Sam Shelton tried to kill Ashley Reeves in 2006. However, she survived that horrifying incident and came out to share her story.
Ashley Reeves’s story of survival and recovery was featured in a movie named Left For Dead. Some people put the movie on the recommendation list to watch this weekend.
Who Tried To Kill Ashley Reeves?
Sam Shelton tried to kill Ashley Reeves in 2006. However, she survived the murder attempt even after freezing in the cold for 30 hours.
Her middle school instructor, Shelton, was grooming and manipulating her into a sexual relationship. Finally, on the day of the attack, she met him and told him that she wanted to break up their abusive relationship.
However, Shelton did not want to let go. Thus, they got into a fight in the car, and he seized Reeves in a chokehold and hauled her out during their altercation. She fought for a time but became weak after some struggle.
When pulling her, he realized he had snapped her neck. As a result, he panicked and pulled her into the bushes. He then started to hand-strangulate her. After he took his hands off her, she was still breathing. Then, using his leg as support, he placed his belt around her neck and pulled as strongly as possible until the belt broke.
When it finally broke, he choked her one last time until he thought she was dead. Then, he left her in the bushes to die. She was left in the woods for 30 hours with severe injuries.
Police thought she had died when they found her, but she moved and was taken to the hospital.
Where Is Sam Shelton Today?
Sam Shelton was sentenced to 20 years of life in prison. However, he was initially taken into custody as a minor suspect when the detectives found he was the last person to contact Reeves.
He changed the story several times before finally giving up after 12 hours of interrogation. Finally, he confessed his relationship with Ashley and what he did to her.
He led the officers to where he had abandoned her but forgot the exact place. Luckily, cops found her and took her to the hospital. He was arrested after Reeves was found.
He was given bail and placed under house arrest for a year to prepare for trial. Sam attempted suicide once during the year. He accepted a plea deal in 2007.
Ashley Reeves Recovery Story
Ashley Reeves’s story of recovery is inspiring and a sign of hope and courage. After the incident, she lost some of her memory. She only remembered the fight.
The road to recovery was difficult for her as she had to re-learn how to talk, eat, and move her limbs. The doctors told her parents that it would take a while before she returned to her former self. They also talked about the possibility that she may not make it.