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Wednesday, 20 July 2016

Dallas Domestic Violence Survivor Awarded $40million After Her Boyfriend Tortured Her For Five Hours And Left Her For Dead

Escamilla was brutally attacked by her boyfriend Jose Arreola in March 2011 who stabbed her repeatedly (she is pictured in hospital after the assault)
A domestic abuse victim was been awarded a $40million payout against her then-boyfriend after he stabbed and violated her for hours before leaving her for dead.
Maria Escamilla knows she is unlikely to ever see a penny of the compensation - the biggest payout ever awarded to a domestic violence victim. Her attacker Jose Arreola, who was jailed in 2013, had little in the way of assets.
But she says the just being awarded the sum means much more to her than the actual money

Maria Escamilla has been awarded a $40million payout after her boyfriend stabbed and violated her for hours before leaving her for dead
Maria Escamilla has been awarded a $40million payout after her boyfriend stabbed and violated her for hours before leaving her for dead

'To me, it means that man who tried to kill me and mutilated me and tortured me for five hours deemed me worthless,' Escamilla, 46, told The Dallas Morning News.
'But the jury disagreed. My life is not worthless.'


Escamilla still carries the scars, both physical and emotional, from the night of the brutal assault at her home in Lancaster, Texas in March 2011.
Arreola has attacked Escamilla with a lamp and a knife, stabbing her multiple times in the face, breasts and genitals.


The victim suffered horrific injuries and needed more than 500 stitches across her stab woundsThe victim suffered horrific injuries and needed more than 500 stitches across her stab wounds

The victim suffered horrific injuries and needed more than 500 stitches across her stab wounds

Her face was so badly beaten that her eyes were swollen shut and she had numerous fractures

She was also raped and sodomized during the assault which lasted for five hours until he abandoned her for dead. 
Escamilla's injuries were horrific. She needed 500 stitches for stab wounds all over her body while the knife had also punctured one of her lungs. 
Her face was so badly beaten that her eyes were swollen shut and she had numerous fractures. She had to undergo surgery to insert permanent plates in her face, yet bones still protrude which will require plastic surgery.

The 46-year-old, who suffered from PTSD, has also permanently lost the full use of her right hand while vision in her left eye has been affected.
Arreola, 37, was spared a life sentence but was jailed for 28 years following his trial in 2013.
Maria Escamilla, pictured with her attacker Jose Arreola, who was jailed for 28 years in 2013 over the attack

Maria Escamilla, pictured with her attacker Jose Arreola, who was jailed for 28 years in 2013 over the attack
She says that while the assault made her feel 'worthless', the jury's decision to award her $40million sent a message that 'my life is not worthless'
The bloody knife he used was later presented as evidence in the case against Arreola who was described as a psychopath by his victim's lawyers
The bloody knife he used was later presented as evidence in the case against Arreola who was described as a psychopath by his victim's lawyers
She says that while the assault made her feel 'worthless', the jury's decision to award her $40million sent a message that 'my life is not worthless'
Arreola's lawyer Michael Todd, who also represented him in the criminal case, claimed that the victim had brought the civil case because they 'wanted a do-over from the criminal trial.'
Escamilla's attorneys, Michael Pezzulli and Doug Mulder, insisted the case was never about the money.
'People don't give a $40 million dollar verdict every day,' Pezzulli told CBS. 'I think this jury understood they had an opportunity to make a statement that could be heard throughout the country.'

Arreola (pictured at his trial in 2013) was spared a life term but was ordered to pay $40million after he attacked Escamilla with a lamp and a knife 
Arreola (pictured at his trial in 2013) was spared a life term but was ordered to pay $40million after he attacked Escamilla with a lamp and a knife 
The civil suit had sought damages for the pain, suffering and medical costs she suffered. Medical bills have already reached more than $1million.
But Escamilla was realistic about the likelihood of ever receiving that payout.
'I have no illusions of ever seeing a penny,' said Escamilla, whose injuries and disabilities mean she is unable to work.


'If this stops one perpetrator from hurting one victim, it was worth it for me.'
The judge had ordered Arreola to be brought to Dallas from prison for the civil trial.
Pezzulli said that, to this day, he has never apologized to his victim.
'I think he's a psychopath,' he said. 
Escamilla is now an inspiration speaker about domestic violence and has traveled all over the world to share her harrowing story.

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