All crimes are bad. But you got to agree that they do appear to be on a spectrum. Some are just more despicable than others are. For instance, it is common knowledge that incarcerated inmates don’t take kindly to convicted child molesters.
So when we came about this story of a burglar attempting to rape a vulnerable elderly woman, we were sick in our stomachs and knew it had to be somewhat closer on the spectrum to the vilest acts than shoplifting. Thankfully, this episode has a relatively positive ending; but how did she get off?
It all started like a normal exchange. On February 17, 88-year-old Helen Reynolds had a knock on her door. She had no idea who that might be, so she did the one thing any of us would do—peek at whoever was at the door. She received a warm smile from the man at the door, and she let her guard down.
Unbeknownst to her, she had just let in a burglar who she mistook for an apartment complex worker. And the nightmarish experience began.
Once inside, the criminal stole $40 worth of valuables, which he promptly shoved into his pockets. Unsatisfied with his loot, he transferred his attention from finding something else to cart away to victimizing Helen. Big mistake!
He proceeded to duct tape her mouth shut. But just before he did that, she asked him: “Would you do this to your mother? To bother her like you are doing me?”
It was her first try but the determined villain was unfazed. If anything, her emotional pleas spurred him onwards as he picked her up and took her into her bedroom. Fearing the worst with him removing his clothes followed by him frantically ripping off her clothes, she dropped the bombshell that stopped him in his tracks.
“Well, it’s like this; you might as well know the truth… I have HIV, and my husband died from it.”
Helen was lying, she was bluffing, and things may have gone sideways (what if he was already infected with HIV and didn’t care). But she held strong, put on her best poker face, and had the criminal stunned. The would-be rapist staggered out of the room, prolly thanking his stars she said something beforehand.
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