OCTOBER
OCTOBER MARKS DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AWARENESS MONTH.
BUT FOR ONE LOCAL
SURVIVOR -- IT'S AN
ISSUE THAT'S FELT
YEAR ROUND.
AFTER LOSING HER
MOTHER AND ALMOST
LOSING HER OWN LIFE
AT THE HANDS OF HER
BOYFRIEND --
CAROLYN THOMAS
HAS BECOME THE
FACE OF THIS FIGHT.
HOPING SHARING HER
STORY WILL SAVE --
JUST ONE LIFE.
WE DO WANT TO
WARN YOU SOME OF
THE IMAGES IN THIS
STORY ARE GRAPHIC.
"I
"I THINK
"I THINK GOD KEPT ME ALIVE DEFINITELY FOR A
PURPOSE"
CAROLYN THOMAS
SPENDS HER DAYS
OPERATING VOICES
FOR ALL THE CAROLYN
THOMAS FOUNDATION.
DEVOTED TO HELPING
OTHERS ESCAPE
ABUSIVE
RELATIONSHIPS AND
BEGIN AGAIN.
"THERE IS LIFE
AFTER ABUSE.
YOU CAN COME
THROUGH THE
TUNNEL AND
CARRY ON"
IT'S A STRUGGLE SHE
KNOWS ALL TOO
WELL.
WELL. "LOOK WHAT HAPPENED TO ME
I LOST 80
PERCENT OF MY
FACE, I LOST MY
MOTHER"
15 YEARS LATER.
IT'S STILL HARD FOR
HER TO STAND HERE.
"I GET ANXEITY
JUST PASSING BY
OR STANDING
HERE"
THE PLACE WHERE
HER LIFE CHANGED
FOREVER.
"DECEMBER 5TH
2003"
BACK THEN CAROLYN
TOLD HER BOYFRIEND
TERRENCE DEWAINE
KELLY SHE PLANNED
TO LEAVE HIM.
WHEN HE ASKED TO
COME OVER..
SHE SAID IT WAS FINE.
"SOMETIMES I SAY
IF I HAD NOT
AGREED TO
THAT...WOULD
SHE STILL BE
ALIVE TODAY"
SHORTLY AFTER
TERRENCE ARRIVED
CAROLYN SAYS HE
BECAME ANGRY
BECAME ANGRY
ASKING
ASKING WHO WAS IN THE APARTMENT. MOMENTS LATER SHE
SAYS TERRENCE
BEGAN SHOOTING.
CAROLYN SAYS
TERRENCE SHOT HER
MOTHER IN THE
STOMACH AND THEN
SHOT HER IN THE
FACE AT POINT BLANK
RANGE....
THE PICTURES TAKEN
AFTER THE SHOOTING
ARE HARD TO LOOK AT
BUT OFFER A VERY
REAL VIEW OF
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
AT ITS WORST.
"HE HAD BEEN
SAYING FOR
YEARS THAT IF I
LEAVE HIM HE
WOULD KILL ME.
WE SEE NOW
THAT HE WAS
SERIOUS"
CAROLYN SAYS THE
MOMENTS AFTER THE
SHOOTING WERE
CHAOS.
A DOWNSTAIRS
NEIGHBOR HEARD THE
COMMOTION AND
CALLED POLICE.
WACO POLICE
OFFICER KERMIT
GRAHAM WAS ABOUT
TO END HIS SHIFT BUT
DECIDED TO
ACCOMPANY HIS
PARTNER ON ONE
LAST CALL THAT
NIGHT.
"THIS IS ONE OF
THE MORE
TRAUMATIC
EXPERIENCES OF
MY LIFE"
HE STEPPED OVER
CAROLYN THINKING
SHE WAS ALREADY
DEAD.
CAROLYN KNEW SHE
HAD TO ACT FAST.
"HE CAME BACK
AND STEPPED
OVER ME A
SECOND TIME SO I
GRABBED HIS
ANKLE TO LET HIM
KNOW THAT I WAS
ALIVE"
"IT WAS
NERVEWRACKING
BECAUSE IF
ANYBODY
WOULD'VE TOLD
ME SHE WAS
ALIVE I WOULDN'T
HAVE BELIEVED
THEM"
CAROLYN AND HER
MOTHER WERE
RUSHED TO THE
HOSPITAL.
REALIZING THE
EXTENT OF THE
DAMAGE WAS TOUGH.
"SHE TOOK THE
BANDAGES OFF
AND EVERYBODY
IN THE ROOM
JUST GASPED AND
I KNEW IT WAS
BAD"
FINDING OUT HER
MOTHER DIDN'T
SURVIVE WAS EVEN
HARDER.
"IT WAS JUST HER
TIME TO GO AND I
WAS LEFT HERE
TO DO A JOB"
SEVERAL YEARS AND
15 SURGERIES LATER
CAROLYN IS LEADING
THE MISSION TO END
THE VIOLENCE.
"IF YOU ARE IN A
DOMESTIC
VIOLENCE
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE RELATIONSHIP
VIOLENCE RELATIONSHIP YOU NEED TO GET
HELP"
HELP"
TEAMING
TEAMING UP WITH THE MAN WHO SAVED HER LIFE
"HELPING
LIFE "HELPING CAROLYN AND
SAVING AT LEAST
ONE PERSON IS
WHAT I WAS
LOOKING FOR"
AND DOZENS MORE
NATIONWIDE.
HOPING IT WON'T
TAKE ANOTHER
BULLET -- TO SAVE
ANOTHER LIFE.
"I AM A VISUAL AID.
NOW IF YOU LOOK
AT ME AND HEAR
MY STORY AND
YOU DON'T GET
OUT OF THAT
RELATIONSHIP
WELL YOU'RE
GONNA BE IN THE
SAME PLACE MY
MOTHER IS RIGHT
NOW"
NOW"
TERRENCE
TERRENCE IS CURRENTLY SERVING
CURRENTLY SERVING
A
A LIFE
A LIFE SENTENCE FOR MURDER AND
MURDER AND
ATTEMPTED
ATTEMPTED MURDER. AS FOR WHAT'S NEXT
FOR
FOR CAROLYN. WACO NATIVE MARY GLYNN IS PRODUCING
AN UPDATE
DOCUMENTARY ON
CAROLYN'S JOURNEY
-- FOLLOWING THE
FIRST DOCUMENTARY
THAT AIRED IN 2006.
THERE IS A GO FUND
ME SET UP TO HELP
WITH FUNDS FOR THE
FILM.
FOR MORE
INFORMATION VISIT
OUR WEBSITE KCEN
TV.COM.