The victim’s family believes she was saved by a higher power after being attacked and stabbed nearly three dozen times.
HOUSTON — A Houston woman spent days in the hospital, clinging to life after police say her boyfriend stabbed her more than 35 times.
Miraculously, the 22-year-old survived, protected, her family believes, by a higher power.
The attack happened at an apartment complex near Cypresswood Drive and Mason Road earlier this month.
In a story you’ll see only on KHOU 11, family members are speaking out about the terrifying experience.
They say the woman, who we’re not naming because she is a victim of domestic violence, tried to escape her then-boyfriend, identified by police as 20-year-old Elijah Glenn. She asked him to leave her apartment in the middle of the night and called police when he refused to go.
That’s when things took a violent turn. First, family members say, Glenn punched the victim in the face, then he found a knife and stabbed her repeatedly.
“What we are told he went to the kitchen, found the weapon, and began attacking her,” brother Justin Rogers told KHOU 11. “She tried to go through the door, and he immediately made the first cut. And from there, she managed to unlock the door, grabbed her throat.”
Neighbors and her family say she ran outside screaming for help, but Glenn dragged her back inside and continued stabbing her.
“She was yelling, ‘Open the door! He’s going to kill me!’ and banging as hard as she could,” one neighbor who didn’t want to be identified told KHOU 11 News.
By the time officers arrived, the victim had been stabbed nearly three dozen times. They believe Glenn was trying to kill her.
“Get the longest knife you can find and slice her throat from the back,” cousin Brandon Mayfield said.
They say she is home from the hospital and smiling again as she faces a long road to recovery.
Her family shared an urgent message for other domestic violence victims.
“If you are experiencing domestic violence, don’t wait till it’s life-ending. Enough is enough, end the relationship for the better,” Mayfield said.
Glenn remains in the Harris County Jail on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and injury to a child. Investigators said assaulted his 4-year-old daughter in a separate incident.
Resources for victims of domestic or family violence
Domestic and family violence cases in the Houston area have increased at an alarming rate. Victims often suffer in silence because they feel scared, helpless or ashamed.
If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence, here are some discreet ways to reach out for help.
The Houston Area Women’s Center has a 24-hour hotline for victims of domestic violence at 713-528-2121 or 1-800-256-0551.
The Family Time Crisis Center can also be reached 24 hours a day at 281-446-2615.
The National Domestic Violence Hotline is 1-800-799-SAFE (7233).
Crisis Text Line: Text START to 88788.