Terrified 91-year-old woman fights off nighttime intruder


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SALT LAKE CITY — Police are looking for a man who terrorized a 91-year-old woman in her home early Sunday.

“I thought for sure I was going to be killed,” the Salt Lake woman said Monday. “I thought ... 'Don’t tell me that I’m going to end my life like this!’”

The woman, who lives in a Central City neighborhood but did not want to be identified, said she was awakened by the feeling of somebody touching her. Not knowing exactly what the feeling was, the woman said she got up and walked to the bathroom.

“I pushed the door open and somebody was pushing it back — did that for about two or three times,” the woman said.

The woman said the unknown man then pushed her back into her room, beginning a back-and-forth struggle that continued for some time.


... he comes out and grabs me and throws me on the bed again and tries to smother me to death. And I just kept kicking him as hard as I could.

–91-year-old woman who fought intruder


“He had all my light fixtures pulled out,” the woman said. “I had no light, no nothing.”

At one point, the man had gone back into the bathroom and she tried to escape.

“As soon as I got out halfway, he comes out and grabs me and throws me on the bed again and tries to smother me to death,” she said. “And I just kept kicking him as hard as I could.”

The man ultimately left with the woman’s keys, credit cards and everything else in her purse.

“It was really scary for me. I was so scared I just shook,” said the woman, who turns 92 this week.

Because it was dark, the woman said she did not get a good look at the man and he never said a word to her during the ordeal. Police only described the man as having a medium height and build.

“Fortunately, she was not injured,” said Salt Lake Police Sgt. Robin Heiden.

The woman said she believed the man got in through an unlocked back door.

“It used to be that we didn’t really have to lock our doors like we do now,” Heiden said. “Unfortunately we have to make sure that we’re very vigilant when it comes to protecting ourselves in our homes and our vehicles.”

The woman had already changed her locks Monday, and said she hoped others will take heed of her story.

“They better make sure that all the doors are locked,” she said. “Check and double check every night before you go to bed.”

Email: aadams@ksl.com

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