The Stranger has an exclusive piece by Jennifer Hopper, the surviving victim of Isaiah Kalebu, the man raped Hopper and her partner, Teresa Butz, stabbed Butz to death, and attempted to murder Hopper.

Hopper has never identified herself publicly before (media reports have identified her simply as "Butz's partner" or "the surviving victim"), and writes that she decided to do so through the Stranger because "I believe the work done in these pages by Eli Sanders over the past two years has created a three-dimensional picture not only of the recent trial, but of the psychology of the crime itself."

She continues:

For about 18 months after the attack, I couldn't sleep at night. My mind was afraid that if I closed my eyes, I would open them to something terrifying. My body was exhausted, but my mind couldn't stop being on guard. Eventually, I was able to sleep with the light on. I still never sleep alone, and I still sometimes wake up, in the dark, absolutely sure that I've heard someone walking around in the house. I have to dig deep into my reserves, reassure myself that I'm safe, and trust that it will fade in time. [...]

You have to compartmentalize to go on after something like this. You put it all away and go about your day. Eventually, you start to wonder if it really happened. And then you hear the screams and you see the dash-cam video, hear the 911 call, and you remember. Yes. This happened. This happened and Teresa is gone. This happened and I somehow made it to the other side. It's a very strange place to be, but there's this nice bridging that occurs by sharing the then and the now, and sharing it right now, here in public. It's almost as if the Jen of today gets to say to the Jen of July 19, 2009, "I'm so sorry this happened."

She also has some heart-wrenching words for Kalebu, who was convicted of killing Butz last month.

If I were to address you right now, I would say: I'll never understand what made you capable of such cruelty, and I absolutely believe that you deserve to go to prison. But I don't hate you. I never wanted you put to death. I don't want revenge. In fact, with each day that goes by, I think of you less and less.

I want, though, to say something to your mother, Denise Kalebu: I am so sorry your family was destroyed by this. Thank you for your honesty and bravery in the courtroom. I wish you peace.

Hopper is expected to address Kalebu in court on August 12, when he is scheduled for sentencing.