She Was Brutally Raped Multiple Times…Years Later, She Went To See Her Attacker For 1 Shocking Reason
Monika Kørra barely spoke English when she was granted a full scholarship to run cross-country at SMU.
James Beattie August 27, 2015 at 10:20am
A Norwegian woman who attended Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, recounts the story of how she was raped nearly six years ago.
Monika Kørra barely spoke English when she was granted a full scholarship to run cross-country at SMU. In December 2009 in the middle of her sophomore year, Kørra was walking with her girlfriends to another friend’s car after a party near the SMU campus – but she never got to the car.
“Before I knew it, I just had someone grabbing me from behind and I had a gun to my head,” Kørra said in an interview with WFAA.
“The attack started right away… stripped me from my clothing,” she added.
They raped me one at a time, two at a time, three at a time.
They pushed my head towards the floor of the van and told me over and over, ‘Do as we tell you … otherwise we will kill you.’
“At one point, one of them placed duct tape around my head, covered my eyes and opened the door, and pushed me out,” Kørra continued.
After 90 minutes, the assailants dropped Kørra off at a field in South Dallas. Kørra began to cry once she realized she survived the attack. She was naked, afraid, and alone. Ultimately, a man came to her rescue, followed by law enforcement.
“I don’t know how many police officers showed up. They had a helicopter above me,” Kørra said.
Kørra, who still had duct tape in her hair and was clearly distraught by the incident, made a promise to herself: “I made the decision that night that I would not let this define me,” she said.
The Norwegian’s stolen cell phone led to the arrest of Arturo Arevalo, Alfonso Zuniga and Luis Zuniga. Arevalo and Alfonso Zuniga were sentenced to life in prison, while Luis Zuniga was sentenced to 25 years. Amazingly, Kørra is finding it in her heart to forgive her attackers.
“For me, forgiveness is not by any means becoming friends with them… it’s not about that,” she said. “It’s all about finding peace by letting go of all this, and that’s about me.”
Kørra, now 25, even met with Luis Zuniga and made him sign a contract to get help in exchange for her forgiveness.
“He signed his name and cried, and he told me how much he appreciated the opportunity to talk to me,” Kørra said.
I told him over and over: “Tell me what you did to me,” and he said the words: “I raped you.” It was hard for him to say, but important for him to realize that is what he did.
Kørra has penned a book entitled Kill the Silence, with the objective of helping women who have been through comparable experiences.
“I hope it can give people hope, and that I can show people it’s possible to move beyond this,” she said.
h/t: IJ Review
http://www.westernjournalism.com/she-was-brutally-raped-multiple-times-years-later-she-went-to-see-her-attacker-for-shocking-reason/
