. One of the men was crouched over her, and she couldn't see what he was doing. All she saw was his arm swinging wildly back and forth in front of her face.

[Elena]

Oh, God.

[Ash]

But then it occurred to her, and she thought, my God, he's slashing my throat. Holy. She couldn't see really what was happening, obviously, because it's like she can't look down and see it. And she didn't feel any pain in this moment. But she, quote, could hear the flesh split.

[Elena]

Oh, my God.

[Ash]

Yup.

[Elena]

What this woman has. And this isn't. This is just the tip of the iceberg.

[Ash]

Oh, this is just.

[Elena]

Just that going through that. I don't know what you do after that. But, like, oh, my God.

[Ash]

It would later be determined that they had slit her throat 16 times. And she was almost like she was nearly decapitated. The fact that this woman is alive and what beasts truly, like, just wait.

[Elena]

But that's just unthinkable.

[Ash]

This entire crime is unthinkable. And it only gets worse.

[Elena]

Humans, man. Sometimes it's like, what happened?

[Ash]

And they just. These two just decided they wanted to do this one day. They just decided that they wanted to do this together.

[Elena]

That's wildly fucked up.

[Ash]

Just came up with the idea.

[Elena]

And for two people to get together to do this kind of shit always.

[Ash]

Really, it's scary enough.

[Elena]

Throws me off.

[Ash]

It's scary enough when one person is able to do this, when they can.

[Elena]

Get a team together that all. Because it's like. And we've said this before in other things, like the Hillside Stranglers and all the other kind of teams that team up and do this. Like, you know, Ian and Myra Henley. Where does that conversation start?

[Ash]

That's the thing that you have to.

[Elena]

Wonder who starts wonder. And where does it start?

[Ash]

And what has already happened.

[Elena]

See, if the other person runs what.

[Ash]

Has already happened to make you feel confident that they're gonna be cool with you bringing that up.

[Elena]

That's the thing. Because you have to feel real confident to say to somebody, do you think you'd want to just like, randomly kill someone for sport with me?

[Ash]

Yeah.

[Elena]

Like, you have to be very confident.

[Ash]

To do that, I would think.

[Elena]

And it's like. Because otherwise, like, what are you gonna say? Like, no, I was just kidding, jk. Like that. Then the person's gonna be like, you're.

[Ash]

That's crazy.

[Elena]

By like, I just. I can't.

[Ash]

I just never gonna do these things. I don't know where you find one person who's capable of this. Not that I'm looking. And then where do you find two? Yeah. And how do they find each other? Like, what fucking evil has to happen in the world for these people to be guided to each other?

[Elena]

Seriously, like, what ancient tomb was opened up that release the kind of evil that allows this to happen?

[Ash]

It's so true. So she could hear her flesh being split open. And I don't know if I said this already, but it was determined later that they had slid her through 16 times.

[Elena]

16 times.

[Ash]

16 times. And that's not it. Suddenly, the attack stopped and her attackers moved away. And she could hear the two men muttering and pacing around near her. And then she turned on her stomach. Stomach in an effort to protect herself. And she said. I tried to hold my breath, but I realized I had no control over my breathing. I moved my hand up to cover my neck. My whole hand disappeared into it.

[Elena]

Oh.

[Ash]

But it seemed to have worked.

[Elena]

Oh, my God.

[Ash]

The sound was silenced.

[Elena]

Oh, my God. I. I can't. Like, this is so horrifying.

[Ash]

It's insane. This poor people are depraved.

[Elena]

This poor woman.

[Ash]

So she lay on the ground now playing dead. She's completely. She has the. This woman has. Her throat has been slit 16 times to the point of near being decapitated. And she has the wherewithal to play de.

[Elena]

That's the thing. It's like this woman. Throughout this entire thing, the. The sharp mind on Allison is un fucking matched.

[Ash]

And just the will to survive.

[Elena]

Like, she's. I can't say enough. Like, I just. I'm. I'm astounded. I'm astounded. I'm. My flabbers have been gassed.

[Ash]

There's not a word to describe how incredible. How incredible.

[Elena]

My. My timbers have been shivered.

[Ash]

Yes.

[Elena]

Just. I'm shook by this.

[Ash]

All of the above. Like she is.

[Elena]

To have that kind of brand. I. I can't even.

[Ash]

Every statement I can think of, like, I was just gonna say she's a force to be reckoned with. That's not enough. That's not enough.

[Elena]

Just not enough.

[Ash]

So she just lays there on the ground, pretending to be dead. She can hear the two of them talking over her. And they're talking in Afrikaans at this point. And they're rummaging around through her car. And one of them asked the other, they're like, do you think she's dead? And the other one responded, no one can survive that except Allison. Wrong. Now, a few seconds later, she heard the engine start and then rev a few times. Of course.

[Elena]

Yeah, you got. Of course, you gotta.

[Ash]

As the car just reverse.

[Elena]

Swing it around, kids.

[Ash]

Yeah, swing it around. The car reversed and drove back out onto the main road. She was finally completely alone. But she was obviously in very bad shape. Such bad shape she didn't even know that she was in at this point. And she was almost sure she was gonna die here. So, wanting to do anything she could to help the authorities catch her killers, she started writing in the sand as she's laying there, nearly decapitated. And there's other stuff that I'm gonna get into that happened that she hasn't even realized yet. But she's laying there writing in the sand. She wrote Franz. Then underneath she wrote teens. Because I don't know if she knew how to spell tions or. Yeah, I mean, she's. She's in a state right now. Yeah. And then just before losing consciousness, she wrote I love Mom.

[Elena]

Oh, my God.

[Ash]

And traced it in a square so that it would be, like, very obvious.

[Elena]

Oh. Oh, my God.

[Ash]

The strength that that must have taken. Her body is actively shutting down, and you're trying.

[Elena]

And she's writing down valuable information so that investigator. So that they can't do this again to someone else.

[Ash]

Exactly. Like, exactly. So later she said she would Remember this moment with remarkable clarity. She said, it was as if I'd cut moorings. Feeling like her spirit had left her body just floating. She said, as I hovered there, I recognized the person down below. I knew it was me. And I felt such a strong connection to that bleeding, mangled girl lying on her stomach.

[Elena]

Wow.

[Ash]

And in that moment, she said, it occurred to her that she'd only just started her life because she was 27 years old.

[Elena]

Holy.

[Ash]

She hadn't achieved, really, any of the things that she hoped she would do. So as thoughts just raced through her head, she suddenly caught a glimmer of lights out of the corner of her eye. During the attack, everything obviously seemed so far away, but it turned out that they actually weren't very far from the main road at all. She remembered, the headlights were enough of an inspiration to try for me to try to reach a place where someone might at least find me, even if I was dead. Wow. So despite her absolutely profound injuries, she managed to push herself up onto her knees. How? As soon as she did, something felt very wrong. She reached down to her stomach and felt something she described as something tepid, wet, and slimy. Looking down, she could see that her intestines were exposed and hanging out of her stomach.

[Elena]

Holy.

[Ash]

Her intestines were literally falling out of her stomach. She said it was horrifying. There was just so much of me on the outside. I tried to scoop it all up with my hands, but everything just slithered away again.

[Elena]

Because you're litter.

[Ash]

How do you survive this? How do you survive this?

[Elena]

Oh, I'm just like. I'm holding my own stomach just sitting here, like I.

[Ash]

And how do you do that to somebody? Stab them to the point that their intestines are pouring out, by the way. So in addition to her. Her throat being slashed 16 times, they stabbed her in the abdomen over 50 times to the point that her intestines were now spilling out of her.

[Elena]

How were they.

[Ash]

And she's alive.

[Elena]

How were they ever let out?

[Ash]

Oh, yeah, because.

[Elena]

Spoiler. Sorry, spoiler alert. But I think you should know right off the bat that they got let out. Like.

[Ash]

Like they got let out.

[Elena]

How were they let out?

[Ash]

I. I'll get to it. I think they served 17 years, maybe a little more, and got out because there was. It's similar to what happened here with the Constitution, where life sentences became unconstitutional.

[Elena]

Yeah, it was.

[Ash]

It was. I think it was literally the same year, 2004. We'll get to it, but yeah.

[Elena]

Holy. Yeah.

[Ash]

So she's still crazy. She must have just been in complete shock. And there must have been like so much adrenaline coursing through her veins because of this. Like, that's what your does. So she still wasn't experiencing any pain, but the sight of her intestines and the considerable wound in her stomach unnerved her. And for the first time the gravity of the situation struck her. Yeah. So she starts groping around with one hand, just trying to find something. Cuz she. She had taken off clothes, so she knew maybe they were right there. They had left her shirt. So lucky. I know. So she found that lying in the sand and used it to tie around her abdomen just to keep her insides in place. Literally tourniquets herself to keep her intestines in place.

[Elena]

Oh my God.

[Ash]

And then she just started crawling toward the road. All the while, debris and bits of broken glass are cutting her knees and hands open as she's crawling and her intestines are still spilling out of her and she's having to like, oh, and she's decapitated. And don't forget, on top of that, she's. Yeah, exactly. In case you forgot, she's also nearly decapitated. And that's not hyperbolic.

[Elena]

No, like medically, she's literally medically, like.

[Ash]

Like her half of her thyroid was sitting outside of her. Her neck.

[Elena]

I. I swear to you, the next time I have a fucking complaint. Oh, some dumbass complaint. Punch me in the face.

[Ash]

I probably won't do that because my God. But I'll remind you of this story.

[Elena]

My God.

[Ash]

The.

[Elena]

The perspective that this will give you is beyond.

[Ash]

It's. It's beyond. I get to the point, like, I got to the point reading this. I was telling Drew about it. When I was like, putting it together, I was like telling him about it. And I just got to the point where I was like, I don't even have words left. That's the thing.

[Elena]

Like, you really don't.

[Ash]

I don't even have words left to describe this story, describe this woman. Like, yeah, it's truly unthinkable.

[Elena]

I can't believe what she survived and.

[Ash]

What she was able to walk away. Like, not walk away from, but you know what I mean? Yeah. So badly injured and only having one free hand at this point because one of them is keeping her neck together. And realistically. Only she doesn't even have a free hand because she's keeping her intestines together and trying to keep her head together. So her progress was slow and exhausting because again, her body is shutting down. But when she reached the clearing where the attack had first started. She collapsed on a pile of rocks and felt like she couldn't go any further because I. You can't imagine what this had to have done. She's rapidly losing blood at the same time. So then it occurred to her, though she wasn't even thinking of herself in this moment. She said it occurred to her that if anybody found her there, like so far away from the scene, there would be a large trail of blood behind her and they would know that she struggled and suffered and she didn't want that for her friends and family.

[Elena]

Allison, are you a real, Are you a person?

[Ash]

She's a, like a saint. Like, what are you? She is a goddess.

[Elena]

I'm so impressed with her mind. To think like, I'm just like what, like that mind of hers and that, like, I don't know. I know what, what she is. But like that, that mind and soul is something that I, I don't think you come across often.

[Ash]

No. To have the capacity to think about the reaction of your friends and family.

[Elena]

Yeah.

[Ash]

And like just that you wouldn't want them to be that heartbroken and know.

[Elena]

You know what you went through.

[Ash]

Wow. Insane. Like in a good way.

[Elena]

Yeah.

[Tian]

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[Ash]

So the crawling at this point was taking too long, and she knew that if she was going to get to the road, she had to move faster. So it took some time, but eventually she did manage to get to her feet. But as soon as she was upright, everything went black. Of course, now this moment was deeply confusing because she hadn't lost consciousness. She was still completely conscious, but for some reason, some reason, everything was completely wrong. She said my head, I realized, had flopped backwards.

[Elena]

Oh.

[Ash]

And almost rested between my shoulder blades.

[Elena]

Oh, my God.

[Ash]

She said. I hadn't. I expected to feel something, but was completely taken aback when my hands seemed to almost disappear inside my body as if I had swallowed myself. So what most likely happened there? Elena. And I was talking to Elena a little bit about the details of this. Something had to have happened where the nerves that, like, help give you sight feet were so messed up in that moment that when she flopped backwards, they.

[Elena]

Weren'T like, maybe registering backwards, like pinch the occipital or like, you know, any kind of nerve that makes it so you can see. And the lights literally just went out because there was a kink in the line.

[Ash]

Insane like that is. And when she says her head is resting between her shoulder blades.

[Elena]

When you said, I'm literally like, I keep grabbing my neck so I'm just like, oh, God.

[Ash]

Same.

[Elena]

I can't.

[Ash]

Huh. That's like. Like if you put your head back and look at this guy. Hers was almost in between her shoulder blades. You couldn't physically do that because you're not decapitated.

[Elena]

I ask my kids to look up at the ceiling when I wash their hair in the bath and they act like I am asking them.

[Ash]

I've seen that.

[Elena]

To do just acrobatics, the Lord's work and this. What?

[Ash]

Yeah.

[Elena]

Oh.

[Ash]

So that's when she real. Because that's. So that's why she had One free hand at that point, because she didn't realize how bad it was while she's crawling. So when she was crawling, she was crawling with one hand. The other hand was keeping her intestines together. Now at this point, she tries to stand, and that's what happened. So now she has no free hands.

[Elena]

Now she's got to hold her head.

[Ash]

She's literally holding her head and her abdomen. So holding her head forward with one hand and pressing her intestines into her abdomen with the other.

[Elena]

If you could see.

[Ash]

I know a picture of us right.

[Elena]

Now, I am clasping my neck with one hand, and I have the other hand on top of my head, stabilizing my own head.

[Ash]

I'm holding my hand, her stomach, and.

[Elena]

The top of her head.

[Ash]

Yes.

[Elena]

And we are both just nodding at.

[Ash]

Each other, being like, this is what she had to do. But with everything spilling out of her.

[Elena]

And this is just listening to this. I am holding all of my body together.

[Ash]

Yeah. So now she's got. That's the other thing. Now she, like, she's lost all this blood. She's nearly decapitated. Her intestines are spilling out, and now she's standing and has to have the balance to walk, talk. Putting one foot in front of the.

[Elena]

Other, keep the lights on.

[Ash]

I could barely do that. And I. I'm fully here.

[Elena]

Yeah.

[Ash]

So she very slowly swung one foot in front of the other, just slowly moving in the direction of the main road. She said at various points, she felt like she was just gonna lose consciousness again. And after what felt like an hour, she considered giving up. But when she raised her eyes forward, she realized she made it to the road.

[Elena]

Allison.

[Ash]

But.

[Elena]

Yeah, Allison.

[Ash]

Now she realized she'd reached her destination, which was incredible.

[Elena]

But what now?

[Ash]

Remarkable. In, like, beyond. But now she needed to get somebody's attention. Every fiber of her being just wanted to lay down right there where she was on the pavement. But she was on the side of the road at this point. And she knew that by lying on the side of the road, she might not be missed. Yeah, exactly. So instead, she took even more steps and made it to the middle of the road and just lay horizontally down across the road, ensuring that a driver coming in either direction would have to stop or intentionally drive around her. But literally thought that was like, I'm just gonna. First of all, laying in the middle of the road. Scary, horrifying. Scary. She didn't even think of that at that point.

[Elena]

All natural instincts.

[Ash]

She didn't even think of that. She just said, they'll have to swerve around me or they'll still see me and they'll stop.

[Elena]

Because she's also thinking like, people are humans. Yeah, they're not just gonna run me over.

[Ash]

Luckily, nobody runs her over. But it's like, people aren't humans.

[Elena]

But I'm surprised after what she has been through that she can still trust in humans enough to be like, honestly, it won't just run me over. Honestly, you know?

[Ash]

So at this point, she's just relieved to finally rest. This has taken everything and more out of her. So she laid down for an indeterminate amount of time until finally she heard the hum of an engine from off in the distance. And the hum grew closer and closer until it finally stopped and she could see the headlights from the car bearing down on her, and it was just sitting idle in the road. But the driver wasn't getting out. She said, I frantically waved as fast as I could. I wanted whoever it was to see that I was alive and needed help. But the driver didn't make any moves to get out of the vehicle. And for a moment, a terrible thought flashed through her mind.

[Elena]

What if this is them?

[Ash]

What if this is them returning to make sure I'm dead? Luckily, it was not. But what felt like 15 or maybe even 20 minutes later, the engine revved slightly and the car just drove around her and continued down the road. Whoever that was.

[Elena]

How do you live with yourself?

[Ash]

Whoever that was. I hope you stub your toe every morning. I hope you've never had a good coffee since. I hope you have every tastic thing happen to you every day. I hope it's always raining on your side of the street. I hope that you don't like rain.

[Elena]

I'm without words.

[Ash]

I. I wish you the worst.

[Elena]

Rarely am I speechless person who just.

[Ash]

Sat there for however long they did because obviously she had no concept of.

[Elena]

Time at this point and obviously took a look at her.

[Ash]

I wish you the very worst, which is exactly what you deserve.

[Elena]

All you had to do was call.

[Ash]

The police or just get out and comfort the woman in the police. Like, hello.

[Elena]

That's what, like, call the police. All you have to do is and wait.

[Ash]

All you have to do is be a fellow human.

[Elena]

Like, holy. Did you just, like, go have dinner with your family after that?

[Ash]

Who knows?

[Elena]

Like, what'd you do all the rest of your day?

[Ash]

Who knows?

[Elena]

Did you tell someone? Did you go somewhere and just be like, oh, yeah, I saw this crazy thing.

[Ash]

You hope that that person called the police, but it doesn't Sound like they did.

[Elena]

Jesus.

[Ash]

So her heart is just broken as she's watching her. What she feels is like her only hope. Drive away. But yet, the more she thought about it, she had the wherewithal to have compassion, everybody. The more she started to consider why a person might not get out under these circumstances. She thought perhaps it was a woman on her own who was scared to get out of her car. Maybe the driver sensed danger and thought it was an ambush and thought I was some sort of decoy. She still was able to have compassion for this person and come up with.

[Elena]

Like, gen. Not that it's by no means okay, that that person, but valid. But to come up with valid reasons, too, to, like, excuse them of their actions.

[Ash]

Is this girl just, like.

[Elena]

I mean, I just don't have words anymore. I've lost vocabulary words for what she is.

[Ash]

This right here is an eternal optimist, truly.

[Elena]

And just like, she's like, oh, you know what? I'll give you the excuses.

[Ash]

Yeah.

[Elena]

That I hope you needed.

[Ash]

Yeah. So as she just lay there in the middle of the road, nearly decapitated, intestines filling out, she just considered all the reasons why the driver had left. And then she started hearing the sounds of another approaching car. And then she heard voices. When she opened her eyes, there was a woman standing over her who just started screaming when she saw Allison's injuries, which you honestly can't even blame this woman. I think that was just, like an incident, instinctual response.

[Elena]

I don't blame this woman in the least because I know that was probably awful for Allison, but. Which, like, I feel awful about. But, like, I. I mean, you can't.

[Ash]

Conjure this image in your mind.

[Elena]

And to see a human, a fellow woman like that lying in the road, I can't. That would destroy me.

[Ash]

No, it's, like, horrifying. She said later. It was the kind of scream you hear in a cheap. In some cheap horror movie. And then I realized how awful I must have looked. So the women's screams eventually stopped, and Allison started to hear other voices. And then she saw the face of a young man who was a literal hero kneel beside her. This man forever. He looked her directly in the eyes and was talking, but she couldn't really understand what he was saying because she's going in and out of consciousness at this point. And she opened her mouth and tried to speak, but obviously no sound came out. And the young man responded, telling her just to relax as best as she could and reassured her that help was on the way.

[Elena]

I love this man.

[Ash]

It was 2:45am by the time she was discovered in the street, meaning this entire course of events, from her abduction to her discovery, had taken no more than 90 minutes.

[Elena]

Oh, my God.

[Ash]

All of that happened. Abduction to this point, 99 minutes. That is an hour and a half, everybody.

[Elena]

I cannot. I can't conceive of that.

[Ash]

They were able to do that to her in 90 minutes. That must be how much her life changed.

[Elena]

Frenzied, that attack.

[Ash]

Oh, absolutely. Absolutely.

[Elena]

And even more badass of her. You got all the way out there in that little of time.

[Ash]

Yes, in a. Probably.

[Elena]

Which to her felt like hours.

[Ash]

Oh, I think it felt like days.

[Elena]

But she was zooting out there. Yeah, yeah. In this. In this economy.

[Ash]

Yeah.

[Elena]

Like in this. In this situation, she's just zooting out to the road.

[Ash]

Yep. Holy.

[Elena]

Yep.

[Ash]

Now Tian know that.

[Elena]

Wow.

[Ash]

Incredible. 90 minutes.

[Elena]

Wow.

[Ash]

So tion. Different than tion. Tion. This is a different person. Elard had been out with friends at a bar that night and was driving, just driving home around 2:30am when he came upon Allison lying there in the street. He was a veterinary student, so he was familiar with anatomy and immediately started checking her vital signs. And he also recognized the severity of her wounds and did everything he could to minimize any further risk. He gently tucked an exposed piece of thyroid back into her throat, and then, using his own shirt, he applied pressure to her neck to slow the bleeding. By then, other cars had stopped, and there was a great deal of activity in the road. Other drivers were directing traffic around them. Somebody brought a flashlight to Tian.

[Elena]

Oh, thank goodness. People.

[Ash]

Yeah, people. People peopled in a good way now.

[Elena]

So there was only one people who peopled in the bad way.

[Ash]

Yeah.

[Elena]

Outside of the attackers.

[Ash]

And even Allison was able to give them.

[Elena]

Even Allison, the excuse.

[Ash]

So somebody brought him a flashlight, and he was able to get a good look at her wounds, seeing for the first time that her intestines were exposed. He said later, I was utterly amazed that this person was still alive, considering this second mate, major injury.

[Elena]

Wow.

[Ash]

So while they waited for an ambulance, Tian continued talking to Allison, both to keep her calm and conscious until the ambulance arrived. And meanwhile, one of the other drivers massaged her legs to keep the circulation going. Yeah.

[Elena]

Oh, I love this. I love humanity. Like, this is.

[Ash]

I'm like, okay, this is where the humanity is at.

[Elena]

Oh, man. She saw the. She saw the opposite ends of the spectrum.

[Ash]

Yep. That night. Yep. So they could finally hear the siren of the ambulance wailing in the distance, but it still seemed so Far away. But finally, the EMTs were beside them, and they loaded Allison onto the stretcher and into the ambulance. And instinctually, Tian followed them in and climbed into the ambulance.

[Elena]

Oh, Tian.

[Ash]

Under the circumstances, nobody bothered to ask what his relation was.

[Elena]

Come in, Tion.

[Ash]

He rode all the way to the hospital, holding her hand the entire way.

[Elena]

I hope Tian became a vet.

[Ash]

Yes.

[Elena]

I hope he became something that cares.

[Ash]

For something, because clearly, that is his nature.

[Elena]

That is your soul, sir.

[Ash]

Yeah. Oh, my God. Incredible.

[Elena]

I love him.

[Ash]

Beautiful. It wasn't until they arrived to the hospital and a doctor appeared that anybody even paid any attention to him. And they just ushered him out of the way because she had to be brought to surgery. He finally let go of Allison's hand, but not before he leaned in and assured her he was not going to leave her alone. He would. He would be there when she woke up.

[Elena]

Oh, my God.

[Ash]

Yes, I know.

[Elena]

I love. I love this.

[Ash]

Years later, Allison would credit her survival in large part to him, who she described as her lifeline that night.

[Elena]

Oh, my God.

[Ash]

I know. So by the time the surgeon arrived at the hospital, the other doctors had managed, really only to get Allison's name and her mother's phone number before she went. She lost consciousness again. Based on the extent of her trauma, the surgeon, Dr. Volodya Angelov, was stunned that she had even managed to stay alive.

[Elena]

Oh, yeah.

[Ash]

After checking her vital signs, he did his best not to reveal his surprise to the patient, who was just slipping in and out of consciousness. And according to Dr. Angelo, Allison looked like a, quote, creature straight out of a Dickens novel. She looked like a corpse, because you have to think the amount of blood she lost.

[Elena]

She must be gray and just. Just.

[Ash]

Yeah, dead. Literally, like on the brink of death.

[Elena]

Yeah.

[Ash]

Once they cleaned her off and moved her into surgery, they could see the extent of the wounds. Dr. Angela said her neck had been split open almost from ear to ear. I've seen many injuries as a doctor, but the severe cruelty of the wounds really shocked me. Wow. Her thyroid had been sliced nearly in half, and had Tian not thought to push it back into her throat, she would have died.

[Elena]

Tian.

[Ash]

If he hadn't done that, she would have died.

[Elena]

This is teamwork.

[Ash]

Her larynx had been separated from her trachea. Most of the muscles and tendons in the front and sides of her neck had been sliced and just retracted into the base of her skull.

[Elena]

Holy.

[Ash]

And the wound to her abdomen was equally horrific. Like we said, her intestines had been exposed, and you probably weren't Even thinking now they're covered in sand, dirt, and other debris.

[Elena]

I actually, as soon as you said she was crawling in the sand, my first thought was like, oh, my God.

[Ash]

Her intestines are covered in just.

[Elena]

Holy shit.

[Ash]

But her intestines had also sustained several stab wounds.

[Elena]

Her actual intestines, which is so, so bad.

[Ash]

Oh, yeah.

[Elena]

You could go into septic in a.

[Ash]

In a socket. Incredible that she did it.

[Elena]

I'm astounded. Cheated.

[Ash]

Yeah. Additionally, the stab wounds to her stomach had caused her abdominal muscles to collapse around the area of that. That wound. Wow. But after three and a half hours of cleaning and stitching wounds, they finally had stabilized Allison. And she was taken to the intensive care unit. While those.

[Elena]

Sir.

[Ash]

While the surgeons worked to close Allison's wound, other hospital staff had contacted her poor mother, Claire. Oh, I can't imagine getting that phone call.

[Elena]

My God.

[Ash]

But Claire started a kind of phone tree to inform everybody in Allison's life of what had happened. And finally, when she was out of surgery, the family was allowed to see her. And Claire rushed to the hospital to be right by her side. And when she entered Allison's room, she said she was shocked by what she saw. Claire said she looked frightened. She was filthy, her face was swollen. Her eyes were filled with blood and bulged out of her head. And she had tubes and pipes everywhere.

[Elena]

Oh, my God.

[Ash]

There was a cage over her lower body keeping blankets off of her. And there was this massive bandage across her throat. Imagine seeing your baby. No, like, somebody did that to your baby. There wouldn't be a safe corner of.

[Elena]

This earth in the galaxy. No, Just you can't even.

[Ash]

You could go light years away, and I would travel there and find you.

[Elena]

Out the atmosphere without me following.

[Ash]

Yo, that's.

[Elena]

I feel immensely for her mother for having to see that.

[Ash]

So despite her injuries, Allison was awake and did her best to talk with.

[Elena]

Her mom because she's got to entertain her visitors because she's a good hostess as well. Yeah, that's Allison laying in the hospital.

[Ash]

Under all of those circumstances and is like, hi, Mom. Hey. The fact she could even talk is.

[Elena]

Like her larynx was separated from her trachea.

[Ash]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Elena]

And she's like, hey, Mom.

[Ash]

Hey. So she tried to explain. She tried to sit there and explain what had happened to her mom, but her voice was too hoarse to say much. Gee, I wonder why. But she just insisted that the police needed to come catch the men who had done this to her. And it took more than a few minutes before she realized that in addition to her mother. There was another young man in the room. It was Tion. It was Tion. Oh, the man who stayed with her while they waited for the ambulance. So she just thanked him profusely and did her best to hug him.

[Elena]

Oh, my God.

[Ash]

Outside the room, the attending physician, Dr. Coleman, detailed the extent of Allison's wounds to her family, explaining that her head, like I said, had almost been severed from her body. She had also, remember, been sexually assaulted. Oh, yeah, he said, I fought in the Rhodesian bush war, and I've never seen anyone with injuries like this survive. Those wounds were gross beyond belief.

[Elena]

My goodness.

[Alina]

There's a lot in life that feels like it should be guaranteed, but it just isn't. Things like your friends being on their way when they text you omw.

[Elena]

Or.

[Alina]

Or getting out the same number of socks from the dryer that you put in. AT&T is introducing a new guarantee, the AT&T guarantee. Because there's a lot in life that's not guaranteed. The ATT guarantee means connectivity you can depend on deals you want and service.

[Ash]

You deserve, or they'll make it right.

[Alina]

Visit att.com guaranty to learn more. AT&T connecting changes everything. Terms and conditions apply. Visit att.com guarantee for details.

[Ash]

He explained that her outlook was not good because even if she survived the first few days, there was still an incredibly high risk of infection from all the debris found along her intestines. And the injury to her throat was equally serious. It was very possible for the wound to develop a thick scar tissue that could potentially choke her airway. Holy. So even though they were able to get everything back in order, think of that. Scar tissue could have formed and she.

[Elena]

Turned inside and literally, like, pushed back. Locked her airway. Yeah. My God.

[Ash]

Yup.

[Elena]

You don't even think of that.

[Ash]

No. Although the outlook was grim, Claire was confident that her daughter would survive. She said she was confident that God had not allowed her daughter to make it this far, only to take her a few days later.

[Elena]

Wow.

[Ash]

Within a few days, visitors started to show up to Allison's room every few hours, including, of course, her father, her brother, and a ton of friends and family. And when she was finally stable, she was visited by two police officers. Now that she was out of danger and she was able to speak more clearly, she described her attackers to the police and told them that their names were Franz and Tians. Fortunately, one of the officers, Nadia Swanpole, thought that she actually might have had an interaction with these two men at a shopping mall a few days earlier. Which was confirmed the following day when Allison identified them both in a photo lineup.

[Elena]

Holy.

[Ash]

What are the odds? Because these are. They're just out here being menaces in every way. You think? A few days later, another police officer, Melvin Humpel, showed up at Allison's bedside, and he explained that he was now the lead detective on the case and wanted to inform her that they had arrested Franz Dutoit and Tions Kruger and they'd found her car.

[Elena]

Wow.

[Ash]

They were already out on bail pending a trial for another rape charge. So Humpel assured Allison that neither man would be eligible for bail now. So they attacked her when they were already out on bail for raping another woman.

[Elena]

So they're just monsters.

[Ash]

Monsters.

[Elena]

Pure monsters.

[Ash]

Monsters. By that point, Allison had been in the hospital for almost two weeks, and news about her attack had spread throughout the country. The press was obviously eager to talk to her and had been harassing Claire, which I'm like, really? Like, come on.

[Elena]

Yeah.

[Ash]

Day and night, they're harassing her. In most cases, you would assume somebody in Allison's position would probably just want to avoid talking about this ordeal at all and not want to be anywhere near strangers.

[Elena]

Yeah. I totally understand that.

[Ash]

You would.

[Elena]

Yeah.

[Ash]

You'd give her every grace in the world. But she felt compelled to tell her story. She was still in such a fragile condition, though, that interviews had to wait, but she was willing to give them.

[Elena]

Holy.

[Ash]

Just to make sure that, like, every.

[Elena]

Word got out of place, every story was told. Yeah.

[Ash]

So she remained in the hospital, obviously, for several more weeks, and during that time, her attackers were arrested and prosecuted for her attempted murder, which, honestly, they should have just been prosecuted for murder, because that's what this would have been.

[Elena]

That's.

[Ash]

I hate attempting murder.

[Elena]

We've gone through that before. But, like, this is murder.

[Ash]

Yeah.

[Elena]

This is murder.

[Ash]

Yeah.

[Elena]

No, they walked away from somebody. They're decapitating her and slashing her throat 16 times and stabbing her in the abdomen upwards of 50 times, exposing her intestines after raping her violently.

[Ash]

Yep.

[Elena]

In choking her as well, to the point of unconsciousness. If you tell me that is not murder, that's stupid as.

[Ash]

No, that's. That is.

[Elena]

That is murder. But the. But Allison's just. Just stronger than they are. She's just better than them, and she should not be punished for being stronger than they are.

[Ash]

Exactly.

[Elena]

Because it's like, that's not. That's not a temp. That's not like, oops, I didn't do it right. No, they did it right.

[Ash]

Yeah.

[Elena]

Allison's just stronger than that.

[Ash]

She's just an anomaly.

[Elena]

It's like they did it. They. They overdid it. In fact, they overkilled her.

[Ash]

They did.

[Elena]

And for them to not consider that, like there needed to be some kind of break from precedence.

[Ash]

Yeah.

[Elena]

Where they sat there and said. Said this is murder. Because this case is a break from precedence doesn't mean that this is not murder.

[Ash]

Yep.

[Elena]

Let's be real. It drives me nuts.

[Ash]

Has always pissed me.

[Elena]

Attempting murder drives me nuts to begin with. But when it's this flagrant, it's a whole other. It's like it. I don't. There needs to be a different precedent. There just needs to be.

[Ash]

There absolutely does.

[Elena]

Because this makes me so angry.

[Ash]

Yeah. So she's in the hospital. She's reading updates in the papers. And she was surprised by how, quote, disheveled and terrified they both looked in the photographs. Because when they were around her, they were acting completely normal. But now they look like. I was like, you're not scared?

[Elena]

No.

[Ash]

You got caught. The press had dubbed the pair the Nordhoak Nordhoek Rippers, which is like. Don't give them a nickname. And of course, there was reports that they claimed to be Satanists. To Allison, the claims of Satanism seemed like a ploy to lessen the severity of what they had done. Like they weren't acting of their own free will. When would very much were.

[Elena]

I am 100% with her on that.

[Ash]

Yeah.

[Elena]

100%.

[Ash]

Now, if friends and Tuns had hoped to influence the court with their claims of Satan, you know, Satan's influence. Only the press seemed interested in their religious or spiritual beliefs. The judge and the prosecutor could give less of a. Couldn't give less of a shit. They had no interest in their beliefs and remained focused on the cruelty and the utter brutality of their crimes. After multiple days, the two finally went before the court.

[Elena]

Court.

[Ash]

Where they pleaded guilty to eight charges, including kidnapping, rape and attempted murder. During all of this, she learned. Allison learned various things about her attackers from the papers. Franz, she learned, was the son of a police officer.

[Elena]

Oh.

[Ash]

Which naturally came as a surprise to her. Wow. The son of a police officer. She also learned that they had attacked another woman on December 4. But according to Franz, the urge to kill her had passed. Once he raped her. Wow. So he would have killed that woman. It was just the urge passed when he was done assaulting her.

[Elena]

Wow.

[Ash]

From their statements in court, she learned that they had just been out drinking earlier in the day and decided to prowl the streets looking For a woman to attack. Tian said we wanted a nice car and a nice woman. Our goal was to find the woman, take her car, kidnap her, rape her, and then kill her. And he said this, like, he was just, like, rattling off items from a grocery list.

[Elena]

Well, like, what we plan to do then?

[Ash]

Like, yeah, I was just gonna go to the bar. I was gonna run to the grocery store after, grab, like, apples, bananas, and oranges.

[Elena]

Yeah.

[Ash]

But he's like, we're gonna kidnap a woman, rape her, and then kill her. What? Like, what, you just sat around and shot the. About that.

[Elena]

And we're like this, you know what we should do tonight instead of literally anything else?

[Ash]

What? I can't.

[Elena]

I, I. Yeah, not in my wildest. Like, I, My brain just will not even attempt to comprehend that.

[Ash]

No. So both men seemed arrogant and cruel to Allison and me, but she was determined not to let them dominate her life going forward. The judge did sentence them both to life in prison without the possibility for parole. And Allison was released from the hospital with a new appreciation for life and a determination to tell her story of complete resilience and the years that following her attack, she focused on recovery and on processing the trauma that she experienced. Yeah. She said, the one thing I do have control over is choice. I have the freedom to choose how I will respond to it. I have the choice to make of it what I must and learn from it.

[Elena]

Wow.

[Ash]

She also recognized the role that she played in her own survival, focusing on her will to survive rather than the randomness of luck. She was like, nah, I did that. Which I love. Yeah.

[Elena]

Cuz that was not luck.

[Ash]

No, that's.

[Elena]

That was. That was 100%. She is a strong anomaly of nature.

[Ash]

Yes.

[Elena]

That. I don't know if there's another, like, how many Allison are there in the world?

[Ash]

1.

[Elena]

How many Allison Bothas are there? Not many, truly.

[Ash]

So she told a reporter in 2006, believing that I could live the night of my attack and seeing the miraculous result of that belief is. Is a great achievement for me. Yeah, like, that's an understatement.

[Elena]

You can do anything.

[Ash]

Once she had physically healed, she started giving interviews and speaking publicly about her experience and the path to recovery. She said, when I first started speaking publicly, I noticed that most people were interested in my amazing survival and physical recovery. But as the years have gone by, I have found more and more people have been. Have become interested in my mental and spiritual rejuvenation, for sure, which I can imagine. Yeah. In time, she became a symbol of hope and resilience to countless young women across South Africa who themselves had experienced sexual violence but were denied justice or were unable to tell their stories.

[Elena]

Damn.

[Ash]

And it's those women that Allison wanted to make a difference with. And they were. They became the central premise of her story. She said, you must know that you are special and value yourself. It's what got me through my attack. Wow.

[Elena]

And that was in a her. She said she grew up being told, you're special. Pulled into the other room and said, like, you're special.

[Ash]

That stayed with her.

[Elena]

That stuck.

[Ash]

That was a foundation that her mother laid.

[Elena]

Wow. Yeah, I love that. That came back around.

[Ash]

Yep, we do. Enjoy.

[Elena]

Yeah, that's amazing.

[Ash]

Now, this I love. In 1997, her life changed dramatically for a second time, in a good way, when she married Teeny Botha. They met years earlier and had lost touch, actually, but they reconnected at a party one night where they ran into each other unexpectedly.

[Elena]

Oh, I love it.

[Ash]

So they got married in 1997. February 1997. And despite being told that she would likely be unable to have children due to her abdominal injury, she has since given birth to two children.

[Elena]

Holy.

[Ash]

She said, maybe I survived because I was meant to bring these two boys into the world for them to grow up and to become special people. And what makes that even more amazing and special is that during the attack, one of the men said to the other one, while they were stabbing her almost 50 times in her intestines and abdomen, they said they were purposely trying to mutilate her reproductive organs and destroy them.

[Elena]

This is a two pronged response. One, how diabolically evil do you have to be to be purposely mutilating someone's reproductive organs while in the course of killing them on another level?

[Ash]

Like, just because that's the other thing they're trying. They thought she was dead.

[Elena]

Yeah. So they were just doing that, adding.

[Ash]

Insult to injury, like, literally, blatantly.

[Elena]

And then two, for her to go on to have two beautiful kids despite every odd. Despite that fucking asshole being like, I like trying to mutilate her reproductive system. And then a doctor telling her truthfully, like, with all the injuries, that this may not happen for you, that is a miracle.

[Ash]

What is two miracles?

[Elena]

What is this story like? This story is, like, unbelievable.

[Ash]

This story is straight up inspiration.

[Elena]

Yeah, yeah.

[Ash]

To do the most menial things. Literally, like, I'm. Like, this story is inspiration to wake up and do my workout routine. Yeah. To do anything to do.

[Elena]

To wake up. Like, it's literally like, holy.

[Ash]

Wild. Now, despite her miraculous survival Story and seemingly indomitable spirit. Alice Allison spent years of emotional turmoil fighting to keep her attackers in prison, which is that she even had to do that.

[Elena]

Yeah, that's disgraceful.

[Ash]

Because even though they were both sentenced to life in prison, I touched on this. In the beginning, they had no possibility of parole. As early as 2012, there was talk of one of one or both of them being released. Released. And people were saying they had earned their Release.

[Elena]

How?

[Ash]

In 2012, a new legislation was enacted in South Africa that allowed for any prisoner who received a life sentence prior to 2004 to apply for parole after serving at least 13 years of their sentence. By that time, Franz and Tions had been in prison for 17 years. So they were eligible for this. The potential release of these wads, or really any potential killers years came as a shock to Allison.

[Elena]

Of course.

[Ash]

She told a reporter in 2012. 2012, can you imagine if just 100 lifers are released into society who are not rehabilitated?

[Elena]

Yeah, like what, what do you, what.

[Ash]

Do you do Is supposed to be all about rehabilitation. If you have already sentenced somebody to life in prison without the possibility they can't be rehabilitated. You've said exactly. And you've said exactly that.

[Elena]

And allowed back into society because you are literally saying they should never be allowed back into society.

[Ash]

But now we're just like reneging.

[Elena]

But now we're being like, well, that wording makes me sad. So like, let's, let's change the wording. Like, like, nope.

[Ash]

What?

[Elena]

That doesn't change what you did. That doesn't change that you sentenced them to be in prison for life. Cuz you didn't believe they could come out.

[Ash]

What the is that?

[Elena]

But now all of a sudden we're being like, yeah, yeah, totally. Cuz yeah, it's fine.

[Ash]

We decided that's unconstitutional.

[Elena]

When I said life, I meant a handful of years.

[Ash]

When I said life, I meant like less than a. Than a whole adolescent. Yeah, the.

[Elena]

Like, they can't even drive yet.

[Ash]

Yeah, so. So after hearing the news that they had both applied for parole now, Allison immediately spoke out against their release and used her platform to urge the government to keep them both in prison.

[Elena]

Good for her.

[Ash]

Her activism successfully kept them both in prison for another decade after the Correctional Services act passed in 2012. But in the summer of 2023, so recently, she received yet another shock when without any notice to her, both men were released on parole.

[Elena]

The fact that one, they released them at all and two, that they did not tell her is shameful.

[Ash]

Like what if she wanted to make plans to leave the country? That's shameful because I would want to leave the country if those men had done what they did to her.

[Elena]

Yes.

[Ash]

And were now just out just bopping around. You think they give a about being on parole?

[Elena]

No.

[Ash]

They literally took her intestines out of her body and nearly decapitated her and intentionally tried to destroy her reproductive organs. And you don't tell her that they're back out on the streets, quote unquote, on parole?

[Elena]

That's the least you could do. What does parole inform her?

[Ash]

Are you kidding me? In a message on social media, she addressed the news saying, the day I hoped and prayed for would never come. When I was asked, how will you feel if they ever get parole? My immediate answer was always, I'm hoping I'll never find out. But today I did.

[Elena]

Wow.

[Ash]

Now, I'm sure them being released on parole caused this next thing I'm about to tell you more. Tragedy struck when In September of 2024, Allison suffered a massive brain aneurysm and was rushed to a hospital in Cape Town. The surgeons were able to stop the bleeding in her brain and they were able to relieve the pressure that was caused by a buildup of fluid. But she was expected to face yet another long road to recovery.

[Elena]

Oh, my God.

[Ash]

No stranger to adversity, she met the challenge head on.

[Elena]

Of course she did, because she's Alison.

[Ash]

Botha and she's been exceeding her surgeon's expectations.

[Elena]

Alison Botha.

[Ash]

But her mother, Claire, released a statement in October saying, I'm beside myself that my child, who was afflicted by a second death blow, has exceeded all expectations and has lived, talked and remembered.

[Elena]

And it. And I agree with you that the stress of having them out.

[Ash]

Absolutely.

[Elena]

I guarantee you had something to do with that.

[Ash]

Absolutely.

[Elena]

Whoever signed, the stress must have been immense. Immense. To the kind of stress I can. Can't even quantify with words.

[Ash]

We'll never know.

[Elena]

Thoughts or creative writing. I can't do it in any space.

[Ash]

No. Whoever signed the papers that let them out of prison should be ashamed.

[Elena]

Is wrong with you?

[Ash]

I don't know how you lay your head on a pillow at night, but yeah. Despite their positive outlook and determination, the medical emergency put a huge financial burden on this small family. Allison doesn't have any medical insurance and has accrued a significant amount of debt since undergoing this surgery. Because that's how the medical system works works. And by now, and as of now, the both of family is relying on the generous support of public donations Made to a trust account set up with her name in Ned bank in South Africa. So there is a fundraiser that you guys can donate to and we're going to donate to as well. It's. I'm gonna share the link, but it's backabuddy co za/campaign/ help dash Allison Dash botha dash in dash her dash time dash of dash need. And I will post that link in the show notes. We'll post it on social media. You go to that, and it might look like you can only donate in, like a czar South African currency. But if you scroll next to the amount, there's an option for US Dollars.

[Elena]

Yes.

[Ash]

So definitely consider donating.

[Elena]

We're definitely donating.

[Ash]

She is halfway to where the. To the amount that they were trying to raise. And as of today, March 4th, the.

[Elena]

It's.

[Ash]

It's back a buddy. Which it was basically kind of like a GoFundMe, it seems. Okay. And it's got 13 days left.

[Elena]

Thirteen days.

[Ash]

The fundraiser. So.

[Elena]

Well, I mean, by the time this comes out, we'll post on social media before this episode comes out.

[Ash]

Yes.

[Elena]

So that. If you want to. If you are able to. And if you want to take part in that.

[Ash]

Yes.

[Elena]

That you can. So just in case the timing doesn't work out. I don't want to.

[Ash]

Yeah.

[Elena]

I don't want to miss our window to be able to help here.

[Ash]

Exactly.

[Elena]

So we'll post it.

[Ash]

Definitely consider donating. Because this woman is.

[Elena]

Yeah.

[Ash]

Beyond. She has survived so much. The fact that these two men were let out. These. I don't even want to call them men. Monsters, pigs, swines, were let out of prison. Insane.

[Elena]

I'm astounded by that.

[Ash]

She deserves the world for. For what she had to face. And now she must. And that's the thing. Like, she probably had this brain aneurysm because she's sitting there every day looking over her shoulder. I bet.

[Elena]

Yeah. Oh, I can't. Yeah. Who wouldn't? How did.

[Ash]

How did they get let out? Yeah, how did they get let out?

[Elena]

How did this happen?

[Ash]

She's not the only. She's the woman that they attacked in such a brutal manner. But she's not even the only woman that they've ever attacked. They attacked a pregnant woman. A pregnant woman.

[Elena]

My God.

[Ash]

Yeah. They are horrific. They are filthy. Truly, it's insane. It's. It's unthinkable that they got let out. So we will post those links for sure.

[Elena]

And. Because, I mean, like, hearing this story and what she's been through.

[Ash]

It's unthinkable.

[Elena]

I mean, damn.

[Ash]

And she just has such determination to live.

[Elena]

Yeah. And she has empathy.

[Ash]

Yeah.

[Elena]

And she had empathy in some of her darkest moments. And so I think this is time.

[Ash]

For us all to give that empathy back to it.

[Elena]

For sure.

[Ash]

For sure.

[Elena]

Yeah.

[Ash]

So with all that being said, please consider donating. Please share the link if you're not able to. Obviously not everybody will be able to. And of course, we hope you keep listening and we hope you keep it weird. But not so weird that you lack the humanity of those two trolls who are just walking the streets now.

[Elena]

Yeah.

[Ash]

That take care of each other.

[Elena]

Foreign.

[Ash]

If you like Morbid, you can listen early and ad free right now by joining Wondery plus in the Wondery app or on Apple Podcasts. Prime members can listen ad free on Amazon Music. Before you go, tell us about yourself by filling out a short [e-mail] survey.

[Dr. Volodya Angelov]

Hey weirdos, I'm Mike Corey and like you, I'm drawn to true crime, creepy history, and all things spooky. If you particularly enjoyed Ash and Elena's coverage of the USS Indianapolis, where 900 sailors battled rough seas, sharks, dehydration, and madness in the open ocean, you need to check out my podcast. Against the Odds, we dive deep into this survival story across four full episodes, revealing details you haven't heard yet.

[Ash]

Yet.

[Dr. Volodya Angelov]

Each week on against the Odds, we put you in the shoes of real survivors. From the Thai cave rescue to Somali pirate hostages to the Donner Party, these aren't just headlines, they're incredible stories of human endurance. Follow against the Odds on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts. Wondery subscribers can listen to both against the Odds and Morbid early and ad free. Start your free trial in the Wondery app, Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

[Elena]

Today.