PORTLAND, Texas — It is still difficult for Kristene Chapa to talk about that horrific night more than ten years ago.
"Talking about the attack, it does trigger me, but I know that talking about it, too, can help others," Chapa told 3NEWS when we spoke with her in March.
Chapa and her girlfriend, Mollie Olgin, were at Violet Andrews Park in Portland when they were both tied up, sexually assaulted, and shot in the head back in 2012.
They weren't discovered until nine hours later.
Mollie died in the attack. After a miraculous recovery, Chapa still has wounds- both visible and not.
Over the last ten years, Chapa has made strides in her recovery, but said it's far beyond what you can see. Working toward it is an everyday process. She shared that she has limited mobility and also struggles with PTSD.
"Disabilities -- isn't just physical. It's mental too," Chapa said. "Everyday is a struggle, and I fight everyday to be here, but I choose to be here."
A documentary about her miraculous recovery will open tonight at Portland's Northshore Cinema, the same theater the couple was headed to the night they were attacked.
"Left for Dead: The Kristene Chapa Story" will show for a minimum one week at the theater. For tickets and more information, click here.
Filmmaker Charlie Minn spent Spring Break week last March interviewing loved ones of Kristene as well as Mollie. However, one thing he says that will not be discussed:
"Without one mention of the killer," Minn said. "They don't deserve any attention and I think if I keep talking about the killers in my movies, that's only going to create copy cats. So, you will not hear the person's name in jail. Or any suspects they may have."
In addition to sharing Kristene and Mollie's story, Minn says he hopes the documentary can also bring a heightened awareness to personal safety.
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