Esther Schmucker says “I was sitting up on my bed and there was just blood everywhere. I was holding a t-shirt and it was just soaking in blood.” She’s still haunted by Halloween night, the night of her attack. She says “when he came at me I knew he was going to hurt me. That’s why I screamed for my roommate.”
Imir Williams is the man who stands accused of beating Schmucker. She says “after he came lunging at me the rest is just.. I blacked out. I don’t remember.” When Schmucker got to the hospital she found out just how badly she was beaten. She says “the nurse looked at me after the results came back and she said you’re one lucky woman. She said one more hit to your cheek bone and you could have lost your eye.”
Williams was arrested and charged with aggravated assault. He’s been in jail ever since. But he could soon be out on probation. On a reduced charge of simple assault. Craig Stedman is the District Attorney of Lancaster County. He says “a broken nose, a broken cheek bone, it’s bad. But it’s not legally serious bodily injury in Pennsylvania so the default is simple assault. That can be frustrating to victims. I understand that.”
It’s also a source of frustration for advocates of domestic violence victims. Christine Laney is with the Domestic Violence Services of Lancaster County. She says “you have someone that has significant injuries but yet it’s not enough for the agg assault and so yes there’s certainly an area there that could be improved upon.”
Meanwhile Ester says “I’m always fearful and it’s only going to be magnified by a hundred when he gets out of jail.” For now Esther is focused on physical and emotional healing. She says “this hasn’t just affected my face. This has affected me in every aspect of my life.”