Woman Savagely Beaten By Roommate Goes To Court To Face Him
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) – A woman savagely beaten and left for dead by her roommate was ready to face her accused attacker in court Friday morning.
It was the first pre-trial hearing since 23-year old Daniella Jones was attacked four months before.
After nearly three months in a hospital bed, much of that in a coma, and the other half learning to walk, talk and live again, Jones is grateful to be alive.
"I'm just happy to be alive, because I didn't expect to be alive," said Jones. "I didn't expect to turn out looking normal, because I saw my pictures and I thought I'd have purple scars all over my face and I would be in a wheelchair."
As she waited in a Miami-Dade courtroom Friday, her accused attacker, 36-year old Byron Mitchell, did not show up for the hearing.
Jones said she and Mitchell met through the online site Craigslist when she needed to find a roommate.
Mitchell is accused of choking, bashing and slashing Jones nearly to death a week later - putting her in the hospital and in a coma for nearly three months.
Mitchell, a fitness trainer, claims the two were in a relationship and this was self-defense after Jones came at him with a knife.
Despite her nerves and fears, Jones went to the hearing to see this through.
"It was hard because I don't even want to look at him," said Jones. "I would probably ask him why he did it and if he thought it was right."
"I know this is a very nerve-wracking thing. And it's never easy to look at the face of the man who nearly killed your daughter," said Jones' mother Aimee Capo Nikolov."I see her now and I see a miracle."
Mitchell is charged with premeditated attempted murder. His attorney said there's more to this story though he would not elaborate. The next court hearing is set for August.