This podcast details true crime cases. It contains adult themes and may contain descriptions of violence.

It is not intended for children. Listener discretion is advised.

Thank you for joining me for today's episode of Once Upon a Crime. We're in this series Survivor Stories.

So far, we've heard about a young girl who survived

being kidnapped and was hidden away in an underground bunker, as well as the account of another

young woman who was kidnapped and attacked by the infamous serial killer Ted Bundy.

Today's episode is especially chilling, since the victim almost lost her life to someone who had vowed to protect and love her, her own husband.

This is a tale of a horrific case of domestic violence, an attempted murder, committed by a very dangerous man.

If domestic violence is a trigger for you, you may want to skip parts of this episode.

I will give a warning before I go into the details as they unfolded on June 10, 1983.

The day 22-year-old Tracy Thurman was brutally beaten by her estranged husband and almost lost her life.

The fact that she survived was considered a miracle, and the outcome of her story became a victory,

not just for her, but for many others who have been victims of intimate partner violence.

This is Chapter 3, the story of Tracy Thurman.

Tracy Thurman calls herself a mama's girl.

She grew up in Connecticut and says her mom was her whole

life. She was so devoted to her that Tracy dropped out of school in the 10th grade when her mother was

diagnosed with cancer. She wanted to take care of her and did so until her mother died in 1979

when Tracy was just 17 years old.

Distraught at the loss of her mother, Tracy decided to leave Torrington, Connecticut, and the painful memories. She ended up in Florida, where she found work as a motel-maid. Not long

after arriving, she noticed a group of men who were staying at the motel. They were all employed

with a construction company that was working on a the motel. They were all employed with a construction company

...